Halloween accident

[FA-18C]

Sore and pissed after been rear ended stopped at a light last night in our 2015 Highlander. This car was pristine for a 100K car, and drives fantastic. I am sure this will be a 3-4K repair. I am planning to use the offender's insurance to repair (State Farm) so they have to pay the deductible, and am looking at also pressing diminished value with the claim.

That aside, I mentally have issues driving or keeping a car after it has been hit. Don't know why, that is a many beer issue to unpack. Despite it being a soccer Mom car, the highlander was just a great vehicle. AWD, hauls anything I could ask for and the dogs to boot.

So the hunt begins. Not sure I can hold out until 24 to get the new Land Cruiser, so am considering 2008-2015 Land Cruisers (if I can find one), or a 4Runner. I like the Toyota reliability. When I see a Cayenne I get the wants, but reading the message boards on grenade problems with various engines scares me off...

Welcome the brain trust input...

[Tobra]

Be glad you did not get hurt

[KFC911]

Your neck hurts until your Highlander is repaired to your satisfaction ... seriously. Someone (with State Farm ins) hit my mom's minty Lexus a couple of years ago... I found her a nice Highlander after SF's BS in "making it right" ... too many personal experiences with insurance co's lies and nonsense (several different ones).

Good luck!

[Steve Carlton]

$3-4K in repairs sounds like minor damage which shouldn't affect the reliability of the car. Do you have a picture?

You should be able to have whatever body shop you want do the repairs, as long as what they want to do is reasonable, which should work for you. Try to find that body shop that does great work. Get checked out on the soreness- there could be money there. I hear getting diminished value reimbursement is difficult, I believe. I don't know being in VA affects you, though.

There's got to be a lot of good life left in your car.

[john70t]

Talk to your agent/broker who isn't the insurance company about diminished value and "how to be made whole and restore function". Damaged vehicle more prone to rust. Damaged title history. Comp research. Get all accident reports whether a drug test was done at scene. Or if not at attny stage yet, pro-se file discovery if they carry a pot card or phone records and using phone (two major causes). Their resistance might help your side in the future.

Their ins comp will try to drag it out until you give up. SOP. Keep your file on standby and pressure on.

[KNS]

If it hasn't affected the suspension in any way I would hang on to it. It's known entity, you like the car and now is not the best time to be buying a car.

That's just me, I tend to get attached to vehicles and I pretty much dislike all new and recent car offerings out there (I don't even like new 911s).

[911 Rod]

If you are sore, I'm sure it's more than 3-4 grand.

[Tobra]

KC is on the nose

[911boost]

Good luck! I want to say that is the same year Highlander my ex-wife had. She got in a minor accident where they rear ended a Toyota Tacoma in a parking lot. The hitch on the truck punched a hole in the radiator and she drove it, destroying the engine while trying to get home.

Anywhoo, it did an amazing amount of damage $ wise to her and she was in a parking lot not going fast and they totaled it. Hopefully yours is not as bad.

I have a 200 series Land Cruiser so if you have any questions feel free to PM. Mine is a '21 Heritage Edition and is probably my favorite SUV/Truck type vehicle I have ever owned. It has done everything I have asked it to do with ease. Yes the mileage isn't great, but I knew that going into it with the V8.

Bill

[ramonesfreak]

My wife got hit in her leased cx-5. I noticed the other day while detailing it that the paint job is extremely bad. Can practically see sand paper marks in it. I have encouraged her to turn it in in a few months when the lease is up but she won’t. Doesn’t bother her. Told her if she sells it some day it will be on carfax. She doesn’t care, wants to buy out the lease. Me, I’ve sold a car because safelite got finger prints on my headliner. Doesn’t take much for me and the car is gone.

[Scott Douglas]

Give it a week, then tell us how your neck feels.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

My wife got hit in her leased cx-5. I noticed the other day while detailing it that the paint job is extremely bad. Can practically see sand paper marks in it. I have encouraged her to turn it in in a few months when the lease is up but she won’t. Doesn’t bother her. Told her if she sells it some day it will be on carfax. She doesn’t care, wants to buy out the lease. Me, I’ve sold a car because safelite got finger prints on my headliner. Doesn’t take much for me and the car is gone.

You might want to see if the body shop who did the crummy work will fix it. It might just need some color sanding, although that tends to make the orange peel disappear.

[ramonesfreak]

Thought about that but the repair was a year ago…not that that should matter.

[Steve Carlton]

The paint probably shrunk when it dried up, getting sucked into the tiny sand paper scratches. One year wasn't that long ago- they should stand behind their work.

[FA-18C]

Love the input. $3200 estimate, OEM tailgate and lower bumper. Booked into Dec, so got on the schedule. It’s been a rock solid car, OTW my cheap ass tendencies might try using my pointless dent guy and put a new lower bumper for about $600 total. Would give me 2500 for the Targa. Damn thing drives like new. I have decided I am over the impact to the car, it’s a sit in the driver commuter. Still will press for diminished value for Porsche parts $$.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

The paint probably shrunk when it dried up, getting sucked into the tiny sand paper scratches.

It simply was not finished properly before final primer/sealer. Top coat will always telegraph the under coat.

[HardDrive]

That sucks, glad you are ok. At 100k, it had a lot of life left. We have a 2004 Lexus RX, 162k, runs great.