This sucks in so many ways. I think I totaled my Mustang.

[mustanger]

Can't even describe how I feel right about now and yes I actually started crying after it happened.(I'm lucky to be alive).
After all the hard work I've been through with working so many side jobs to save money and to buy the Mustang I wanted, tonight I left work around 5:07 and headed home. Got up to the exit ramp from the Florence exit heading 75 north bound.
Anyone that is familiar with this area with getting on 75 north from the florence burlington exit and merging into on-coming traffic around 5pm knows how much of a cluster fuck this can be.
After being cut off by a couple of cars where it bottle necks I finally was able to get in to traffic, no sooner than I was able to merge over I looked to see if everything was clear and it was...behind me. No sooner that I looked ahead of me all traffic had come to a complete stop...a 5 car pile up in front of me...guess what, I was the fifth car that slammed in to the back of some ladys SUV.
I have a fiber glass hood so it was ripped away from its hinges and hood pins. The whole right front side of my car now looks like someone beat it with a sledge hammer, it pushed my fender well in to my tire and basically shattered the whole right front side.
I asked the tow truck driver if he thought if it could be saved and he said, not a chance in hell they will total this car. My heart was in my throat and I just felt like vomitting.
Now I know people have been in worse case situations, for me, this was my first accident ever...and it had to happen in my mustang.

Now I have never experienced anything like this and I have spent alot of money on this...6k for the car, 2k for the paint job and almost 1k in parts that I have added. That's not counting the money I spent on labor.

I really need some advice and direction, what I'm headed for, what to expect with the insurance company...what to ask and what not say, I really don't feel like getting fucked by another insurance company just because they don't waant to pay up. I go tomorrow to where my car was towed to, to take some pictures and I'll post them up, I am really hoping that this car can be saved. 53k original miles and less than 20k on the motor.
/crosses fingers
Any help from anyone will help me alot.

Thanks,
Arnold

[gtbadboy]

Sorry To hear that. Your ok, that is the good side.

[graysonracin]

Sorrry to hear man, if you saved some receipts and other paperwork it may help you get allittle more money out of it, and also you may be able to buy it back but it would be a salvage title, but still yours to do whatever you want with and you know what it is and could be again. Good luck and maybe you can atleast get it back, even if you cant get all you have into it. Im sure others will chime in that have been in a similar situation and give you some tips. Again sorry to hear.

[mustang8998]

Did you have full coverage insurance? If you do and they total it, you may be able to buy it back and use the remaining funds, to fix it. I know there are others here, that can give you more details.

Glad your okay.

Best of luck!

[8NO4CYL]

That sucks, glad your ok. If they do total it, buy it back for sure.

[mustanger]

Did you have full coverage insurance? If you do and they total it, you may be able to buy it back and use the remaining funds, to fix it. I know there are others here, that can give you more details.

Glad your okay.

Best of luck!

Yes I have full coverage, the insurance lady was telling me with cars this old and stock replacements yada yada yada that I won't get anything. I stopped her and told her almost everything on or in this car is not stock, alot of mods were done to this car, just in the motor alone was over 5k, now I know she is just doing her job and most are probably right that I may not get what I've put in to it, hell this car doesn't even show up in the blue book. Who knows:dunno:

[mustanger]

Just thought of something else. When I first bought the car and had it insured the woman had asked if everything was stock and I said no, she then told me I could bring the car up and have it appraised but I never did, I guess by doing this I could keep a lower rate. By not getting the car appraised at that time did I shoot myself in the foot with everything that has happened now?
I'm a little concerned with this.

[cobra429boss]

man i really hate to hear that. I sure hope you get it figured out and it comes to something good for you

[kennebellcobra]

Glad your ok and hate to here this after everything you have done to the car!

[KB1]

When I wrecked my Road Glide last year they tried to screw me with that, fortunately I had called my agent everytime I had added something it was noted as an adendum to my policy, however if you have any documentation, receipts etc. it will help, also do some research of what simuliarly equipt Mustangs & print them out for comparison. Just my .02

Kevin

PS Glad your OK, best of luck.

[Gene]

Sucks, man. I've been there...totalled my 2001 Mustang in the snow in November of 2002, then rebuilt it myself in the garage over the winter.


Just thought of something else. When I first bought the car and had it insured the woman had asked if everything was stock and I said no, she then told me I could bring the car up and have it appraised but I never did, I guess by doing this I could keep a lower rate. By not getting the car appraised at that time did I shoot myself in the foot with everything that has happened now?
I'm a little concerned with this.

If you didn't tell the insurance company about the modifications that you made to the car, they're going to do repairs (or total it) like it's a stock car. Remember, the insurance company insured a stock Mustang, not a highly modified car with 5k plus of engine work.

Buy the salvaged car back from the insurance company if they total it. Odds are you'll be able to get it for not a lot of money, probably less than $1k. Then either strip it out and transfer the parts into a new shell, or try to fix what you have if you don't have any irreparable frame damage (of course, it'll still be a salvage title car, but that's only an issue when you decide to unload it).

[CNTLOSE]

Find cars similar to yours online and print the ads. That might help but in all honesty your are screwed more than likely. If you are going to drive a nice older custom car it is always best to get it appraised and insured for the value you want...up to the appraisal amount. All my show cars I have appraised and insured for an agreed value because I drive my cars.

I know that does not help much now, but keep that in mind when you build your next one. Also...I had a similar thing happen to me in '97. I was in a 23k mile 1990 GT that I had just bought. An old man backed out in front of me and tore the hell out of the car. After talking it over with the insurance company I was able to keep the car and get it fixed...so their is some hope.

[91boost]

Buy it back and then fix it... Cant be worse than a couple of the ones i have fixed!!

[mustanger]

Thanks for the replies, alot of helpful info. I do understand that I am most likely going to get the shaft on this one. Unfortunately I am all out of funds even if I do buy it back, I guess what I can do is strip it and hope that I can get enough money together and get another one. I got real lucky with the purchase of this car, 347 and all the mods that was done to it, I may not get this lucky again :( It's like a knife through the heart, and even when you think your doing all the right things dotting the I's and crossing your T's that you might get lucky, but still I'm staying pessimistic just because of my luck.
Have I mentioned that this sucks.

[mustanger]

Buy it back and then fix it... Cant be worse than a couple of the ones i have fixed!!

Yeah...when you see the pics you'll probably say that's nothing to fix or that people will say I've seen worse...yes I have seen worse and I might be a little over dramatic about it but I have a good feeling what the ins. comp. is going to say, that is where my problem is going to come from.

[87stangbbb]

you could probably buy it back for a couple hundred bucks

[mustanger]

Could someone explain to me on how it works when you buy it back from the ins comp if they total it? I've never been through this and never had to deal with something like this.
Are you saying I'm going to have to pull my own money out to get my car back? Forgive me of my ignorance :lol:

[87stangbbb]

they'll take it out of the money their giving you for the car being totaled

[skeptiq]

Real sorry to hear about your accident. Disheartening to say the least.

I think they give you say $4000 for you car, and then you see about buying it back from them. They sell it to you for $500. You keep the car and they cut you a check for $3500. Correct me if I am wrong.

Later.
Ben

[mustanger]

Makes sense to me, thanks for the replies....and thanks to everyone else for being supportive :)
I may have to go and see a doctor because I am starting to get pain in my lower back and both shoulders are getting very stiff and sore and my right arm has some funky pain shooting down the right side. Almost like someone is sticking me with a needle in my left shoulder blade.

[jad0087]

alright ive read all of this and this happened to me almost 2 years ago in my 89 gt....this is what happened, i got in an accident which was my fault and i was obviously not cited...instead of having the tow truck driver take it to their lot, i had him take it to my house because i kno they like to steal shit out of cars at those lots when they tow shit in (my car at the time was a h/c/i car with built rearend and tremec 3550 trans)...so i had them tow it to my house, i knew the car was going to be totaled because of the damage (hit in the drivers side quarter panel and bent the rearend that was just built literally a few weeks ago)...so i had the appraiser come to my house, i myself showed him around the car and told him how you wont find a 89 gt this nice and i had all reciepts from every part on the car except for the tranny cuz i bought it used from a buddy of mine...basically i tried selling him on the fact that its so nice and all that and he just kept saying ya it doesnt really matter what mods you have on the car, just matters what conditon the car is in, and he also wanted ads of the same year car were for sale locally so i obviously found the most expensive ones to give to him....my car had i think 110k miles on it at the time, and my insurance comes out of state farm, they gave me i believe it was 5350 or something and to buy it back it was like 400 bucks so they wrote me the check for that amount and deducted the amount of 400....i then fixed my car for around a ground and pocketed the rest for further mods, dont think to yourself as screwed quite yet, if u need any help pm me

[Mista Bone]

Oh yeah, how is that KY "no fault" insurance now????

A suggestion if ins. company offers to cover a rental for 3-5 days, ask the adjuster to instead apply that money to the buy back of the car.

When my 93 Civic was totaled the three day rental was about the same as the buy back. The adjuster (Progressive, other drivers company) thanked me for saving her A LOT of headaches.

A) sucks the car is toast
B) you're gonna get raped on settlement
C) you ain't dead or in hospital, so it could be worse, get checked out though.

[mustanger]

alright ive read all of this and this happened to me almost 2 years ago in my 89 gt....this is what happened, i got in an accident which was my fault and i was obviously not cited...instead of having the tow truck driver take it to their lot, i had him take it to my house because i kno they like to steal shit out of cars at those lots when they tow shit in (my car at the time was a h/c/i car with built rearend and tremec 3550 trans)...so i had them tow it to my house, i knew the car was going to be totaled because of the damage (hit in the drivers side quarter panel and bent the rearend that was just built literally a few weeks ago)...so i had the appraiser come to my house, i myself showed him around the car and told him how you wont find a 89 gt this nice and i had all reciepts from every part on the car except for the tranny cuz i bought it used from a buddy of mine...basically i tried selling him on the fact that its so nice and all that and he just kept saying ya it doesnt really matter what mods you have on the car, just matters what conditon the car is in, and he also wanted ads of the same year car were for sale locally so i obviously found the most expensive ones to give to him....my car had i think 110k miles on it at the time, and my insurance comes out of state farm, they gave me i believe it was 5350 or something and to buy it back it was like 400 bucks so they wrote me the check for that amount and deducted the amount of 400....i then fixed my car for around a ground and pocketed the rest for further mods, dont think to yourself as screwed quite yet, if u need any help pm me

Your post gives a some hope to me, I have kept every single receipt and still have the blueprints for the motor, I'm really hoping and keeping my fingers crossed :bigthumb

[mustanger]

Oh yeah, how is that KY "no fault" insurance now????

A suggestion if ins. company offers to cover a rental for 3-5 days, ask the adjuster to instead apply that money to the buy back of the car.

When my 93 Civic was totaled the three day rental was about the same as the buy back. The adjuster (Progressive, other drivers company) thanked me for saving her A LOT of headaches.

A) sucks the car is toast
B) you're gonna get raped on settlement
C) you ain't dead or in hospital, so it could be worse, get checked out though.

Thanks for the tip on the rental thing :bigthumb She had mentioned this and didn't realize you could do this, not sure if my ins will do this...never know, doesn't hurt to ask.
My ins. is Liberty Mutual, anyone ever hear of this company or had to deal with them?
At first when the accident happened I immediately thought of the person I just rearened, then my car...then myself...it's kinda of funny how it works sometimes, I usually think of the next person before myself but now with my car I really need to think about that.

[mustanger]

Something else that got me thinking about the buying the car back and stuff.
I have full coverage and if they total it and I buy it back, what does this mean for my insurance...is it going to sky rocket, will an insurance company just drop you etc etc. I know they can be dicks when it comes to things like this.

[97dustang]

any body on here have a similar car? post it up for sale for 10k and lets help him out lol

sorry to hear about your wreck man, at least your okay, im sure that the whole car situation will work its self out for ya. keep us updated on how its going

[mustanger]

Heading out now to see the car and I'll take some pics, I'll post them when I get back.

[woodurb69]

alright ive read all of this and this happened to me almost 2 years ago in my 89 gt....this is what happened, i got in an accident which was my fault and i was obviously not cited...instead of having the tow truck driver take it to their lot, i had him take it to my house because i kno they like to steal shit out of cars at those lots when they tow shit in (my car at the time was a h/c/i car with built rearend and tremec 3550 trans)...so i had them tow it to my house, i knew the car was going to be totaled because of the damage (hit in the drivers side quarter panel and bent the rearend that was just built literally a few weeks ago)...so i had the appraiser come to my house, i myself showed him around the car and told him how you wont find a 89 gt this nice and i had all reciepts from every part on the car except for the tranny cuz i bought it used from a buddy of mine...basically i tried selling him on the fact that its so nice and all that and he just kept saying ya it doesnt really matter what mods you have on the car, just matters what conditon the car is in, and he also wanted ads of the same year car were for sale locally so i obviously found the most expensive ones to give to him....my car had i think 110k miles on it at the time, and my insurance comes out of state farm, they gave me i believe it was 5350 or something and to buy it back it was like 400 bucks so they wrote me the check for that amount and deducted the amount of 400....i then fixed my car for around a ground and pocketed the rest for further mods, dont think to yourself as screwed quite yet, if u need any help pm me

I can attest to this. i did this with my 1988 monte carlo and got a completely new paint job also! but my 1989 mustang was a total loss. happens when you roll it 3 times on the highway. actually the Hamilton Journal newspaper reported that DIED! so im glad your ok!

[MFIELD]

Ok I have to ask, does anyone that posted in this thread work for an insurance company? You guys crack me up, everyone thinks they are getting screwed by insurance companies just because someone thinks their car is worth some much doesnt make it so. I will ask anyone on this board if they have sat down and read their policy and understand how it works????

To the original poster, I dont know how your company does things but gather your reciepts and have them with you. They will help some depending on what they are for and how old they are. One thing you must also remember is these cars are worth more to us than the general public. Most policies only cover so much of aftermarket equiptment unless you have it listed specifically on the policy and then you will be paying more in rates for this. I also dont know the Kentucky salvage laws but if you have a lot invested in the car I would ask about retaining the salvage vehicle at least you can get your stuff out of it for a low cost. Good luck to you.

[mustanger]

I can attest to this. i did this with my 1988 monte carlo and got a completely new paint job also! but my 1989 mustang was a total loss. happens when you roll it 3 times on the highway. actually the Hamilton Journal newspaper reported that DIED! so im glad your ok!

Well this is by far much worse than my car, glad you were able to walk away from this :bigthumb

[mustanger]

Ok I have to ask, does anyone that posted in this thread work for an insurance company? You guys crack me up, everyone thinks they are getting screwed by insurance companies just because someone thinks their car is worth some much doesnt make it so. I will ask anyone on this board if they have sat down and read their policy and understand how it works????

To the original poster, I dont know how your company does things but gather your reciepts and have them with you. They will help some depending on what they are for and how old they are. One thing you must also remember is these cars are worth more to us than the general public. Most policies only cover so much of aftermarket equiptment unless you have it listed specifically on the policy and then you will be paying more in rates for this. I also dont know the Kentucky salvage laws but if you have a lot invested in the car I would ask about retaining the salvage vehicle at least you can get your stuff out of it for a low cost. Good luck to you.

The reason I say I'm going to get screwed is because when I first bought the car I was asked all the questions and explained to them that there were alot of aftermarket parts etc etc. and that there was much more money wise that had been invested. After explaining all that she did say I could bring it in to have it appraised but I never did because I rarely drive it...this is my fault and now I know what I'm in for. I'm just hoping for the better half and maybe just a little bit of luck. I do have 95% of the paper work and receipts, so I'm hoping this can help me.

[mustanger]

Finally had gone out and took some pictures of my car, now granted I know it isn't as bad as some others but from what I've been told since yesterday and listening to some very close people who deal with this sort of thing have told me that they are pretty confident that the insurance will total this car.

20349

20350

20351

20352

When I hit the suv it pretty much shifted everything to the left and shoved the radiator into the block and from what I could see the frame support in the front was shifted to the left and bent up slightly. Was kinda hard to see since I couldn't remove the hood just yet, the hood latch was dug in to the radiator.

[mustanger]

Here are a few more.

20353

20354

20355

[jad0087]

personally if i were you id be gettin that thing back to my house as soon as possible, i fought with the tow truck driver for 20 minutes cuz he said man i gotta take it back to my lot and i told him like hell you are cuz ive heard many horror stories about people gettin their cars ripped out.....but ya that looks like the whole dog house was shifted to the drivers side

[mustanger]

personally if i were you id be gettin that thing back to my house as soon as possible, i fought with the tow truck driver for 20 minutes cuz he said man i gotta take it back to my lot and i told him like hell you are cuz ive heard many horror stories about people gettin their cars ripped out.....but ya that looks like the whole dog house was shifted to the drivers side

Man it's funny you say that because that is exactly what the tow driver told me, so now I've been hearing from other friends and family about the horror stories but I'm kinda afraid of getting it moved to my house just because it's sitting at their lot...you know the whole legal thing of it all....well you moved it so anything could have been done to it and you probably did more dmg to get more money type of deal...just a little sarcasm there...I don't want to turn this in to a rant thread yet because there was alot more that happened that I haven't explained yet...not about the car just in general on how people treat you in certain situations.

[jccox77]

yeah i am with him get it home soon i dont know what lot its at but i have done some sidework for a tow company and i wont let anything i have sit there due to sticky fingers that work there

[MFIELD]

some tow companies can be very hard to deal with. Is there any kind of police hold on the vehicle? If not call them and tell them you want to get your vehicle. You will have to pay the tow and storage fees but they cant hold it unless there is a police hold.

[Blackout]

Sucks, man. I've been there...totalled my 2001 Mustang in the snow in November of 2002, then rebuilt it myself in the garage over the winter.



If you didn't tell the insurance company about the modifications that you made to the car, they're going to do repairs (or total it) like it's a stock car. Remember, the insurance company insured a stock Mustang, not a highly modified car with 5k plus of engine work.

Buy the salvaged car back from the insurance company if they total it. Odds are you'll be able to get it for not a lot of money, probably less than $1k. Then either strip it out and transfer the parts into a new shell, or try to fix what you have if you don't have any irreparable frame damage (of course, it'll still be a salvage title car, but that's only an issue when you decide to unload it).

unfortunately I think that Gene is correct. Now I also agree with buying the car back and stripping all the parts. Thats what I would do. Things like this always sucks and I am sorry to hear stuff like this when it happens. If and after you buy it back, and the new car that you get, you can increase your coverage to include a certain amount of $ of aftermarket parts to cover. For example, I have full coverage on my 02 Gt and an additional $4000 coverage for aftermarket parts. And what was funny is that it just added like $50 a year. So it's definately worth it. You just have to keep the reciepts.

For the damage that I see in the pics, I would just fix it. If the core support is damaged (which I would guess it is) you can buy a replacement fairly cheap from a yard or you can buy the new ones from latemodel restoration or even Ebay. Hope this helps.

[mustanger]

unfortunately I think that Gene is correct. Now I also agree with buying the car back and stripping all the parts. Thats what I would do. Things like this always sucks and I am sorry to hear stuff like this when it happens. If and after you buy it back, and the new car that you get, you can increase your coverage to include a certain amount of $ of aftermarket parts to cover. For example, I have full coverage on my 02 Gt and an additional $4000 coverage for aftermarket parts. And what was funny is that it just added like $50 a year. So it's definately worth it. You just have to keep the reciepts.

For the damage that I see in the pics, I would just fix it. If the core support is damaged (which I would guess it is) you can buy a replacement fairly cheap from a yard or you can buy the new ones from latemodel restoration or even Ebay. Hope this helps.

Thanks, I am pretty sure this is how it's all going to go down, I'm just puckering up til it happens.

[mustanger]

Just got back in and the car is in my driveway and it makes me feel a little easier knowing it's here. I about shit my pants when I heard what the tow bill was from yesterday...$200 just to take it from the Florence exit to Turfway road, which is less than 5 miles down the road :mad: This is probably why our ins rates are whacked, and those who have accidents...and I still feel this was not my fault at all, even though I hit her in the rear but it was a chain reaction from the first guy. I'm going to fight this if I can, not sure if it will hurt me or be a gain.

[Blackout]

here you go for replacement parts or car. http://westky.craigslist.org/cto/2219169368.html

[chris91]

Tow companies are the biggest crock of shit. They know people are in need of the tow so theyll rape you any which way they can. Buddy of mines wife wrecked their Jeep and to tow it no more than 2 miles they charged $250. Then since it sat there all weekend(they were closed all weekend) they charged another assload for storage fees...

Glad to hear you're okay and the car is in your hands now. Good luck with the insurance company!

[mustangboy]

I don't think it looks too bad. Once you get the hood up you will know better. Fight you ass off to get as much back as you possibly can then buy the back. Once you get thru that mess and the car is not worth repairing find a nice roller. There are a bunch of nice rollers around right now that can be bought pretty cheap. If you need a cherry picker to get your engine out let me know I have one you can borrow as long as you need it. Also if you need any misc brackets or parts I have a bunch of misc parts around I will gladly donate to the cause. Good luck and just be ready to fight for every last penny. BTW if you need to borrow a trailer I have one, even has a winch(but does need a battery). You know where to find me.

[mustanger]

I don't think it looks too bad. Once you get the hood up you will know better. Fight you ass off to get as much back as you possibly can then buy the back. Once you get thru that mess and the car is not worth repairing find a nice roller. There are a bunch of nice rollers around right now that can be bought pretty cheap. If you need a cherry picker to get your engine out let me know I have one you can borrow as long as you need it. Also if you need any misc brackets or parts I have a bunch of misc parts around I will gladly donate to the cause. Good luck and just be ready to fight for every last penny. BTW if you need to borrow a trailer I have one, even has a winch(but does need a battery). You know where to find me.

Thanks man, I really appreciate that :bigthumb

[jad0087]

hell yeah uve got me feeling better that the cars at your place haha, i was worried myself haha.......but do what u can to get as much cash outta the deal as u can, dont ever take the first offer they throw at u or even the second one, i think i was offered 2 or 3 times before i took an offer, but on the other hand, my accident was completely not my fault and i wasnt cited at all so thats another thing to think about

[Stangman]

When I hit a deer in my lincoln I got 4600 back... when I had bought the car for 1500. Minus my 500 deductable, and 375 to buy it back I ended up with 3686. I showed every receipt I had for it from day 1. Never originally claimed a thing aftermarket when I got it either.

I did have to jump threw hoops though to get that much back, but it was really just a waiting game. Anything is fixable.

[mustanger]

hell yeah uve got me feeling better that the cars at your place haha, i was worried myself haha.......but do what u can to get as much cash outta the deal as u can, dont ever take the first offer they throw at u or even the second one, i think i was offered 2 or 3 times before i took an offer, but on the other hand, my accident was completely not my fault and i wasnt cited at all so thats another thing to think about

A part of your post got me thinking...on the being cited part...I was never asked any questions what so ever about what happened, only thing that was asked of me was my license,registration and ins. that was it...it was almost like I was forgotten about through this whole process when it happened. It seemed as if the police were only worried about the other 4 cars involved...I shit you not I sat in my car in the middle of the expressway for at least 30 minutes before they even considered getting me out of the way....the police even asked me if I could push it off the road, then after I said I couldn't because my shoulders were sore from the impact, he said ok then walked away for another 15 minutes. All I kept saying to myself was...get me the f**k off the expressway.
I'm still a little bitter with the way I was handle, like I was the one inconveincing them. The ins lady even acted a little bit surprised when I told her no statements were taken from or anything....not sure how this may help or hurt me.

[mustanger]

When I hit a deer in my lincoln I got 4600 back... when I had bought the car for 1500. Minus my 500 deductable, and 375 to buy it back I ended up with 3686. I showed every receipt I had for it from day 1. Never originally claimed a thing aftermarket when I got it either.

I did have to jump threw hoops though to get that much back, but it was really just a waiting game. Anything is fixable.

My deductible is 1k and with a couple of other things that were mentionied, it has got me a little nervous. Another thing, I'm feeling some after effects from the impact...shoulder stiffness and a little pain in my left shoulder blade, I'm going to the doctor Monday just to double check everything...I'm not sure if this will have any bearing my car. For me it's kinda like a catch 22.

[Buckeye]

That looks like a simple fix. Not hard at all

[mustanger]

That looks like a simple fix. Not hard at all

It's not so much the outside that I'm worried about, it's what I'm going to find once I get the hood off and see what's wrong internaly.

[Buckeye]

It looks like it should be nothing more than a core support and a passenger apron

[MFIELD]

My deductible is 1k and with a couple of other things that were mentionied, it has got me a little nervous. Another thing, I'm feeling some after effects from the impact...shoulder stiffness and a little pain in my left shoulder blade, I'm going to the doctor Monday just to double check everything...I'm not sure if this will have any bearing my car. For me it's kinda like a catch 22.

One has nothing to do with the other. It is very common to be sore a couple days later than the accident. Make sure you go and get checked out.

[jccox77]

in kentucky u do not get cited for an accident that is a ohio thing they cite the person at fault not only is your car wrecked in ohio if its your fault u get a ticket on top of it ky just fills out the report and if any conflicts of whos at fault its nobodys fault normally

[graysonracin]

Fix that thing! I know people who have fixed much worse, and thats not really that bad looking. Pull the fenders and nose off and see whats going on under there! Still sucks but i think you can get it back on the road no problem.

[mustanger]

in kentucky u do not get cited for an accident that is a ohio thing they cite the person at fault not only is your car wrecked in ohio if its your fault u get a ticket on top of it ky just fills out the report and if any conflicts of whos at fault its nobodys fault normally

I understand what your saying, I'm just anxious to see the police report/s since I was asked nothing and sent on my way when everyone else was taken care of...that's how I felt when it was all going down.

[mustanger]

Fix that thing! I know people who have fixed much worse, and thats not really that bad looking. Pull the fenders and nose off and see whats going on under there! Still sucks but i think you can get it back on the road no problem.

I'm really hoping for the better but I'm not touching anything til the adjuster comes out, it would be my luck if I did something just to look at it I'd get blamed for something else :lol:

[mustanger]

I've actually started to look for another car/roller when push comes to shove, not making any hard core decisions yet but keeping all my options open if and when it does happen. I believe there is at least 3-4k in damages, from what I could see from under the hood, (it was popped up just enough to give a look see) that the radiator is shoved almost to the block so I'm assuming from there that alot is bent back, and the left fender is shoved in to the passenger door jamming it, and the drivers side fender is shifted out to the left. I'm not sure about structure/frame yet, the more I look at it the more bent it looks. It's definetly not straight now.

[jccox77]

if u need a nose i havea lx nose still i had a hood but it sold last night its probly not as bad as u think the core supports move pretty easy if it misses the steel bumper support i think mustang 112 on here has a good core support i think that is his name on here

[Gene]

personally if i were you id be gettin that thing back to my house as soon as possible, i fought with the tow truck driver for 20 minutes cuz he said man i gotta take it back to my lot and i told him like hell you are cuz ive heard many horror stories about people gettin their cars ripped out.....but ya that looks like the whole dog house was shifted to the drivers side

I don't think the doghouse is shifted...the driver's fender looks like it's lined up okay. I think it's just the hood hinges, and those bolt on and have a lot of movement in them for alignment.

Even if the front frame is tweaked, a good frame shop should be able to pull it straight for not a lot of money. Precision Frame and Body in West Chester pulled the frame on my 2001 and welded in the new radiator core support. Everything else I rebuilt myself.

[mustanger]

if u need a nose i havea lx nose still i had a hood but it sold last night its probly not as bad as u think the core supports move pretty easy if it misses the steel bumper support i think mustang 112 on here has a good core support i think that is his name on here

Thanks, I appreciate it...I'm pretty sure my hood is garbage now...the hinges were ripped from the hood.

[mustanger]

I don't think the doghouse is shifted...the driver's fender looks like it's lined up okay. I think it's just the hood hinges, and those bolt on and have a lot of movement in them for alignment.

Even if the front frame is tweaked, a good frame shop should be able to pull it straight for not a lot of money. Precision Frame and Body in West Chester pulled the frame on my 2001 and welded in the new radiator core support. Everything else I rebuilt myself.

Wow, nice job looks like it was never in an accident! Do you remember what it cost to have it pulled straight, just trying to get some early ideas on costs.

[Gene]

Wow, nice job looks like it was never in an accident! Do you remember what it cost to have it pulled straight, just trying to get some early ideas on costs.

It wasn't perfect. I'm not a body man by any stretch, so some of the panel gaps were a little bit off and it had a $300 Maaco paint job when I put it back together. But it looked good from about 20 ft. away. :)

I can't remember exactly, but I want to say that I had less the $2k in the entire rebuild, which including both front fenders, new fascia, hood, headlights, paint, etc. I did a lot of scavenging for parts. The hood is the stock one from KenB's silver car and the headlights are from a 99-2000 since back then it was hard to find the smoked 2001 lights in junkyards.

[JET50213]

For what it's worth...i had a car claim and house fire in 2009 with ohio casualty/liberty mutual. They were great!

[mustanger]

For what it's worth...i had a car claim and house fire in 2009 with ohio casualty/liberty mutual. They were great!

They've always been nice to me and my wife, never had a problem with them. But ever since they bought out Safeco I've read nothing but bad reports about how they handle things. I'm hoping with over 25 years of driving and never an accident that they will take this in consideration in getting a decent settlement but I'm not holding my breath on this one.

[93snake]

I know you are worried about being screwed, but try to look at the positive... you walked away!
If it were me, buy car back amd from the pics , repair the car. I have repaired stangs hit much worse. 347sc will tell you the samething, we have brought some back that their owns thought wouldnt (or couldnt) be saved. I agree with 91boost too, that car is a repairable one (sure chairle has done even salvage ones too!) That is IF you want too fix it! However, without seeing the car in person I wouldnt want to guess how much it will cost OR exactly what it needs (I am confident that there is some unseen damage from the pics) but even if it needs a front clip, it can be fixed and more importantly fixed right!
And one last thing, when the insurance makes you an offer, take time to think about it... dont just say yes. I am sure all of us will try to help you out with finding comparable cars to show the insurance. Just my .02

[mustanger]

I know you are worried about being screwed, but try to look at the positive... you walked away!
If it were me, buy car back amd from the pics , repair the car. I have repaired stangs hit much worse. 347sc will tell you the samething, we have brought some back that their owns thought wouldnt (or couldnt) be saved. I agree with 91boost too, that car is a repairable one (sure chairle has done even salvage ones too!) That is IF you want too fix it! However, without seeing the car in person I wouldnt want to guess how much it will cost OR exactly what it needs (I am confident that there is some unseen damage from the pics) but even if it needs a front clip, it can be fixed and more importantly fixed right!
And one last thing, when the insurance makes you an offer, take time to think about it... dont just say yes. I am sure all of us will try to help you out with finding comparable cars to show the insurance. Just my .02


Yes, I did walk away...this could have been much worse if I had made the wrong decision, I could have missed her by swirving to the left, but at a split second I caught the semi coming up on my left and decided, this is it...I'm going to hit, not on purpose but to prevent a major pile up. That is how I hit her in the back left and messed up my front right. There are alot of what IF's going through my mind, but with the way it turned out...I am very thankful :angel:

From what I can tell so far on repairs is...two fenders, nose, hood, hinges, possibly hood latch, radiator, core support (sp), and I should know the rest tomorrow when the claims adjusters comes out. Once I get the hood off.

[JET50213]

They've always been nice to me and my wife, never had a problem with them. But ever since they bought out Safeco I've read nothing but bad reports about how they handle things. I'm hoping with over 25 years of driving and never an accident that they will take this in consideration in getting a decent settlement but I'm not holding my breath on this one.

The adjuster for my fire was a safeco employee. He was fantastic! He may be the exception. His name was Todd Mahnke.

[Camaro86SHOCKER]

Glad your ok.

Sorry to hear that about the car, I put alot of hard work in the car for a long time. Shame bc it was like new. You will NEVER get out of it the money thats put into it, especially since the 6 you paid for it wouldnt build that car at all, trust me i know first hand. All you can do is get what you can out of it and decide if its worth to rebuild. If they do total it out and you decide to buy it out to part out let me know. In my opinion its worth fixing if at all possible.

[Stolly113]

Buy it back and then fix it... Cant be worse than a couple of the ones i have fixed!!

AMEN!!!!!

[91boost]

AMEN!!!!!

You should know:D

[dedpedal]

So sorry to hear about this. I still have a decent 86 ttop car that you looked at. I wanted to make it look like yours but never had the money. When I totaled my first 86 I was with Liberty. They wanted to give me 1800 for it. I read the policy where it said "replacement or repair" I couldnt do either for what they offered so I got 3 or 4 adds for comparable cars and they ended up paying me for the mid level ad. I also stripped all the aftermarket parts off the car before they towed the hulk off. I told them I would replace the stock parts but they said not to bother.

[Stangman]

In my opinion its worth fixing if at all possible.

Exactly.

Front clips are easy. Or even a core support and inner fenders for that matter.

All it is, is a puzzle, just put a weld back where you cut one out... and add a few for good measure :bigthumb

I've personally replaced one whole clip, 1 frame rail, 1 roof skin, 1 core support, patched 2 frame rails, and getting ready to do another front clip on my buddy's '79 Capri RS. Clips arent that bad, just time consuming.

Just dont panic or think you're in over your head. Fight to keep the car no matter what.

Look at it like this, now is the time to add the Scott-Rod inner fenders. All fenders until 91 will work on your car, you can use a stock hood just to get you by until you come across another bad ass mach 1 hood. GT bumpers can be found, although they are not as common as they once were.

I'd be glad to help you if you werent soo far away from where my tools/equipment are. I'd surely hate to see this car get parted or junked.

[mustanger]

Well I met with the claims adjuster today, and he told me it's a total loss, I asked him if he needed me to pull the hood off so he could see any other damage. Told me it didn't even matter or even to bother looking. He did his usual photgraphing and documenting, out side of car and the interior of the car.
Explained what all has been done to the car and such, he told me his report will go to someone else on his team to evalute and get an estimate, he told me to have all the paper work and receipts to turn in along with the papers I have to fill out. I have all receipts and some paper work....seems like most of my paper work is on the motor.
I told him also that I have never had an accident, the newer paint job and my recent additions to the car and he said this should help with their decision, whether or not he is blowing smoke up my ass we'll see. heh I'll go with the last part of my statement :rolleyes:

I'd like to think he was thorough on his investigation but not to even look under the hood got me curious.

[MFIELD]

I can tell you that is nothing like what we do. You would have had an answer and value on the spot.

[Stangman]

My ins. Co. Never attempted to lift the hood on my Lincoln either. And claimed total loss @ 7k!!!!!!!

It almost seems the ins. Co's do that just to get the older cars off the road, but that's just me.

State farm also took FOREVER to get back with me on it, and the value of the car.

[mustanger]

Glad your ok.

Sorry to hear that about the car, I put alot of hard work in the car for a long time. Shame bc it was like new. You will NEVER get out of it the money thats put into it, especially since the 6 you paid for it wouldnt build that car at all, trust me i know first hand. All you can do is get what you can out of it and decide if its worth to rebuild. If they do total it out and you decide to buy it out to part out let me know. In my opinion its worth fixing if at all possible.

Man I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am, I know how it feels to put alot of hard work in to something, I take alot of pride in the things I do or buy, when I made my decision to buy this car I had someone go with me who knows alot about cars and I listened to him and he was pretty much right. I spent almost all I had left to get this car. I consider myself a safe driver and not doing stupid shit, this just had to be one of those days that there was nothing I could do.
I'd hate to part this mustang out, depending what the ins company tells me I have a couple of options. I can except the settlement and try to sell it as is or part it out to get more money to buy another one. Right now I have no extra money to even come close to what I have now. So instead of trying to go through another project I'm trying to figure out the best way to get something like what I have now so I don't have to go through tons of money to bring it back to life. For me it's all about having the money being able to do something with. I'm kinda limited at the moment :(

[mustanger]

I can tell you that is nothing like what we do. You would have had an answer and value on the spot.

My adjuster told me they weren't allowed to do that anymore :confused:

[Stangman]

You have another car to drive right? And a place to keep the stang?

If so, I wouldn't even think about selling it or parting it. There's waaayyyy too much car left there to even consider that in my opinion.

I have a passenger frame rail (no inner fenders on it) and a good core support I would sell you if you decided to fix it... I was gonna use the core on my '85 but you need it more than me. Get you a new passenger inner fender and your structure is good as gold again.... and heck that's just worst case scenario! I also have an LX bumper cover too.

[COOP]

I have decent fenders off of a 90gt ill let go cheap if you need them

[mustanger]

You have another car to drive right? And a place to keep the stang?

If so, I wouldn't even think about selling it or parting it. There's waaayyyy too much car left there to even consider that in my opinion.

I have a passenger frame rail (no inner fenders on it) and a good core support I would sell you if you decided to fix it... I was gonna use the core on my '85 but you need it more than me. Get you a new passenger inner fender and your structure is good as gold again.... and heck that's just worst case scenario! I also have an LX bumper cover too.

Yea, I have my truck but as for having a place to store the stang, well it's just sitting in my driveway atm, I don't have a garage. I'll definetly keep the offer in mind, I have a friend who is desperately trying to get me to keep the car and fix it, which is probably the way I'm going to go. When I get finished with the ins co. I'll see what I need to get, (which is pretty much what everyone here and there are saying).

[mustanger]

I have decent fenders off of a 90gt ill let go cheap if you need them

Thanks :bigthumb I'll keep that in mind :)

[mustanger]

Finally got the hood off and snapped a few pics.

20395

20396

20397

20398

[mustanger]

A few more.

20399 20400 20401 20402

[mustanger]

Has anyone ever heard of an ins co. telling you to send the title unsigned but notorized and to send all your sets of keys in before they even give you a settlement figure? This is what my ins. is telling me but it's unsettleling to me, I've already asked a few people and they are telling to not send that stuff in until I hear a number figure or what...I'm not sure, this is a first for me.

[Stangman]

No...

My insurance co. Just told me to take the title and get it turned into a salvage title before they gave me any cash....

I don't know all the rules and regulations but that wouldn't fly with me. That's like basically giving your car away to the Ins. Co. With no garauntees as to what's being done with the car.

I would ask them why they need the keys! There is no reason I can think of in my mind as to why they want your keys.


Oh, and by the way some of the best work is done in the driveway lol

[Buckeye]

You send them your keys and a title you have NOTHING to make a deal with you will take what they want to give you. Keep this in mind they work for you not you for them. Tell them they need to set up a time to look at the car while you are present and then you can talk $

[Buckeye]

Oh and that is a easy fix Plated or someone local to you can have it ready to hang bew fenders in a day no biggie

[8NO4CYL]

Don't give them anything until you get your money..... they don't need the keys anyway. You will need them when you buy it back and fix it. :bigthumb

[mustangboy]

Dude by looking at that I would almost just consider fixing it an not having it totaled. It really does not look that bad. I bet you could come up with the parts and have it done for a pretty damn good price and not have to worry about a salvage or rebuilt title.

[BIGRED Z]

Insurance companies are the devil~!:mad:

[Stangman]

From the pictures, it appears to have hit above the frame rail, and just buckled the inner fender and core support. Shoot.. If they total they.. they suck!

I would think any body shop worth a shit could pull that and make it look fair.

stick to your guns and make the ins. co. work with you!

[mustanger]

Ok, just heard from my ins co. and they suck...in so many ways they suck...did I mention they suck.

That being said...anyone want to buy my car?

[NO SHOT]

How much?

[leroy93lx]

I have the inner fenders, strut towers and core support off of my old 85. It was basically perfect last time I looked at it. Basically everything from the firewall forward. That would be an easy fix. I definitely wouldnt give up on the car.

[mustangboy]

Give us the lowdown. Is it to late to not file a claim and just fix it out of pocket and not have a salvage title?

[gouldstang]

easy fix for sure, fixed many hit alot harder... alittle frame time and hang some fenders and ur good togo... let me know if you need any work done

[mustanger]

Give us the lowdown. Is it to late to not file a claim and just fix it out of pocket and not have a salvage title?

I have not settled...I basically told them to go back and rework the numbers, I literally laughed at her over the phone and couldn't stop laughing. I know I offender her...but when they came back at me and said that I got a $200 credit for a brand new paint job that cost me $2000 not more than 4 months ago, and got a $90 credit for having 53k original miles, and a $40 credit on my tires, which have less than 800 miles on them...yada yada yada....see where I'm going with this.?

I've run out of side jobs which was bringing in money to get this car where it is and with the offer they came back with would not even pay for my parts, paint and labor...not even close.

Then after bitching with them for over an hour they said they would rework the numbers, and my buyback...which is a fucking joke....my settlement could get me more....or less than what they have offered. I almost hung up after that. I know some of this might seem jibberish but Ive been pissed all day and starting hanging with my brother Jim...a few more drinks and I might start some target practice.

edit: I know some have offered with parts, and that I would be more than willing to pay for...don't get me wrong, I don't expect something for nothing, I am really overwhelmed from the generosity of the people who make up Stangbangerz.

[Buckeye]

Tell them to ether fix the car to the way it was before the crash or buy you one that is in the same shape. That is what they owe you nothing more nothing less.

Maybe you need to have a few of the paint guys on here write you a estimate to help them see the true numbers as well as you need to find as many cars as close in condition as yours to use as reference. It is their job to save as much $ as possible it is yours to fight for it sadly

[Camaro86SHOCKER]

Man I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am, I know how it feels to put alot of hard work in to something, I take alot of pride in the things I do or buy, when I made my decision to buy this car I had someone go with me who knows alot about cars and I listened to him and he was pretty much right. I spent almost all I had left to get this car. I consider myself a safe driver and not doing stupid shit, this just had to be one of those days that there was nothing I could do.
I'd hate to part this mustang out, depending what the ins company tells me I have a couple of options. I can except the settlement and try to sell it as is or part it out to get more money to buy another one. Right now I have no extra money to even come close to what I have now. So instead of trying to go through another project I'm trying to figure out the best way to get something like what I have now so I don't have to go through tons of money to bring it back to life. For me it's all about having the money being able to do something with. I'm kinda limited at the moment :(

Your certainly dont owe me any apology man. Shit happens and it sucks, I'm equally as sad as you are to see this fate for the car but it is what it is. I did put a lot of hard work into that car but I also had to let it go. I am glad it went to someone like you who enjoyed the car and appreciated the work put into it instead of just letting it go to shit and it end up in a junkyard with a killed motor, like some others would have done. Well I hope the car can be salvaged by you. If not please let me know where it goes and I may just go grab it back and bring it back to life yet again. Anyways glad your ok and live to drive another day, and I'm sure in the end everything will work out.

[mustanger]

Can someone help me understand at what point does a car become a total loss, since my car is an 85 and the estimate from the adjuster was $7450 to get it fixed, they said it's a total loss. My car has no book value, I'm trying to figure out how I can get the number down off the estimate so I don't have a salvaged title and without a buy back, if I can get the numbers down enough I can avoid the buy back and have enough money to get it fixed. I know I'm stuck with my deductable and no way around that.

[Buckeye]

What are they offering cash money to walk away?

[mustanger]

I've been toying with the idea of replacing the fenders and nose with an 85 capri fenders and nose, I know the two come very close in comparrison but just how off would the pieces from the capri be, if I wanted to go this way. I've always loved the look on the front end of the 85 capri's :bigthumb

[mustanger]

What are they offering cash money to walk away?

The total value they came up with was $4232, and the buyback is $1400 and my deductable is $1000, which leaves me a little over $1900, if I did my numbers right, this doesn't give me enough to get everything I need to get done. I think the biggest thing that is going to kill me is the labor.

[2Kblacksleeper]

Could you offer them say 800 to buy it back? Then they don't have any towing fees our anything.

I've never dealt with this kind of thing so I'm thinking they tried to low ball you, so do it back.

John

[mustanger]

I'd like to say I got low balled just a bit :rolleyes:, but I planned on calling them Monday and asking them if they could lower the esitimate enough so it wouldn't be considered total loss, this may or may not help me. If the total value on the car is $4232 and got them to lower the esitimate to fix it at the value of the car and minus my deductible, this would save me on the buyback option and get me $3232. I'm not sure if this is wise thing to do, what do you all think? This not to pocket money but to make sure I have enough room to get my car fixed. :)

[Stangman]

Wow... 1400 for buyback... what a crock!

at this point, I'd be furious, and just wanting to get it over with. I'd take the money, drop your insurance company and switch to another.

Then, get it home, assess the damage on your own time, not theirs, and see what needs replaced. Get it to a bodyshop and see if they can tug on it to get it squared up, take it home, Go to KOI or Smyth's and buy a spot weld drill bit, and start removing core support and inner fenders. and replace them yourself.

Bodyshops usually charge about 300 to put it on the frame rack.

If you like, I could stop down sometime after work and see if it REALLY needs a frame rack job. If not, you've saved some money that you can use to put towards your parts.

Does it need a cowl hood? I noticed that the old hood that got killed was a mach1 style. If NOT, then I can lend you a sorta rusty stock '85 hood just to keep the car covered after the car is tore apart.

Can you post a decent picture of the car from the front so I can see where the impact is centered?

[cobra429boss]

make them give you enough money and come buy my coupe

[mustanger]

Wow... 1400 for buyback... what a crock!

at this point, I'd be furious, and just wanting to get it over with. I'd take the money, drop your insurance company and switch to another.

Then, get it home, assess the damage on your own time, not theirs, and see what needs replaced. Get it to a bodyshop and see if they can tug on it to get it squared up, take it home, Go to KOI or Smyth's and buy a spot weld drill bit, and start removing core support and inner fenders. and replace them yourself.

Bodyshops usually charge about 300 to put it on the frame rack.

If you like, I could stop down sometime after work and see if it REALLY needs a frame rack job. If not, you've saved some money that you can use to put towards your parts.

Does it need a cowl hood? I noticed that the old hood that got killed was a mach1 style. If NOT, then I can lend you a sorta rusty stock '85 hood just to keep the car covered after the car is tore apart.

Can you post a decent picture of the car from the front so I can see where the impact is centered?

It is going to need a new hood and was going to get a 4" cowl hood...something that I've always wanted. The other hood is garbage now.
I'll get another pic up in a few minutes. :bigthumb

[mustanger]

Here are the pics...not sure if this is what your asking for, I can take other's if you need me to :)

20438 20439 20440

Her bumper basically went in to the headlight assembly and pretty much pushed it back and down and that's how I slid under her.