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Today Sucks!

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tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
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Okay, things have taken a turn..we were on the way to dinner tonight in my 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport pickup with the 5.9L V8 engine (Dodge replaced the engine at 110,000 miles under a recall, I had the rear end completely rebuilt at around 135,000 miles & had the Dodge dealer replace the transmission at about 150,000) - the truck now has 217,000 miles on the odometer - when some lady ran a stop sign & took out the left front fender, grille, bumper & probably more....my neighbor who's a Progressive adjuster came over & pronounced it borderline totalled.

The passenger fender can be straightened, the bumper cover can be replaced, the grille can be replaced, the headlight assembly is cheap & easily replaced & the new tires I bought Wednesday now have 1 that's rubbing on the inside (I was just telling Jerri earlier today how smooth it was riding & how perfectly straight the steering wheel was; now the tire's rubbing on the bumper)....also my steering wheel is tilted to the right, my hood is shifted to the right chipping the passenger side paint, & my neighbor thinks the frame is shifted to the right (won't know specifically until it goes on the frame machine) and it's out of alignment.

Man! Wednesday I had an oil change, chassis lubrication, transmission service & rear end service plus a brake job, new shocks & new tires and front end alignment to the tune of about $1,600!

Now, it might be totalled...so, I called another friend who is a USAA adjuster (my insurance company; her's is State Farm) and told him I don't want the truck totalled and asked him how I can get him assigned to do the appraising....he said he'd take care of it & said if it was borderline he & I would put our heads together & not total it.

However, the CAR program is back on & my truck is on the list....plus the Dodge dealer is matching the $4,500....that's $9,000 + whatever claim amount I get to repair my truck......so, I probably have $12,000 to $15,000 to apply to a new Dodge truck.

I know I won't get enough to replace it....my truck is fully loaded to include leather interior....but, it couldn't be much more than $15,000 in this market.

Guess tomorrow I'll stop by the dealer to see what trucks like mine are going for.....I'll drop it off at my bodyshop Monday on the way to my hometown...when both adjusters call to look at it, I'll tell both I want to be there when they look it over.

This day sucks! But at least nobody was hurt.
 
In my opinion....Don't be foolish. Get a new truck.
 
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Glad no one was hurt.
Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. Of course, nobody tells you what days those will be.
 
With 217,000 miles and wrecked, you will never get anywhere near $15K, so take the money from all sides and run for a new one. At that mileage, it owes you nothing and if you fix it and the deals end, you still have a truck with 217,000 miles and no options to get rid of it for any value.

BUTTTTTTT......when you talk to the adjusters be sure to get the highest $$$ value for repairs that you can because of the new engine, transmission, etc. They do not have 217,000 miles on them, so there is a value to that from your perspective.
 
David and I are both sorry to hear about this. Several years ago David was driving my Dad's 1999 Suburban when a woman hit him head on. The car was totaled by the insurance, but regardless Dad went from a really nice truck that was paid for and ran great to having to make payments on a new one. It really never equals out regardless of the settlement you get. We are glad to hear no one was hurt though..the rest is just living life.
 
There must be something going around....
I just got an email from a friend who lives
on Vancouver Island,in British Columbia who
hit an elk - with a Geo Metro.It killed the
elk,but the Geo doesn't look to bad.
And earlier this week our Daughter-in-Law
was hit&run by a wreckless driver in North Carolina.
She was in a Ford Escape.The Escape went off of
the road,rolled,& hit a tree.She walked away with
minor injuries.The emergency crews that responded
were all amazed that she wasn't dead.

- Doug
 
Sorry to hear the tale, Tony (and you too, Doug!).

I'm with the other folks here. Probably the best you can do is take all the money that's offered and get another truck. Sucks to have to do it, but there's probably not a better alternative unless your truck proves to be less damaged than you thought.
 
Your most likely going to been in for a fight since the other driver has state farm. They are the worst to deal with when your on the reciving end.

The cars for clunkers is interesting and I'm thinking about taking advantage of it. My truck is getting up there and the repairs are starting to get out of control. This week alone it's going to cost me 1k to get it running again after the fuel pump quit thanks to the sender shorting out and it sheared a few studs on the front left tire. Quit the day after I finished a 2k mile drive to get back out to california which was lucky. It was an interesting change having the tow truck come out for something other than the MG.
 
Unfortunately with the AR program I think you have to be able to drive it in to take advantage of it...go with the insurance, take the money and either buy a new truck or find a deal on an older one and fix it up the way you want! Sounds like she did a JOB on the Dodge! How fast was she going??
 
From the way I read Tony's post, he is going to take the money for the repairs and apply it to the new truck...if that what he decides to do. I also got the impression that the truck <span style="font-weight: bold">is</span> still drivable. Besides, they're going to crush all of these vehicles that are being turned in anyway...this one just got a head start! :laugh:

And sorry to hear about your misfortune Tony, but this clunker program may be the silver lining and I think you should take advantage of it.
 
I'm driving a little chevy HHR I traded my blazer for under the cars program. Got a great deal on it and gets fantastic gas mileage. and the dealer let me take my new tires off it and put on some rejects that were just good enough to get it there. I hope your truck is driveable as you gotta drive it on the lot, and the paperwork is a bear. Remember dodge is doubling the cars rebate so you should get 9k out of your truck for that. no brainer if the congress puts more money in the program
 
<span style="text-decoration: line-through">Remember that the CARS program requires that your new vehicle get 10 mpg better than the federal mpg rating for your old vehicle.

Otherwise, you won't get the full $4500.

The HHR easily gets 10 mpg better than an old Blazer, but if you're looking at a heavy duty truck for towing, you might not be able to get the full rebate amount.</span>

Edit: The above is incorrect. The rules for truck are different.
Anyway, to my eyes, the Dodge Sprinter would be the way to go (for me at least, if I was trading in my Ford van).
They get pretty amazing fuel mileage and will tow 5000#.

But I'm not sure that's what Tony has in mind.

Glad there was no injuries....whatever the situation, cars can be replaced.

By the way, I just put new Michelins on my van....hope you didn't jinx me! :jester:
 
Thankfully you were not driving an MG or motorcycle. You could have been seriously injured or worse.
 
Aero I still have my F150 for towning and heavy duty use. the hhr is a get around car. and the pickup/pickup trade rules are different. I think all he needs is 2 mpg to get the $4500
 
I DO NOT want the truck totalled....Last week, I spent $200 to have it detailed and it is beautiful...the engine compartment looks like new - heck, the whole thing looks nes, in and out...the place that details is also a body shop $ I paid them $210 to correct any body issues...they painted the front & rear bumpers, corrected a tiny dent from a parking lot & fixed all the tiny dings & paint issues....I love this truck,

Sure it has 271,000 miles on the truck; but the 5.9L engine was replaced by Dodge at 110,000miles....at 130,000 miles I had the rear end completely rebuilt...and at around 170,000 I took it to the Dodge dealer for a factory new transmission. Plus, all the stuff I did 2 days before the accident: oil change/lubrication, rear end service, transmission service, new brakes, new shocks, front end alignment & 4 new tires! About $1,600.00 dollars worth of 'maintenance'.

I DON"T WANT THE TRUCK TOTALLED!! My adjuster knows that! I'm gonna do everything I can to get both him & the State Farm adjuster to not total it.

However, if it does become a totalled vehicle, I have to look at all my options...& the CAR program appears to be it &, not wanting this thread to become political, whether or not I think CAR is a program is irrevelant....my best financial deal is what matters.

I don't do car payments - heck, I don't do any type of payments.

I've got to determine if there's enough money in my financial plan to buy new.....I've gotta be pragmatic & not work off my emotions on this one (but, I do love that truck).

Truck is driveable except for the LF wheel rubbing against the lower edge of the bumper when I make left turns.....& I've gotta get with Top Line Tires to get my old tires bac in case......
 
Tony keep it on the road, totaling a vehicle is just the insurance companies way of getting out of their responsibility to their claim holders. If you do have to get rid of it buy an International.
 
Another option; if the truck is considered a total, negoitiate your best settlement for it then work out an agreement (based on a percentage of the settlement) to retain the "salvage" and repair it. You have good body shop contacts and working with them and used parts when appropriate (use new for suspension or brakes) you may come out ok. Just a thought to run by your adjuster(s).
Roy
 
If you do have to trade it in, consider a Toyota.. I've been seeing too many engine problems on the 4.7 and 5.7 lately. The old 5.9 was a good motor, but leaked oil externally, down the back of the valley of the motor, and wiped out the engine...
 
Got back in town & ran by my body shop....he sais $2,500 in repairs....my insurance adjuster hasn't been by yet.....had message to call the State Farm adjuster...he said he'll get in touch with my insurance, USAA.

In Alabama everybody involved in an accident has to fill out a form & send to Attorney General.....I picked up the form today & also picked up a copy of the police report....the lady driving the other car said she didn't see the stop sign because it was obscured by bushes & trees......so, I went to the sight & ook photos from 3 houses back from the sign, 2 houses, and then at the house on the cormer....stop sign stood out like a red hexagon!
 
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