looking for insight on my situation. If anyone has been in a similar situation and have any advice for me it would be great.

Last July I was involved in an accident and my insurance agent told me both parties would pay their respective deductibles and everything would be settled.
I put off repairing the vehicle since at the time it was my DD. The car drove fine, the door worked fine, however the dent just looked ugly.

Now I want to repair the car and not sure how to approach this situation. I'm guessing worst case scenario in which my car is considered at total loss here. The damage is on the door, rear quarter panel and side skirt. I'm certain that the damage is worth more than half the value of the car which concludes the total loss guess. Now total loss usually means I hand over the title and the insurance company sends me a check. HOWEVER, I would like to buy-back the car.

So if the car is a total loss and I want to buy back, the insurance company will try to send me the lowest amount possible. Should I have an autobody write me up a quote first before talking to the insurance company to have some negotiation power on that actual-face value of the car?

I want to keep the car, I want to repair it spending the least amount out of pocket. (my deductible is 500 with Geico)

 

That's way more than a simple "dent". It's no surprise that the biggest ticket item will be the QP- the cost of rewelding in a new section could total your Z right there. Take it to the body shop of your choice and get an estimate ASAP. Compare costs with what kbb or Edmunds list for your car and get ready to negotiate with your insurance company.

If they elect to total it and offer a buyback option, be sure to check if they will still insure a car with a salvage title. Don't delay in getting this done soon, as every state has different filing deadlines. I'm surprised they still kept your claim open after nearly seven months!

 

Seriously!

I thought in cases like this, they would assess the damage immediately and decide on the spot, and give you a check.

I can't believe an insurance company is allowing this. What would say that you didn't incur more damage on the car? Also, if the car is a total, you just lost another year of value on a car.

Good luck with whatever happens, but looks like a total to me.

Salvage titles are not pretty for a car that you plan on driving on the street. To me, salvage title = track car.

 

Total it.

Get a new one and move on. Or if you have a true drivers heart buy it back and drive it. Fix it. Race it. Love it.

 

Actually, what you should do is talk to the insurance company, not us. They can tell you what your options are. Everyone here, including me, are just guessing. Once you have that info, proceed with common sense from there. Your decision, not theirs.

Not really clear on the "both parties pay their deductibles" though.... YOU and one other or were there two others at fault? If the former, than it was a mutual fault situation or....??? If the latter (doesn't sound like it), then no brainer... THEY FIX IT for you.

Oh, and never mind what dkmura says about welding a quarter panel on. The future is NOT plastics, it's B-O-N-D-O!!!! Costco sells by the 55G drum.

 

The rear fender has an inner "panel" that takes $3000 typically to repair.

Doors/skins and front fenders are cheap.

If there is no suspension damage, I'd look around for a deal . . . . You need a friend in the body repair business. If you walk into a shop, you're gonna pay too much.

 

They don't just make numbers up. They take the value of the car(which is retail value)add taxes and subtract what Copart or another salvage yard will pay for the vehicle to determine what you will get if you keep it.

If the car is older than 10 years they don't care about salvage title. You will have an unbranded title.

Also, mods don't add value to the car

 

I was just in a fender bender a few months ago. When I took mine into GEICO claims for an assessment, the guy quoted me a price of about $800.00. Just a little paint, sanding and I'd be "all good".

After my deductible was paid, the total cost to fix this was over $2400.00. And my damage is significantly less than yours.

So, like someone upthread said I really hope you've got a buddy in a collision shop out there. Otherwise your pockets are about to get beat all to hell.

 

Yea body shops charge up the azz.

My Copart repair estimate was $7k. It cost me $500 in parts to fix it my self. Hood, lights, rad and rad support. Still rockin the bumper and fans.

Again just salvage it and buy it back and have a nice beater.

 

Wow, $ 2400.00 for such a scratch? It's kind of a bit too much. Although I also had an accident. I didn't notice the cyclist who was trying to drive around the parked car and hit him. He had serious injuries - broken arm and ribs, numerous scratches and bruises. Thank God, he is fine now, but he had to deal with the insurance company for a long time. They didn't want to admit his innocence, so he hired a bicycle accident attorney los Angeles. Insurers generally don't like to pay for bike injury claims, cause injuries are most likely serious and damage is usually expensive. Well, I repaired a scratch for $ 700. I think is also too expensive, cause it wasn't so big.