Another 100 series bummer thread (1 Viewer)

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Well, after a year and a half of looking for a truck that was nice enough and in the right price range, I finally found a super clean 2000 100 series in August for my mom. After doing all of the PM's, new tires, shocks, bushings and putting a nice stereo in it, I gave it to her in September.

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Since then she put less than 100 miles on it. last night she got rear ended by a work van 3 blocks from her house...

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The rear section of the frame is bent down 2-3", the hitch and bumper (frame) took the vast majority of the impact. Driver seat back is bent pretty good, as is the steering column. Fortunately she is ok for the most part, but it was a hard hit. Totaled the van for sure.

I looked the truck over fairly good in the day light, there are a lot of frame creases and cracked paint, hitch is split and pushed into the spare, the hatch does not line up, no body creases that I could find but the drivers side rear body mount is pushing on the body pretty bad and the rear most vent window doesn't close square. Exhaust/resonator is smashed, the sunroof switch panel broke, door locks don't work anymore, and the rear axle is 1/4" closer to the front of the fender on the driver's side than the passenger side.

I'm looking for some advice on what to do, as I have just over 11k into the truck, not including my labor. As clean as it was and with the massive pile of dealer receipts (100% dealer maintained) and recent maintenance (just had a t-belt and water pump, starter, CV's, battery, plugs, trans flush, diff service, tcase service and a toyota windshield done in July). I'm guessing I could have sold it for $15k prior to 8:45pm last night. My guess would be the insurance company is going to total it and low ball for 7-9k, even though they are selling for much more than that. Any advice from the astounding number of locals who have recently had to deal with insurance companies on their 100 series wrecks?

Best case scenario for me is a payout of 8k or so and I keep the truck, replace the tailgate, add a 4x4labs rear bumper, straighten the frame good enough for it to drive true, replace the steering column and seat frame, fix the little stuff and give it back to my mom, she drives it 10k miles over the next 20 years

2nd best - they total it and pay me what I have into it, then I buy it back and part it/put the drivetrain in my 80.

likely scenario - A long and frustrating fight about the value, and me losing a bunch of hair.

What do you guys think?
 
Oh man. I hate to see that--such a thoughtful thing to have done for your mom. If it were me, I'd aim for the first scenario if the frame can be satisfactorily straightened, etc. It's a really beautiful truck, and, if repaired, would likely still be well suited for mom duty. That said, I haven't arm wrestled an insurance company recently, and I don't know how feasible that'd be.
 
@JunkCrzr89 how'd you keep yours from being totaled?
Based on the insurance horror stories that abound on MUD, I can only conclude that I was the one lucky feral dog in AZ who had the sun shine on their a$$ that day. Insurance inspector showed up and before he even looked at my mangled 100 he asked me, “what do you want to do?” I told him I wanted to fix it and do everything possible to keep it from being totaled. He said “OK,” looked the 100 over, went back to the adjuster, and made it happen.

My frame wasn’t bent, though, and I think that’s where @peacesells63 is going to run into a nearly immovable wall with insurance... 9.9 times out of 10, a bent frame = totaled 😕
 
Hey Mike! Sorry to hear about this. My opinion... Depends on how much you and Mom love that truck. It looks super clean and, well...it's a Land Cruiser... but my experience over the last year dealing with my work truck that was rear-ended and labeled as totaled has been less than pleasant. My employer bought it back from insurance (despite my pleading not to), fixed it and is still having ongoing issues with it. It was "just cosmetic", then it's oh, rear diff is bent, along with control arms and the track bar, sway bar and and and $$$. It chewed up a new set of tires in two months due to it being so out of square. Brakes are weird, suspension feels different. It's been a real pain. I'd say let it go unless you can come out smelling like a rose on a settlement that may cover enough to have the frame straightened, unless you're certain it's not bent. Just my $.02 Good luck!
 
Bent frame on a 20+ year old vehicle unless you just fix it yourself it will have a salvage title. Think I would find some used tires to put on if you have a use for these. Stick your old radio back in and then plan to do battle with the insurance company. Less than a 100 miles in five months obviously you mom does not have a great need for a vehicle. When I totalled our 2000 Tundra in January 2004 I bought a new 2004 4Runner before I even settled with the insurance. Insurance companies are counting on you to want to settle quickly. In my case is was a single vehicle accident I slid off the road on black ice and flipped it on it's top. Your mom being tail ended and totalling a huge Land Cruiser including bend the driver's seat and steering column the injury cost will probably much greater than the vehicle. I wouldn't settle quickly on either. End of the day I wouldn't want a 2000 100 series except to possible part out and make money.
 
Oh man. I hate to see that--such a thoughtful thing to have done for your mom. If it were me, I'd aim for the first scenario if the frame can be satisfactorily straightened, etc. It's a really beautiful truck, and, if repaired, would likely still be well suited for mom duty. That said, I haven't arm wrestled an insurance company recently, and I don't know how feasible that'd be.

Yeah, its a bummer. This is the first nice vehicle she has owned, and planned on it being the last one. Hopefully something good comes out of it.

@JunkCrzr89 how'd you keep yours from being totaled?


Get an aftermarket bumper that requires cutting out that rear crossmember?

I do have a 4x4labs rear kit in my garage, that will end up on it if we do keep it.

Based on the insurance horror stories that abound on MUD, I can only conclude that I was the one lucky feral dog in AZ who had the sun shine on their a$$ that day. Insurance inspector showed up and before he even looked at my mangled 100 he asked me, “what do you want to do?” I told him I wanted to fix it and do everything possible to keep it from being totaled. He said “OK,” looked the 100 over, went back to the adjuster, and made it happen.

My frame wasn’t bent, though, and I think that’s where @peacesells63 is going to run into a nearly immovable wall with insurance... 9.9 times out of 10, a bent frame = totaled 😕

I did a bunch of reading today and to my surprise it seems like people are getting much better settlements as of the last few months VS 2 years ago.

Honestly, I don't mind salvage titles as long as long as the price is adjusted accordingly and its a vehicle I don't intend to sell. My 80 has a salvage title, I bought it 8 years ago for $3600 with lockers and about 160k on the clock. Some of the damage was not fixed very well, but I took care of that for a few dollars. I beat on this thing quite a bit and didnt want something nice. That damage was similar to your truck, front end and above the frame though.

Hey Mike! Sorry to hear about this. My opinion... Depends on how much you and Mom love that truck. It looks super clean and, well...it's a Land Cruiser... but my experience over the last year dealing with my work truck that was rear-ended and labeled as totaled has been less than pleasant. My employer bought it back from insurance (despite my pleading not to), fixed it and is still having ongoing issues with it. It was "just cosmetic", then it's oh, rear diff is bent, along with control arms and the track bar, sway bar and and and $$$. It chewed up a new set of tires in two months due to it being so out of square. Brakes are weird, suspension feels different. It's been a real pain. I'd say let it go unless you can come out smelling like a rose on a settlement that may cover enough to have the frame straightened, unless you're certain it's not bent. Just my $.02 Good luck!

Hi Matt! Were you driving that when it was hit?

That is my exact worry. I'm sure it will never be the same, as this really did run and drive like a brand new truck. My buddy drove it up to flagstaff after I did all of the work on it and said it drover nicer and was quieter inside than his 2017 4runner that has 20 some k on it. I went over the truck pretty well in the day light and for my moms purposes it may be ok. I'd really hate to see it go to a salvage yard, one way or another I will do everything I can to keep it and fix it or part it out.

Bent frame on a 20+ year old vehicle unless you just fix it yourself it will have a salvage title. Think I would find some used tires to put on if you have a use for these. Stick your old radio back in and then plan to do battle with the insurance company. Less than a 100 miles in five months obviously you mom does not have a great need for a vehicle. When I totalled our 2000 Tundra in January 2004 I bought a new 2004 4Runner before I even settled with the insurance. Insurance companies are counting on you to want to settle quickly. In my case is was a single vehicle accident I slid off the road on black ice and flipped it on it's top. Your mom being tail ended and totalling a huge Land Cruiser including bend the driver's seat and steering column the injury cost will probably much greater than the vehicle. I wouldn't settle quickly on either. End of the day I wouldn't want a 2000 100 series except to possible part out and make money.

Yeah, i'm pretty well prepared for that to happen. Already started the search for rollers and I kept the stock stereo stuff fortunately. It seemed like the insurance company was very eagar to get this settled immediately, but we are in no rush. She does need a vehicle soon, as her work from home assignment is nearly up and she will need something to drive to and from the airport. I might look for a camry or something for her to drive in the mean time. Biggest reason she wanted a land cruiser since they are easy for to get in and out of. She fell in love with my LX470 when I first got it, but anything newer is too expensive.
 
I did a bunch of reading today and to my surprise it seems like people are getting much better settlements as of the last few months VS 2 years ago.
FWIW, my $hitbox 100 was valued by Liberty Mutual at $9500 prior to the body damage being fixed.
 
When mine was total two years or so ago (other guy's fault) I went through my own insurance. The brought in an appraiser who found similar vehicles for sale at the time and matched that price. I didn't want to get rid of my truck, but I got fair market value for it. When my insurance company settled with the other driver I then got my deductible back.

Jim
 
When mine was total two years or so ago (other guy's fault) I went through my own insurance. The brought in an appraiser who found similar vehicles for sale at the time and matched that price. I didn't want to get rid of my truck, but I got fair market value for it. It was all done in less than two weeks. When my insurance company settled with the other driver I then got my deductible back.

Jim
 
FWIW, my $hitbox 100 was valued by Liberty Mutual at $9500 prior to the body damage being fixed.
Thats not too bad. I don't really remember what shape your cruiser was in, you were knee deep in a timing belt job last time I was there. was that their immediate price or did you have to haggle with the adjuster?
 
When mine was total two years or so ago (other guy's fault) I went through my own insurance. The brought in an appraiser who found similar vehicles for sale at the time and matched that price. I didn't want to get rid of my truck, but I got fair market value for it. When my insurance company settled with the other driver I then got my deductible back.

Jim
Good to hear that as well. What year was yours?
 
Thats not too bad. I don't really remember what shape your cruiser was in, you were knee deep in a timing belt job last time I was there. was that their immediate price or did you have to haggle with the adjuster?
That was their immediate price, no haggling on my part because they didn’t total it and paid to fix it. I bought the neglected 100 for $4k and was in the process of dumping $9k worth of maintenance/baseline parts into it when you came by to get that bumper, which I completed before hitting the elk. I think you can and should expect (fight for) the $8-10k range at minimum. Plenty of recent examples on BaT, etc. of 100s selling for astronomically high prices over the last year that you could try using as leverage.
 
Hey Mike! Sorry to hear about this. My opinion... Depends on how much you and Mom love that truck. It looks super clean and, well...it's a Land Cruiser... but my experience over the last year dealing with my work truck that was rear-ended and labeled as totaled has been less than pleasant. My employer bought it back from insurance (despite my pleading not to), fixed it and is still having ongoing issues with it. It was "just cosmetic", then it's oh, rear diff is bent, along with control arms and the track bar, sway bar and and and $$$. It chewed up a new set of tires in two months due to it being so out of square. Brakes are weird, suspension feels different. It's been a real pain. I'd say let it go unless you can come out smelling like a rose on a settlement that may cover enough to have the frame straightened, unless you're certain it's not bent. Just my $.02 Good luck!
Wow, sounds like my old boss.
 
Yeah Mike, I was in it, stopped at the end of an off ramp. My Dodge was hit by a Lexus ES 300 at an estimated 50-60 mph. Nice little concussion, some hearing loss and a back surgery followed. I'm glad your Mom was in a big vehicle. My big vehicle likely saved my life. Just say no to small cars:p
 
Yeah Mike, I was in it, stopped at the end of an off ramp. My Dodge was hit by a Lexus ES 300 at an estimated 50-60 mph. Nice little concussion, some hearing loss and a back surgery followed. I'm glad your Mom was in a big vehicle. My big vehicle likely saved my life. Just say no to small cars:p
Ouch! I didn't know that was the same accident... Yeah, that truck should have gone to the wrecker for sure. How is your back doing by the way? Hopefully it came out better than the truck!

That is another reason behind the land cruiser as a choice for her, though I can now say they are not the best vehicle to get rear ended in. Since the rear frame crossmember is right under the bumper, all of the force is transferred into the frame. The van that hit her was the worst case scenario since its bumper was the exact same height. If she were in a car, my guess is there would be no trunk left. She also would have ended up hitting the car in front of her, and the way that works she would have ended up with a citation.

I'm going to try to get an appointment with the adjuster Thursday so we can start that process. I talked with my lawyer cousin last night and got a bunch of advice, i'm pretty confident we will get the full value of the truck now.
 
Notify the insurance company that she requires a rental vehicle until this is settled. It will incentivize them to reach an agreement. Going back and forth haggling will cost them money every day, and the rental vehicle needs to be comparable, no compact cars, needs to be an suv, they cost more to rent so more incentive to settle. Provide them vehicles that are comparable and if they low ball, ask them to show you vehicle in your market for sale that are in similar state of repair and condition. They won’t be able to find them and won’t be able to justify their settlement offer. KBB, if low is no justification on a settlement. They find examples in other markets, you would expect them to cover the cost of flying you out to inspect the car, if acceptable, then add the cost of purchase, airfare, and cost of shipping it to your mother.
 
Notify the insurance company that she requires a rental vehicle until this is settled. It will incentivize them to reach an agreement. Going back and forth haggling will cost them money every day, and the rental vehicle needs to be comparable, no compact cars, needs to be an suv, they cost more to rent so more incentive to settle. Provide them vehicles that are comparable and if they low ball, ask them to show you vehicle in your market for sale that are in similar state of repair and condition. They won’t be able to find them and won’t be able to justify their settlement offer. KBB, if low is no justification on a settlement. They find examples in other markets, you would expect them to cover the cost of flying you out to inspect the car, if acceptable, then add the cost of purchase, airfare, and cost of shipping it to your mother.

Good advice, thanks. I talked to my cousin who is a lawyer and she said the same thing. Rather than get a rental car, we are going for "loss of use" at the price of a comparable rental vehicle, which is $178.88/day. So far the local insurance adjuster wont answer or return my calls, fine by me at this point.
 
Good advice, thanks. I talked to my cousin who is a lawyer and she said the same thing. Rather than get a rental car, we are going for "loss of use" at the price of a comparable rental vehicle, which is $178.88/day. So far the local insurance adjuster wont answer or return my calls, fine by me at this point.

Every insurance company has negotiated discounted rates with multiple national rental car companies, most use enterprise. Their rate for something comparable will be less than 1/2 of this number, but who knows.
 

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