The end of an era…. 🙁

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Yes. I had to supply a ton of comps. Progressive sent adjusters out multiple times after I contested thier BS offers over and over. It took about 4 months to get paid. If I did it over again I would contact an independent appraisal that specializes in fighting insurance companies. I discovered they exist after the fact.

That all really helps to know! I honestly felt a bit like a baby back bitch for even thinking of going back and forth with insurance for more than two weeks because of the vehicle it is and the sentimental value I seem to have, but 4 months sounds worth it honestly if you were able to come to the settlement that you did.
I definitely had an outside appraisal in mind after reading a bit on that, but it now seems like a more viable option, especially with what everyone here seems to think.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Around here there are a few garages that will let you rent a space with a lift and tools. Mind you this is in Michigan where we have NOTHING nice or cool so I wouldn't be surprised if there is such in your area. Barring that you could search around for some local industrial buildings that are owner occupied or for lease/sale by owner and ask them if you could temporarily use their space and pay them for it. Myself personally I have a industrial warehouse for lease at the moment and if someone asked me to do that I would let them, I would just tell them that if I found a tenant they would have to be out.

Again find owner occupied or listed buildings, don't waste your time contacting management or large companies. You pretty much need to get lucky and find a car guy who is down for the cause but it's doable.

Also yes as suggested contact a public adjustor do not just accept the insurances offer even if it sounds good, I just had to do this with my Ferrari and even though AAA had already offered me a number well over the value of the car he squeezed another 10k from them and only charged his flat fee of $500. If the adjuster doesn't feel he can do better he will tell you before he goes and fights for it, or at least he should, the industry is very reputation dependent so they normally don't screw around.

Wish I had friends like that! Haha
My biggest hurdle would also be learning how to fix that rear quarter panel as I’ve only done small pieces of body work like the roof rack delete, and the rear seems to be all one piece. Becomes a bit daunting to a shade tree mechanic like myself.
Sorry about the Ferrari though man! Were you able to fix her back up to her glory, or was it a total loss for ya?
I’ll definitely be looking into an outside adjuster though and thank you for the insight so far!

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

The shop time required to pick that apart, replace and straighten panels wound stack up fast.
Then there's paint, small parts, clips, trim etc etc etc etc

If you've ever reviewed an itemised insurance repair quote, they will include parts cost, and time to R&R every. Tiny. Little. Thing you can possibly imagine. $$ add up fast

Yeahhhh I failed to even consider that. I remember replacing the air louvers in the back and it was pretty pricey for both to begin with, so I can only imagine how the rest would stack up pretty quick.
Really makes me wish I had a rear bumper too because I’m sure some of the damage might’ve been mitigated at least.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Username checks out!

From your story, I expected pics to show a lot more carnage.

Glad you weren't hurt.

I had a fairly minor accident recently, a 17 year old kid pulled out blindly in front of me (weird, angled intersection). I had no time to brake more than a stab on the pedal. Totalled my 04 F150.

It was enough of an impact to bend the frame, and bend the steering wheel when I instinctively braced for impact.

I posted here in chat for some advice, and basically everyone said keep possession of the wreck until you agree on settlement terms.
I made sure i was home when the assessor came by and made a point of pointing out all the damage I had spotted with the frame, panels, steering wheel, fan shrouds etc
I contemplated repairing it as a salvage title, but the more i looked, the more work i could see was needed. Figured it was best to push for total loss payout.

I also rewashed and detailed it the day before, so it presented as well as possible to try to improve the assessed value.

Lmao I honestly got that nickname before I started driving, during my restaurant days. Didn’t think it would actually become a reality some day.

I guess that’s a testament to how sturdy she was after a 70mph impact. I really do think that ARB was part of the reason the damage wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.

Thank you brother! Really glad my 80 was what I was in for sure and I’m glad the other vehicle wasn’t a smaller car. It could’ve been so much worse in so many ways, but I’m thankful that wasn’t the case.

Well damn. Makes me really wish I would’ve posted on here sooner. Everyone has some excellent advice, but hopefully I can still work something out, even with it out of my possession now, and hopefully this helps out someone down the line in the same predicament (knock on wood for everyone)!

 

[greentruck]

Yeah, you're not in a very good position with State Farm, although much depends on your exact policy and the laws in your jurisdiction. Recently went through this when I totaled my 1997.

Farmers is where you want to be, they took good care of me, came up with a bunch of legit comps, and paid about twice what we paid for it back in 2009 - a rather good investment considering the 15 years and 50,000 miles of service in between. That put me within less than $2000 of picking up a very sweet 1996 LX 450 here in the MUD Classifieds.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Yeah, you're not in a very good position with State Farm, although much depends on your exact policy and the laws in your jurisdiction. Recently went through this when I totaled my 1997.

Farmers is where you want to be, they took good care of me, came up with a bunch of legit comps, and paid about twice what we paid for it back in 2009 - a rather good investment considering the 15 years and 50,000 miles of service in between. That put me within less than $2000 of picking up a very sweet 1996 LX 450 here in the MUD Classifieds.

Jesus man! I’m hoping you and anyone you might’ve been with are all okay! I’m glad to hear that you were well taken care of during the settlement!
I was eyeing other companies not long ago with Farmers being up there on the list. I do hope whatever laws and whatnot that are in place will help me out, but Im also prepared to fight the good fight on this one.

Did you end up keeping yours for parts to your new one?

 

[Francis K]

Wish I had friends like that! Haha
My biggest hurdle would also be learning how to fix that rear quarter panel as I’ve only done small pieces of body work like the roof rack delete, and the rear seems to be all one piece. Becomes a bit daunting to a shade tree mechanic like myself.
Sorry about the Ferrari though man! Were you able to fix her back up to her glory, or was it a total loss for ya?
I’ll definitely be looking into an outside adjuster though and thank you for the insight so far!

Oh okay yea sorry brother, if that's the case then I guess it doesn't matter. Same boat for me, I can figure out mechanical bs with enough mud hand holding and cursing but body damage and welding....no go. I suppose if you really wanted to keep her then you would have to find a shop willing to take her on.

Nooooo Ferrari was completely gone, it was parked in front of a building that caught on fire. Blessing in disguise as I wanted to sell for a 458 anyway and it was going to be a disaster selling a Ferrari especially in Michigan, ended up with significantly more than it was worth so now on the hunt for a 458. Just wish I hadn't spent 10k on shocks the week prior...

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Oh okay yea sorry brother, if that's the case then I guess it doesn't matter. Same boat for me, I can figure out mechanical bs with enough mud hand holding and cursing but body damage and welding....no go. I suppose if you really wanted to keep her then you would have to find a shop willing to take her on.

Nooooo Ferrari was completely gone, it was parked in front of a building that caught on fire. Blessing in disguise as I wanted to sell for a 458 anyway and it was going to be a disaster selling a Ferrari especially in Michigan, ended up with significantly more than it was worth so now on the hunt for a 458. Just wish I hadn't spent 10k on shocks the week prior...




View attachment 3656577

Lol very true. The silver lining is that it definitely becomes a 5 or 6 brewski day after you’ve figured it all out and got the job done right the first time. but yeah, body work definitely isn’t my forte, and if it becomes possible, I may shop around for quotes.

Jeez man! Sorry for the loss, especially knowing an extra 10k could’ve been saved had you know what would happen. I’m not too familiar with Ferrari’s but I do hope that the search for a 458 won’t be so long for ya brother!

 

[greentruck]

Jesus man! I’m hoping you and anyone you might’ve been with are all okay! I’m glad to hear that you were well taken care of during the settlement!
I was eyeing other companies not long ago with Farmers being up there on the list. I do hope whatever laws and whatnot that are in place will help me out, but Im also prepared to fight the good fight on this one.

Did you end up keeping yours for parts to your new one?

I was by myself and no other property or person was involved. I self-extricated,had a couple of cracked ribs were there was a pre-existing weak spot in my back, a bone bump below one knee and some glass rubbed in here and there. The airbags and wearing my seatbelt helped - and made it a priority to find a airbag equipped replacement. I'd had a colonoscopy the day before I'd left for a historical society convention about 3 hours from home. I dozed off 10 minutes from home, drifted across the opposing land and woke up as things got bumpy going off into the opposite ditch. I was getting on getting things under control when there was a culvert from a side road right in front of me, which flipped me 180 degrees forward onto the roof.

Yep, the ARB did it's job.

No wasn't in position to do a buy back, but when talking to my independent Cruiser mechanic, he mentioned he would've been glad to help me out with that, so keep that in mind as an option.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

I was by myself and no other property or person was involved. I self-extricated,had a couple of cracked ribs were there was a pre-existing weak spot in my back, a bone bump below one knee and some glass rubbed in here and there. The airbags and wearing my seatbelt helped - and made it a priority to find a airbag equipped replacement. I'd had a colonoscopy the day before I'd left for a historical society convention about 3 hours from home. I dozed off 10 minutes from home, drifted across the opposing land and woke up as things got bumpy going off into the opposite ditch. I was getting on getting things under control when there was a culvert from a side road right in front of me, which flipped me 180 degrees forward onto the roof.

Yep, the ARB did it's job.

No wasn't in position to do a buy back, but when talking to my independent Cruiser mechanic, he mentioned he would've been glad to help me out with that, so keep that in mind as an option.

Holy hell man! Well, I’m definitely glad you’re okay brother! I hope the recovery process wasn’t too arduous afterwards and I’m definitely happy you found a replacement after it all was said and done! I really hope this LX450 has filled that itch or void in someway! How’re you liking it as far as what you had in the cruiser?

ARB is definitely tried and true, so I’ll definitely get another if needed!

I will definitely keep that in mind when I get news about my cruiser! I just hope she can survive on because I’d really like it back, but know I may have to fight for it. Thank you for all of your insights man! It’s really comforting to know this forum is around to shoot the s*** and not feel alone in the whole process!

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Finally checked on my app, and the damage total isn’t as bad as I figured! I’m still relatively hopeful she’ll be fixed with how cosmetic everything seemed to be, but we’ll see!

I am fairly worried though. When they picked her up, I told the tow truck driver that the radiator busted, but I’m not entirely sure he relayed that message. I took out my Scangauge in fear that the vehicle would get totaled, but idk if the guys know if it’s even heating up if left on. I don’t even see a radiator in the estimate, so I wonder if they even know?!

Insurance stuff is really frustrating when you can’t overlook the situation first hand.

 

[greentruck]

Holy hell man! Well, I’m definitely glad you’re okay brother! I hope the recovery process wasn’t too arduous afterwards and I’m definitely happy you found a replacement after it all was said and done! I really hope this LX450 has filled that itch or void in someway! How’re you liking it as far as what you had in the cruiser?

ARB is definitely tried and true, so I’ll definitely get another if needed!

I will definitely keep that in mind when I get news about my cruiser! I just hope she can survive on because I’d really like it back, but know I may have to fight for it. Thank you for all of your insights man! It’s really comforting to know this forum is around to shoot the s*** and not feel alone in the whole process!

They kept me overnight because they were worried about the broken ribs having some fluid on the imaging, but got out the next day and pretty quickly healed up. The worst part from my perspective was the blow to my ego caused by some poor judgment of how far I could push myself. Over a half century of good driving seems too much in the past after something like this.

Here's a link to my buy/build thread.
From Misfortune to Light of a New Day: Setting Up the Replacement Truck - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/from-misfortune-to-light-of-a-new-day-setting-up-the-replacement-truck.1326951/
It's badly in need of an update which will be accomplished soon as I am almost back to where I was, still needing the temp gauge mod, along with
some extras. The LX 450 I was lucky to find spent most of its life out west (San Diego, St. George, Utah, and Prescott, Arizona) and though it ended up in Michigan, she didn't drive it during the winter. She's also the sister of the fellow who is Bowfin Cruisers. My tech was somewhat envious when he saw the roof rack as he's been trying to snag one for months without success. The step-sliders are also said to be Bowfin, but might be a prototype model as I've never seen anyone buying any. They are quite stoutly made. The only thing I regret about the LX is that it's not green. One thing I really like is the suspension, which combines greatly improved road manners with a modest liift that allows the truck to fit in my height-challenghed garage.

The ARB proved its value, considering it served as the pivot point for a front flip for 3 tons of Land Cruiserr at 50 mph.

 

[CruisD64]

That quote seems surprisingly inexpensive. I had a quote for some bodywork on my dads FJ62 which is ONLY cosmetic and it was 7500. Granted, I'm in the Bay Area. If this quote is the final deal, that's a steal and absolutely worth it.

 

[sbman]

View attachment 3658247
Finally checked on my app, and the damage total isn’t as bad as I figured! I’m still relatively hopeful she’ll be fixed with how cosmetic everything seemed to be, but we’ll see!

I am fairly worried though. When they picked her up, I told the tow truck driver that the radiator busted, but I’m not entirely sure he relayed that message. I took out my Scangauge in fear that the vehicle would get totaled, but idk if the guys know if it’s even heating up if left on. I don’t even see a radiator in the estimate, so I wonder if they even know?!

Insurance stuff is really frustrating when you can’t overlook the situation first hand.

A body shop will not estimate mechanical damage even if they see it, that would be subbed out to a mechanical shop. Remember, this is YOUR vehicle, until you sign on a dotted line to release it to the insurance company and accept their settlement, it is still yours. You can go to the shop and pick it up at any time, it is yours, tow it home if you like, tow it to a mechanical shop to have the radiator fixed if you want to.

I'd demand the body repairs to be done after showing the comps and the value of the vehicle with it's details (3x locked, etc... not easy to find and NOT cheap to acquire). Worst case, you can get a payout for a total loss if you want to accept it and keep the vehicle as well for a (relatively) small fee, then you can buy another cruiser and swap the 3X axles, etc....

I used to work in the insurance estimating industry, it is all setup to maximize profit for the insurance company, it is not in your best interest, but in theirs.

That said, the labor rates and times shown for the body repairs are pretty reasonable.

 

[greentruck]

That quote seems surprisingly inexpensive. I had a quote for some bodywork on my dads FJ62 which is ONLY cosmetic and it was 7500. Granted, I'm in the Bay Area. If this quote is the final deal, that's a steal and absolutely worth it.

I agree. I'd also be cautious about bringing up the radiator or other potentially toasty parts right at this point. The number they have done may be close to the totaled value. Anything missed in the evaluation process will get fixed, but if you push it into totaled territory before work starts then they'll do that instead of fixing it. Once they're deep into it, that won't matter they'll just carry on with fixing it.

 

[doc_random]

In 2011 a Dodge wanted to "snow joust" with us on a snowy December road. ARB took much of the hit. Insurance totaled it and it took maybe 3 months to get the real value vs KBB low balls. In my case it was Farmers insurance for both drivers. He was cited for the accident which made a big difference I think. It was not a good experience feeling screwed by insurance. We were fortunate to have another car so we were not desperate to settle quickly. Took the claim money, bought back the totaled LX450 and had it rebuilt. Still driving it today. Almost took the supercharger but it's still working!
Fight fight fight.

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Sorry for not responding for a while everyone. Life and work are still busy as can be during troubling times (problems come in 3’s as they say), but I finally got a not so good message. They want to total it at $13.7k and I obviously don’t agree. I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but I don’t really have anywhere to turn besides here.
I’m the first one I know in my group of people/family that truly knows the value of a cruiser and especially an 80 series. It is a material thing at the end of the day, but this is the first rig I’ve ever truly grown an attachment to and had plans of taking her on more trips to go camping and exploring off the beaten path. As said before, if it is totaled, I can’t really buy her back, seeing as I live in an apartment, and don’t really have friends or family that could hold it for me.

I have an option to talk to a claims adjuster down below, but I feel that I should ask for some knowledge and wrap my head around the situation some more before responding to what basically feels like a spit in the face right now, given the market.

Any advice out there that I could ask of my fellow brethren?

Thanks in advance for any info and time y’all can spare. It has been helpful to be reminded of the community here.

 

[Elbee]

Isn’t 13k pretty ballpark for an 80 series? I would try to look up as many as I could that similar to what was totaled and submit them to insurance.

If you are in texas you might be able to use trucks nationwide. A good hint would be to look at yota tax areas, such as PNW, Hawaii, Alaska etc and submit that to insurance

 

[Swirvinnirvinn]

Isn’t 13k pretty ballpark for an 80 series? I would try to look up as many as I could that similar to what was totaled and submit them to insurance.

I would say it would be if it weren’t a 97 with OBDII, triple locked, 40th anniversary with work done on it (all receipts on hand for everything I’ve purchased and done, but I’ve heard that doesn’t matter) and an ARB bumper. I’ve been searching like a mad man through it all unfortunately, and even a 97 40th anniversary with no lockers and stock seems to be closer to $20k. Not to mention there’s seems to be no work on the coolant hoses, radiator, or clutch and thermostat.

I hope that doesn’t come off as too aggressive as I’m not trying to attack or anything. I would just like to be able to buy something similar to where I sort of left off, but appreciate your input.

 

[SpenserAK]

Glad everyone was okay. That sounds like a scary moment. Unfortunately, I also totaled my 97 in december. Didn't look horrible from the outside, but once you got underneath, starting with the fully bent frame, it was a big repair.

I don't want to come across the wrong way, but I was fully prepared for all the things I'd heard re: insurance claims with these trucks, and none of it was the case for me. I had full coverage Geico. Repair estimate was 28K, obviously totaled, and I ended up getting paid quite a bit more than expected without having to fight it once. Let's just say it started with a 2. Check came within a week. They did all the legwork with comps/etc. And this was an LX on paper, not "Toyota." I don't know why that's how it worked out for me… feels like I cheated.

I've only ever had that insurance, and long story short, I switched to State Farm recently with my 98 4Runner. Some of the comments here make me a little nervous for the future, but knock on steel I won't have to deal with a totaled vehicle again. Best of luck to you. Agreed on not accepting an offer until you find it reasonable. I've read a handful of stories here about folks who were lowballed, put in a bit of time going back & forth, and got quite a bit more in the end. The comps are out there, and if you think of the few hours looking vs how much more you could get, it's a darn good wage.

Not exactly sure what point I'm trying to make. Perhaps just giving an example to let you know you can find a positive outcome, despite the situation.