I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that with a new car (like less than 6 months old) and low miles, you can insist that they total it and give you a new one. With that much damage is may be repaired, but will never be "right" again.

 

From my experience with a totalled TCH, yours doesn't seem to be 'fatal'. Mine had ripples in the roof around the sunroof. Yours looks like it contacted fairly square. Did the airbags go off? All in all, it doesn't _look_ too bad, but I'm only seeing pictures. Keep telling yourself: the "stuff" isn't important. People ARE. But beware: the Insurance company will only give 'low book' or trade in value, if it does decide to total you.

Rugrat had 'gone out to get gas for Mom' and decided to pick up a friend and drive around. Ran a stop sign into a pickup, contacting exactly on the right headlight at 30+ mph for both vehicles.

The body shop said that the unibody was too bent and twisted to get right. The insurance company paid out enough to cover the loan, so we were able to get a new one. Found one same color, packages, everything for an excellent price, I just had to take a 200 mile bus ride to pick it up. $45.00 on Greyhound, and we were set.

Since I had salvaged the ipod adapter and XM radio from the deceased, all I have to do now is get the windows tinted.

 

Looks repairable to me. My guess is that they are going to repair it.

 

So... any verdict yet??

 

I FINALLY got the police report yesterday and was able to file a claim with the other car's insurance(Geico). They had the car towed to a Geico Guaranteed Body Shop and should hear something from the adjuster in the next two days. I'll keep everyone posted.

In case anyone was wondering, the other driver admitted fault, as reflected in the police report and Geico is covering 100%.

 

Thanks for the update.

You don't happen to have replacement cost insurance do you? You could then hope for a write off and get a brand new car.

 

Well my guess is that they might very well total it. They seem to total hybrids with little damage due to the fact there is so much electronic equipment in the car. I see many priuses on ebay that are salvage and some have before pics. Some don't even look as bad as yours. It will be interesting to see what they say.

 

Be wary about GEICO's "guaranteed" or "preferred" body shop. If it is repairable, as I believe it may be, you will want to consider also getting a second opinion from another reputable repair shop that is not on their affiliated network. You don't have to get it repaired at the shop they push you toward. It's your car.

Some carriers use repair networks in order to manage costs, which can mean less than stellar quality repair. They may try to use aftermarket parts that don't have the same fit and finish as OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts. Or they push the shop to hurry and get the car done quickly to reduce loss of use expenses.

Used and aftermarket parts can have their place, but with a new car, I would definitely insist on Toyota OEM parts.

Regarding diminished value, that is a nebulous blue-sky type of figure. My opinion is that if a vehicle is properly repaired using quality parts and state of the art technology, it can be repaired to pre-loss condition such that diminshed value should not be much of an issue. I would focus more on getting the vehicle fixed properly and not so much on a diminished value claim.

Also ask about the warranty on your repairs. Get a copy of it in writing. And make sure the shop has been in business for a long time so that the warranty isn't just a piece of paper you're holding when the shop goes ot of business in the future.

 

Second the note that you do NOT have to use Geico's "preferred" shop. You have the right to get service done where YOU want. If they tell you they won't cover all the cost for going somewhere else, call your own insurance company.

When someone hit my car and had fly-by-night insurance, their company tried to tell me that I had to take it to their recommended shop (40 miles away). When I told them that I wouldn't do that because I could take it anywhere I wanted, they gave me a story about having "negotiated rates" at THEIR shop, and so if I took it elsewhere they'd only pay that same rate and I'd have to cough up the rest. I contacted my own insurance, took it to the shop I wanted, and had the whole thing covered. My insurance company sued the fly-by-nighter and got all the money back from them.

 

Well....... just got off the phone with the adjuster and he's sending me the estimates etc... and when I get off the phone I get a call from my dad.... he just wrecked his '08 TCH as well..... see pictures here