I dont know if this is good luck, or bad luck....

But someone hit my Jeep. I just moved into a new place Wed and I parked it on the side of the toad the first night. Well that morning some dumb bitch SMOKED it. She was kind enough to leave a note saying she "bumped into your Jeep, doesnt look like any damage" and left her number.

Well I find this note, go look at my Jeep, and I instantly see its not even in the same place I parked it. It had moved a good 8 feet. I parked it straight with the road, and when I went out, the front wheels were both in the grass, and the rear wheels were both still in the road. From what I can tell she hit the wheel (passenger side).

We had a bunch of cut branches out for the trash people to pick up, so I had to move it to check out the damage. It was pushed up in the branches. So I just took it around the clock.

First thing I noticed is the center of the steering is way off. what used to be 12 o'clock when going straight is now at 7 o'clock.

I get it back home, and look at it. Heres what I find.

Inverted shackle.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...T/4a7da0bc.jpg

Crushed shock due to the axle being pushed back. You can also see the axle seal that was leaking before is now POURING.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...T/a846b861.jpg

And this is why the shackle was inverted. Bent leaf spring.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...T/9f169944.jpg

Theres also some damage to the fender, its a little crinkled, and its not fixable with bondo, so it will need a new fender, fender flare, and marker light.

The driver side shackle is also visibly leaning. So Im thinking the drivers side may be kinda twisted.

Im thinking their insurance may total it, which isnt really a BAD thing, since I may be able to buy it back for like $500. And they should give me something like $2500-$3000 for it. And all I need to do the lift and 35 in tires is $2000.

WTF? That chick is a retard. I think it'll work out in your favor.

Just got an estimate. This is WITHOUT the leafspring, battery, shackles, and body work. It came out to $720. I think it should be higher though, cause I got a quote to change the axle seal a while back, and it was like $300. I dont think they know how involved the axle seal is.

There is no way any insurance company is going to give you $2500 for that.

You would be surprised at how much damage there is. The fender is screwed, so it needs a new fender, and paint and bodywork aint cheap.

Atmoscheer is right, hate to burst your bubble since you've put so much work/time/money into it but left book on that thing is only like $950, insurance will just declare it totalled and pay you its wholesale value if repairs exceed its value.

KBB value on it in excellent condition is like $3300. Mines not excellent. But I will definately get more than $950 for it. Jeeps also have different value in different regions. Up north they go for cheaper because of rust from salt on the roads, but down here, they are expensive.

Anony, KBB is laughable, no one actually uses that as a basis for vehicle valuation (I work in automotive wholesale at the furniture company). Insurance companies do not give you what your car is worth private party in excellent condition. They give you what it would sell for on a wholesale auction block. Sucks, because you don't have the ability to buy at wholesale, but that is just how insurance works. KBB is not used, they look at NADA black book (aka "left side" - wholesale prices are on the left of the page, retail on the right) with small regional adjustments possibly. 4 wheel drive vehicles actually tend to be worth more in the north, backwards of your logic, because they are desirable for driving in the snow. Seriously though I do know wholesale vehicle sales and how insurance works, you're not going to get anywhere near what you think you will. Any improvements you've put into it do not affect value positively at all, and actually could make it worth less believe it or not.

Well have to see what they say then. If they do try and screw me then Ill be stripping it down before they take it. I can take like $600 of stuff I put in it back out in an hour.

I need to call them again, cause their shop hasnt came look at it yet.

And 4WD vehicles are very desirable down here. Think red necks. And Jeeps ARE more expensive in the South, for the reason I posted earlier.

YMMV but you may want to strip your stuff before they inspect it. My wife had her car totalled by another driver and they wouldn't even let her take out the CD deck - they said any loose personal items in the car were ok to take but once inspected you couldn't remove anything physically attached to the car for some legal kind of reason.

Anony D unless your insurance company is operating by some two-toothed redneck out of his garage/barbershop, a beat up 20 year old 4WD jeep in Fuckwit, LA is worth the exact same as a beat up 20 year old 4WD jeep in Whogivesashit, WI. The insurance company has a national number that ignores your supposed knowledge of the local market.

4WD Jeeps are the same price throughout. You may think they are more costly in the dirty south, but that is merely because they are in better condition. A great condition Jeep in the north goes for just as much.

That's like saying Corvettes are more expensive in San Francisco than they are in Maine. False. They are what they are because of quality and what people are willing to pay for them.

Also, since when does Rick Scarf and Atmosfear hang out in The Garage? GB2CI

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harner

4WD Jeeps are the same price throughout. You may think they are more costly in the dirty south, but that is merely because they are in better condition. A great condition Jeep in the north goes for just as much.

That's like saying Corvettes are more expensive in San Francisco than they are in Maine. False. They are what they are because of quality and what people are willing to pay for them.

Also, since when does Rick Scarf and Atmosfear hang out in The Garage? GB2CI

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next thing you know they'll be in the gun forum and no redneck will have his sanctuary

I only posted here because as a supermod I try to poke an eye in on every thread, and I commented since I am familiar with how wholesale vehicle valuation works.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harner

4WD Jeeps are the same price throughout. You may think they are more costly in the dirty south, but that is merely because they are in better condition. A great condition Jeep in the north goes for just as much.

That's like saying Corvettes are more expensive in San Francisco than they are in Maine. False. They are what they are because of quality and what people are willing to pay for them.

Also, since when does Rick Scarf and Atmosfear hang out in The Garage? GB2CI

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Because when we aren't here, you're allowed to say stupid things like this without anyone calling you out.

There are certainly local market variations for every product (the simplest factor in this situation is that gas in Louisiana is $2.70. Gas in New York is near $4.00. Which market is going to be more receptive to a car getting 11 miles per gallon?) The point is that the insurance company has a national balance sheet and their number accounts for slightly increased value in the South and slightly decreased value in the center of Manhattan.

If AnonyD thinks he can sell it himself for more money than the insurance company, then don't have them total it. That's also his right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harner

4WD Jeeps are the same price throughout. You may think they are more costly in the dirty south, but that is merely because they are in better condition. A great condition Jeep in the north goes for just as much.

That's like saying Corvettes are more expensive in San Francisco than they are in Maine. False. They are what they are because of quality and what people are willing to pay for them.

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Yes that is why we pay tens of millions of dollars every year for transporting vehicles from one market to another, there are no significant regional differences and we're just pissing away our profits :psypop:

As an extreme example, do you honestly think a convertible Mustang sells for the same price in December in Miami, FL and Duluth, MN? Large wholesalers can completely move a market one way or another by selling in one area and diluting that market, or pulling cars out of that market and creating future demand.

You really think the value of the same vehicle in the same condition changes that significantly? Of course you do, you are a supermod of CD. I'm speaking from experience as a vehicle owner who looks to buy nationwide. Sure, maybe a Corvette ZR1 will get more than MSRP in LA than it would in the middle of Ohio, but we're talking 4WD Jeeps here, not brand new, top of the line Vettes.

You can buy a more expensive Stang in Miami, true. But you can buy an overpriced car anywhere. If you're smart, you'll do research and see what they typically go for everywhere else and decide what you want to pay. It's a buyer's market.

Harner, you are speaking from experience as a vehicle owner. I am speaking from experience in working for several years, specifically in vehicle wholesale, for one of the largest wholesalers in the world. I know what I am talking about.
I guess its really a moot point though I guess because a difference of a couple hundred bucks isn't noticed by retail buyers but that can definitely be exploited by the economies of scale if you can move a bunch of cars to a market and make more money than it cost to transport them. The reason I came in this thread is because I am very familiar with the wholesale pricing that insurance replacement uses and how that all works and thought I'd prepare him gently for a let down from what he was expecting. I didn't mean to cause a mini shitstorm.

I understand where you are coming from, and it's actually interesting to hear the "other" side of the automotive sales spectrum. Personally, I will never deal with a dealer again after getting burned so badly by GM with my powertrain warranty. I especially would never deal with little rinky dink dealerships, either unless their price is right.

Any updates, Anony D? Your shit get totaled or what?

Hehe harner sounds like the type of person who shops based on monthly payments.

Harner also thinks I work on a used furniture lot

What I was talking about is very very different from that, we sell a boatload of cars on a wholesale level. What you buy as a customer on a used car lot is very possibly likely one that the dealership bought via vehicle remarketing channels such as a lease turn-in or rental car. I should probably go an AMA thread on Reddit or something one of these days, its actually kind of interesting and no one on a consumer level really knows anything about it since its all behind-the-scenes stuff to get the vehicles to market. I guess the best way to describe it would be if you were the sales manager at XYZ Dealership and wanted to buy a dozen yellow 2010 Cobalts with 30-35k on them. You'd call a vehicle remarketing company and you'd have the cars on your lot in a couple of days so you can sell them that weekend.

Code:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_remarketing

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edit: fuck the Wikipedia vB in-thread display

I stopped caring, glad you decided to continue though.

pride in ignorance!

it's what makes america great

Maybe if Harner ignores facts long enough they will stop being true!

I got my check today.

$2124.36

OH YEA BABY