insurance to the rescue

[eagleb]

My girlfriend got rear ended in bloobaru (96 OBW) yesterday, hit at about 25 mph by an old lady in a buick. impact pushed the car into the van in front of it.

 

Damage to front end: cracked fog light (still works, adds character)

 

Rear end: couple cracks in the bumper, slight dent in rear hatch.

 

Buick: front bumper was pushed up into her radiator.

 

Bloobaru drove home, albeit loudly due to a possible crack in the exhaust near the cats. Seems like the rear drivers side door isn't shutting very easily, so there may be more damage than meets the eye.

 

Fault is completely on the other driver, the van in front confirmed that story with the insurance agent.

 

Now bloobaru gets to go in for a little fixin, while I get a rental, and no out of pocket expenses.

 

I do love my soob.

[idosubaru]

sounds like bloobaru did it's job and everyone is safe.

 

Fault is completely on the other driver, the van in front confirmed that story with the insurance agent.

well unfortunately, that's not true. that's how you feel when some dork plows into you and makes you do something you had no control over...but if you hit the vehicle in front of you, the law says you were too close. now the real issue is whether they do anything or not. an honest person (my oppinion) will not. but technically they could sue you and they would win. or their insurance could collect for damages to the vehicle...and they too would win. actually they wouldn't even "win" because it would never go to court, your insurance company would much rather settle out of court than go to court on a gauranteed loss. but that all depends if they even have colission which if it's an old van they probably don't. and depends if they're honest or not as to whether they will persue it any further. if they didn't go to the hospital that's a good sign. lawyers won't represent you if you're not hurt, it's not worth their time and it isn't financially beneficial for "repair costs".

[The Dude]

sounds like bloobaru did it's job and everyone is safe.

 

well unfortunately, that's not true. that's how you feel when some dork plows into you and makes you do something you had no control over...but if you hit the vehicle in front of you, the law says you were too close. now the real issue is whether they do anything or not. an honest person (my oppinion) will not. but technically they could sue you and they would win. or their insurance could collect for damages to the vehicle...and they too would win. actually they wouldn't even "win" because it would never go to court, your insurance company would much rather settle out of court than go to court on a gauranteed loss. but that all depends if they even have colission which if it's an old van they probably don't. and depends if they're honest or not as to whether they will persue it any further. if they didn't go to the hospital that's a good sign. lawyers won't represent you if you're not hurt, it's not worth their time and it isn't financially beneficial for "repair costs".

 

Not necessarily true, Grossgary. If the girlfriend's car was fully stopped, like it would be at a red stop light, she's probably has no legal responsibility to the car in front of her. The car hit by the girlfriend's car probably can sue the driver who hit her. I know what I am talking about. I was the lead car in a three car "chain collision". I had stopped, the car behind me had stopped. The Bozo who plowed into car behind me, which then rear ended me, PAID for the repairs on all three cars. The driver of the car which had fully stopped behind me had NO legal liability. He was a victim of the accident, just like me.

[johnceggleston]

i'm not an insurance adjuster or a body repair guy and i didn't even stay in a holiday inn express last night. but, it doesn't seem to take much to total a 1996 car. 2k - 3k and you're done. i hope everey thing works out for you. that's what insurance is for.

 

glad no one's hurt.

[eagleb]

At least I might be privy to a new catalytic converter.

 

Nobody seriously hurt, just some minor whiplash which my insurance will definitely take care of.

 

The car will hopefully be heading to the shop tomorrow, still drivable, can barely tell it was in a wreck.

 

I'll post an update once I know the extent of the damage.

 

I do love the soob, did exactly what he was designed to do. Keep people safe while providing fun transportation.

[Virrdog]

Rear door not shutting quite right = frame slightly bent = time on frame rack = $$$

 

Hopefully it does not add up to more than 80% of the car's worth. If they try to total it, work it out with the body shop so you can do a repair contract. That way you get the maximum money and still get to enjoy your car afterwards.

[danz75]

My wife got into a collision with our 03 OBW. The OBW IMHO suffered very minimal damage...front pass light cracked, front bumper on pass cracked, hood crumpled, front pass moved back slightly leaving no gap between fender(no dents) and front pass door, bug shield cracked. The amazing thing is that the engine compartment was not even touched. the ABS which sits the closest to the impact area was not even touched. No tubes were bent. very little frame work. I think it was only >2hrs for body work.

 

On the other hand, the other vehicle was a 97 dodge caravan was completely totaled. whole front had caved in. It would not even run after that. it was a very low speed impact which neither vehicle's front airbags blew.

 

the 03 OBW repair cost? $5600. 97 Dodge Caravan = Totaled. When I saw the estimate, i was holding my breath that the OBW would not get totaled because it only has >40k on the clock so far. The estimator asked about the mileage and I suspected that he would have totaled the car if it had higher mileage.

[eagleb]

Well, I've been driving around a Mitsubishi Lancer rental car, and even though it's a decade younger than bloobaru, I want my soob back.

 

Still no word from the body shop about an estimate, but I want to start shuffling through my options as far as keeping/replacing bloobaru.

 

I'm sure it's pretty easy to total a 96 OBW, even with only 114k on the clock. If this happens, I'll probably lean towards purchase of a newer soob.

 

There's an 04 35th anniversary legacy wagon with ~35k for $16,000 at a dealership, but I would be happy getting another Gen 1 outback, probably 98-99 OBW with as many options as I can find (did either come with a sun/moonroof?)

 

I'll post a damage update as soon as I get one in.

[crazyhorse001]

There's an 04 35th anniversary legacy wagon with ~35k for $16,000 at a dealership, but I would be happy getting another Gen 1 outback, probably 98-99 OBW with as many options as I can find (did either come with a sun/moonroof?)

I think only the 1st year OBW's had moonroofs. After that they went to the "High Top" look. My '97 LSI Wagon has one & I love it. Look here for more Outback info....

http://www.cars101.com/outback_archive95-97.html

[eagleb]

I've also seen 30th anniversary legacy wagons for sale around here. And since those do have the sunroof, it wouldn't be too hard to put some OB struts and springs on there to make a legaback.

 

Let's hope my car had minimal damage so I don't have to make any real car decisions any time soon.

[eryque]

When I had my '90 Legacy sedan I was grazed while backing out of the driveway by a current generation Jetta. I stopped as soon as I saw her, but it was too late and she was slow to react.

 

My bumper had some paint scratches, but by that point was getting a little ratty so it didn't change the character of the car. She needed a new grille, right fender, and right door.

 

Just one of the reasons why I'm still driving Subarus

[eagleb]

I'm sure if I hadn't stayed at the body shop to show them parts of the car that may have been affected by the crash, they wouldn't only known it was hit by the paint smudge on the rear hatch.

 

The drivers side rear quarter panel looks like it got moved a bit, so the door on that side sits a bit cockeyed and the seat won't latch upright. Just puts it closer to being totaled.

 

Anybody know of the best way to start making my case about the value of a 96 outback wagon, 114k, auto, 2.5L with updated headgaskets? Car only shows some normal wear and tear (paint chips, seats well loved by years of butt, etc.)

 

I want some solid info in case I have to fight for the value of my car.

[LegAC]

That's the problem with driving older cars. If you get into a wreck, it usually costs more to fix that it does to total it out. Look up the Nada on your car. If your car is worth less than $2,500 or so, consider it totaled from what you have described here.

 

You also have the right to get estimates from different places. Find out what the trigger amount is for keeping your car, and find a shop that will accept that much for repairs.

 

Remember, the shop doesn't get a nickle if the repair bill is too high.

[johnceggleston]

I'm sure if I hadn't stayed at the body shop to show them parts of the car that may have been affected by the crash, they wouldn't only known it was hit by the paint smudge on the rear hatch.

 

The drivers side rear quarter panel looks like it got moved a bit, so the door on that side sits a bit cockeyed and the seat won't latch upright. Just puts it closer to being totaled.

 

Anybody know of the best way to start making my case about the value of a 96 outback wagon, 114k, auto, 2.5L with updated headgaskets? Car only shows some normal wear and tear (paint chips, seats well loved by years of butt, etc.)

 

I want some solid info in case I have to fight for the value of my car.

 

find the exact same car with same options and mileage for sale, that is your value.

 

when i wrecked my 93 leg, the insurance company bumped up the value of the car a little to avoid the hassle of "disagreement". i paid 5500 for the carwith 100k, drove it 75K, they said it was worth 2300 bumped it to 3000 less deductable, i got 2500.

[ron917]

You might be pleasantly surprised at what the insurance co. offers, if it's totaled. I had a '89 Volvo 240 that was totaled by hitting a deer in 2003. It had 220K miles and really bad rust. Book value on one in average condition was around $2000, insurance offered just over $3000 for it! I accepted before they could change thier mind and used it as part of the downpayment on my '99 Outback.

 

Body work is mega expensive. My wife was in a very minor rear ender with the minivan. It scratched up the plastic rear bumper cover and popped off some of the clips that held it on. New bumper cover, clips and paint to match was $800. The other guys insurance covered it all, of course.

[idosubaru]

Anybody know of the best way to start making my case about the value of a 96 outback wagon, 114k, auto, 2.5L with updated headgaskets? Car only shows some normal wear and tear (paint chips, seats well loved by years of butt, etc.)

if the insurance company is admitting guilt and paying for your expenses, then you can get almost whatever you want (within reason). i gaurantee you *could*, if you were so skilled, get them to pay to repair your vehicle...even if the damage far exceeds the value (been there, seen it done). ...it all depends on your abilities and willingness to be persistent. they will buck and balk. they are in the business of making money and show higher profits based on what kind of claim layouts they make. they employ full time salesmen, psychologists, lawyers and public relations people to determine the most effective way of settling claims for the lowest amount possible. if you go in knowing that, and knowing that the amount they will give you is not set in stone, they will pay out a lot. it's up to the individual, but most people don't know or understand how to work it...so they get away with paying minimal fees like the "value" of the vehicle. it mostly comes down to lawyers and court. you don't have to go there, but you at least have to make them truely think and believe that you are willing or starting that process. they will much rather settle out of court than in...particularly if, like you said, they are admitting guilt and paying for your vehicle. most people aren't good at or understand this sort of thing and need a lawyer to make them budge, but you can do it yourself. remember just because an insurance company says "we can only give you this amount", what they are really saying is "this is what we're willing to give you"...they can literally pay out whatever they want.

 

look at it this way -think of an economics curve...the point at which people start thinking they're getting lowballed and want to go to lawyers and court....just above that amount is what insurance companies want to pay you. just enough to make you disgruntled and willing to swallow the lumps, but not enough to convince you to go any further...any less than that and they loose money uneccessarily. just like you don't offer the grocery store a few extra dollars for that fat steak because it tasted so good and was a reasonable deal...businesses aren't created to loose money. even if they offer you a reasonable amount (and some insurance companies do that), they will pay out more as well.

[eagleb]

Excellent info. Thanks for the help. I'm going to call the body shop today and see if I can see where the car is at. Been there since Thursday, so they should have an estimate ready by now.

 

I've seen comparable 96s for sale from 2500 to 5500. Research is my new best friend.

[WoodsWagon]

I think only the 1st year OBW's had moonroofs. After that they went to the "High Top" look. My '97 LSI Wagon has one & I love it. Look here for more Outback info....

http://www.cars101.com/outback_archive95-97.html

 

I've seen an outback limited, 95-99 bodystyle, in the junkyard with 2 moonroofs. One over the rear seats, and one over the front, with glass that followed the contour of the hi-roof hump.

 

This was a car with all the options checked off, but no front end left cause something clipped it good.

[eagleb]

Well, I called the shop yesterday. They say the car is most likely not totalled, but that will depend on if much bodywork is necessary after pulling some of the body panels back into place.

Exhaust is going to be replaced from the cat back (they say the cat is still good ), and the body panels will be worked out. They said there was no frame damage.

 

So it looks like I'll be getting bloobaru back as good as new.

 

So much for upgrading to leather and sunroof

[eagleb]

Got bloobaru back from the shop yesterday. Just dropped my car off at the shop, signed a couple papers, got my keys, and drove off within 5 minutes.

 

He got new front and rear bumpers, new badges on the liftgate, new muffler and tailpiping, and a nice cleaning.

 

Not totalled, just feeling a little bit fancier.

 

I'm definitely happy to have my soob back.

 

 

eag

[idosubaru]

excellent.

[Virrdog]

what was up with the funny closing door?

[eagleb]

The rear drivers side quarter panel was pushed forward a bit when the car got hit from behind. It moved just enough to cause the door to sit slightly off and keep the rear seat from latching properly. All they did was pull the panel back, didn't even need to do any bodywork (luckily).

[86BRATMAN]

Thats good news, glad to hear they fixed her up for you!!!