Totalled car: take the check or buy it back?

GraniteCrystal

GraniteCrystal

New member
Wife rear-ended someone in our 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe. Insurance is now giving us two options:
1) Take a check for $3967 and walk away
2) Take a check for $3560, keep the Santa Fe, and try to get it working myself as cheaply as possible (buyback price of $407)

Here is a list of all repairs they called out. You guys think I could get it running for a few hundred bucks and a couple hours of work? Not looking to put in a lot of money or time on this thing.

SantaFeEstimate.jpg
 
I guess it all really depends on your finances and if you're comfortable with buying a new/used car with monthly payments to make. If it was me....IMG_0278.JPG I'd walk away from the vehicle.


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GraniteCrystal said:
Wife rear-ended someone in our 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe. Insurance is now giving us two options:
1) Take a check for $3967 and walk away
2) Take a check for $3560, keep the Santa Fe, and try to get it working myself as cheaply as possible (buyback price of $407)

Here is a list of all repairs they called out. You guys think I could get it running for a few hundred bucks and a couple hours of work? Not looking to put in a lot of money or time on this thing.

View attachment 233514
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Just the radiator and condensor are going to be close to that 400 cost or so, and may not even fit right. You'll also have to recharge the AC system. Personally, I would take the 3967 and walk away. I wouldn't want to deal with all that for the money. You could take the smaller check and keep the car, then try to sell it on CL for what it is, maybe get 1500 out of it, hard to say. You got any front end pictures of it?

Whatever you do, you should take the extra money and get a nice used WJ. :D
 
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WJCO said:
Just the radiator and condensor are going to be close to that 400 cost or so, and may not even fit right. You'll also have to recharge the AC system. Personally, I would take the 3967 and walk away. I wouldn't want to deal with all that for the money. You could take the smaller check and keep the car, then try to sell it on CL for what it is, maybe get 1500 out of it, hard to say. You got any front end pictures of it?

Whatever you do, you should take the extra money and get a nice used WJ. :D
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Can't find the pics the adjuster took. It doesn't look that bad but lots of things are tweaked or broken.

Sounds like the consensus is to take the money and run. Would be really nice to have a working second vehicle though. If we take the $4k not sure I'll get much for that on the used car market. Thinking we may just try to be a one car family for a while.

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
 
GraniteCrystal said:
Can't find the pics the adjuster took. It doesn't look that bad but lots of things are tweaked or broken.

Sounds like the consensus is to take the money and run. Would be really nice to have a working second vehicle though. If we take the $4k not sure I'll get much for that on the used car market. Thinking we may just try to be a one car family for a while.
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A brand new Nissan Versa costs about $9k. $4k will get you almost half down and even at 36 months, your payments would be pretty low. Of course, you can find used cars like it in and around your budget. Not the sexiest of cars but if you need a second one to get your family around, it'll get the job done.
 
GraniteCrystal said:
Thinking we may just try to be a one car family for a while.

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
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I would recommend getting a 2nd car of some sort, even an old Honda Civic or something. It's hard when you have kids and something goes wrong with the only car you have. It's nice to have a backup even if it's a really simple car. My :twocents:
 
you are basically getting a car for under $500. I would take it back, and either part it out on CL, or sell it for like $750.


Pain in the ass, but if you have the space, could come out a little on top?
 
I would take that money and get another used car of some sort. Dealing with a wreaked car sucks when you don't have the time or patience to really fix it. Plus, if you do fix it it'll have a salvage title which makes it practically worthless to anyone but you.
 
Shoot, I'd take the $3560 and the wrecked car! Start looking for cheap used parts to fix it, or tear it down and part it out....if you have the time and space, that is.
 
USMMA11NC said:
I guess it all really depends on your finances and if you're comfortable with buying a new/used car with monthly payments to make. If it was me....View attachment 233516 I'd walk away from the vehicle.


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"Just walk away..."

For a nice sports car, something collectible, or anything you have a lot of money worth of parts in I'd keep it, for a run of the mil daily driver Hyundai, "Just walk away..."
 
elgordomuch said:
you are basically getting a car for under $500. I would take it back, and either part it out on CL, or sell it for like $750.


Pain in the ass, but if you have the space, could come out a little on top?
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That's my concern. May be a lot of effort to "come out a little on top". If I knew it was going to be 5 hours of works and $400 I'd probably do it. Just unknown.

JeepJeep75 said:
I would take that money and get another used car of some sort. Dealing with a wreaked car sucks when you don't have the time or patience to really fix it. Plus, if you do fix it it'll have a salvage title which makes it practically worthless to anyone but you.
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Actually asked on this and Geico says they wouldn't need to convert it to a salvage title but that the worth of the car would go down to my buy-back price of $407. So I can't get in another wreck and collect another $3.6k paycheck.

jeepsterchris said:
Shoot, I'd take the $3560 and the wrecked car! Start looking for cheap used parts to fix it, or tear it down and part it out....if you have the time and space, that is.
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Is there much of a second hand market for used parts? I was planning on buy new OEM stuff since none of it seemed that expensive. Maybe I can find a used Santa Fe that got rear ended and put all it's front components on mine! :rolleyes2:

catahoula said:
You could always apply check if you still have payments on other cars.

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Only other car is the Jeep and it's purchased in full.

daddyusmaximus said:
"Just walk away..."

For a nice sports car, something collectible, or anything you have a lot of money worth of parts in I'd keep it, for a run of the mil daily driver Hyundai, "Just walk away..."
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Yeah...just a tough one to walk away from. Been a very reliable car and it's only $400. But then there's parts, time...
 
catahoula said:
Well fuck paid in full?! Jeep mods! There's your 37's!

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Ha, that's a little how we swing the lift. If we take the check, anything else goes towards a house or retirement.
Goldeneagle1LC said:
Walk away the Santa Fe is a uni-body so nothing will ever fit right.
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That's good to know.

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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
 
Goldeneagle1LC said:
Walk away the Santa Fe is a uni-body so nothing will ever fit right.
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What he said. The nice thing about uni- bodies is they do offer a bit more safety. Downside is they are not really repairable. Yes people say you can fix them. And to a point you can at a really good frame shop, but like stated nothing will ever really fit properly on them once the thing is wrecked bad enough to damage the frame structure.

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