Got Rear Ended On Christmas Day...
 

Hey guys...so yeah, this happened. There was traffic that suddenly bowed up on my way to visit fam, and the poor guy behind me just didn't have the brakes. Hit by a 2002 Dakota. Neither of us was hurt, so I'll count my blessings.:rolleyes:

I've only got one good pic at the moment. To those of you that have dealt with this before, I'd like your input as far as what happens going forward. Think I'm facing a total? Or will cost of repair be low enough that they'll patch her up?

First, it was a clear cut case and the fellow's insurance has said that they're covering me. So there is no dispute and they sound like they'll be easy to deal with, thankfully. The fella was very nice and felt horrible for what happened. I just told him accidents happen :P

A visual assessment of the damage:
Bumper cover obviously destroyed
Both tail lamps will need replacing
Hatch is bent and warped along with the dents. It isn't airtight along the seals to the roof so I'm sure it'll need to be replaced.
Passenger side rear quarter panel has a stress crease in the center in FRONT of the rear wheel. Unsure if the bumper being pushed forward cause this or if it's something underneath gone wrong.
Inside, the rear interior pieces have popped loose and been pushed forward significantly in the bumper area.

The car drives completely normally. You'd never think it had sustained this accident. So that leads me to think that the frame could've gotten out unscathed...but I'm definitely not a body tech. Mild vibration above 80mph but I'd guess that could just be the alignment being knocked out a bit.

I've got a meeting with a Progressive rep on Thursday for an initial rundown and estimate, and then there's a very reputable body shop here in Knoxville that I'll be taking it to after that for final estimate and/or repair, if it's not a totaled situation.

Anyone else dealt with this type of wreck in their Z, or performed the repairs and know what things look like cost-wise? Obviously diagnosing via internet is impossible but I need to know if I'm seriously looking at needing a replacement Z. :(

She's a 2011 Base model, 6spd, about 69k miles on it. Perfect condition before the incident.

Thanks in advance for any input!

I am happy you are OK.

Glad you are ok :tup:

Looks totally repairable. Get a quote from a reputable body shop and make sure the insurance pay out is comparable. Few thousand bucks outta do it assuming no frame damage.

I'm with the others, glad you are ok. However, drivers now a days are traveling WAY to close to other drivers not taking into account their vehicles stopping power and their own reaction time in order to stop safely. Sorry, I do not feel bad for the driver who hit you, driving fatalities are up again for 2016.

Be safe out there.

Based on what you said it would cost ~15-16k to replace, based on what edmunds.com says. So if the total repair costs come to 12-13k (80%) it's totaled. I don't think it will come to that though and if it doesn't see if you can get a check for "dimished value".

That's pretty much exactly what I ballparked as far as what the car's worth today. When you say "diminished value" is that implying that they'd cut me a check for the difference in what I could sell it for after repair on the basis that it was in a collision, even if the title remains clear?

And to be clear, the only reason I see a small possibility in it being totaled is how far in the bumper is pushed. I'll take a side profile pic later but it's further than a straight shot leads you to believe.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune and glad everyone is okay.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

As long as the unibody isn't tweaked you're just looking at the obvious; new bumper, new hatch, new taillights, maybe even your exhaust depending how far down the damage extends. That's all (relatively) easily replaced but the cost will add up quickly. It being a 6-year-old base model, you may try working out a deal for an estimate from the body shop if you don't want it to be totaled. As others have said it won't take much to get you to 80% of the car's value.

I'd be looking closely at things like control arm attachment points to make sure you don't have more structural damage than you think. I don't like the sound of that stress crease in the rear quarter panel... that's not an area you can just bolt off and replace.:eekdance:

It's totaled bro, glad u ok tho. Nismo upgrade

Oh no........ :eek2:

Damn that sucks. Glad your ok.

Thanks everyone for your condolences and advice. Definitely sounds like it'll come down to what we find underneath the covering...being that I've made it to 28 years old and doing this for the first time, I'm definitely lucky. I'm researching best tactics for negotiating with insurance on repayment, whether it's totaled or just to compensate for the obvious depreciation this will bring to the car when I eventually sell/trade it. More input is welcome, I'll take all I can get before Thursday! :)

dang

Hard to say with the bumper cover on. Was the right rear quarter wrinkled any? You will need a new hatch for sure. It is aluminum. Good luck, your gonna need it. Have your neck checked out by a Dr. That has been my biggest pain in the butt since I was rearended. Get it done quick, you only have 10 days from the day of the accident.

:eek: Glad your still with us..

Glad You're OK,
Not sure if you have many mods/upgrades on your Z,,,but hold their feet to the fire to reimburse you completely; in the event of a total.....also,,,(as you may be beginning to experience),,,it sometimes takes a couple days afterwards to feel a potential injury from the accident.

I've used it alot lately buuuuuuuuuuuuttttt...................

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...shh9roa2u.jpeg

The right rear quarter does have one crease right in front of the wheel as I stated earlier. I might step outside at work in a bit and snap a picture so you can see what I'm on about. It's creased OUTWARD, thus my fear that there's more underlying damage than we might initially think. I would've already had it on a lift to look myself but coming back and work have been hectic.

And I might have my neck checked by the place I get massages from about once a month. They're licensed and I'm sure the main doc would see me on the spot. Still no pain or weird feeling, so I think I'm lucky, but I'll probably get them to check for me just to be sure.:hello:

Luckily this car has been beater status for me and wasn't gonna see mods until Spring when I find a cheap G35 or something to daily. I had just gotten Weathertechs for Christmas, they'd only been in the thing a few hours and I was so excited. :(

So when you guys are talking about holding their feet to the fire, dealing with insurance, etc. where does my negotiating power lie? I owe about even with what the car's worth since I haven't had it that long (about a year), but if they lowball me, what can I do to make 'em pay out? This is talking from the standpoint of it being totaled, which now that more people that have seen it are starting to believe is a big possibility...

sorry to see, get it fixed, time to sell for new car.

trade it on da day it comes out of the bodyshop so hopefully it don't show up on carfax.

let da next guy worry about squeaks and rattles and other crap dat might come up down the road..

Sigh, so stressful.

I guess this is 1 of the reasons car insurance is going higher on the 370z. Today liberty mutual quoted me $1500 for 6 months. I was mad that state farm went from $530 to $565 for 6 months. Must of been a bad yr for the Z.:ugh2:

If you are not at fault-then you should not be the one in the loss column....keep up with all the time you don't have your car & any missed work,appointment's,etc...
You may end up getting an attorney/as if you were pleased with your Z,then they should replace it with equal or greater value! It would be pain & suffering for me without mine...it's my dang Hot-Rod! & i thouroughly enjoy every minute of driving it.

Ouch, glad you're OK.

Totally sucks. I am glad you are OK.

You are in border line between being totaled and repaired. Wishing you luck either way. If its repairable then awesome, if its totaled then one word: N-I-S-M-O!

So... Update?

Sorry for my absence, but my update is here: she's totaled :(

I'll post pics later but she had enough structure and slight frame damage to make it too much. Dealing with insurance at the moment because a new development is his insurance caps at 15k for payout, and mine will be valued at 19ish. So now I'm getting mine involved. All will be paid in due time but it's just prolonging the process.

Thanks for the input and concerns voiced by all. A lotta folks pushing me for a Nismo or even a used GTR, so we'll see what I find. I've spend a lotta time combing dealers and online looking for what my next one will be. GTR has been my goal for 2017, but later in the year when I have the capital I've got in mind. So I might settle for a lightly used 370 with sport package this time, that won't tie up my income too much and I'd love the upgrades!

Those of you selling something to that effect, make sure it's in the for sale forum. I could be contacting you soon!

I kinda figured your car might be done. The hit you took was very similar to mine. The repair bill for mine was estimated at 25K. Why we let people drive around with substandard insurance is beyond me. The guy that hit me had the min. for Ga. 25k property and 25k injury. That will hardly cover anything. Everybody better be carrying Uninsured/Underinsured motorist insurance or you are going to get screwed.

I have uninsured but not underinsured, so Geico will be taking a $500 deductible from my final settlement for covering the difference. Horse **** in my opinion since idk how 15k can even be legal, but it is what it is.

I keep telling my wife I wish I would have just kicked that dude in the nuts at the time of the accident. That would have made me at least feel better. I have over 60k in Dr. bills to boot.

Sorry man, can't say I'm surprised though. Is there a buyback price? If you're the mechanical type that drivetrain would be a great project in something else. Or even a great swap build for another Z if you get one.

As of now, there's not been a buyback or final value established. I'm hoping my insurance will have that for me by early next week and maybe I will depending the deal they offer me. I'll let everyone know that as well but it would be an aweslme project considering the car still drives perfectly.

My DD is a salvage title. Just throwing that out there.;)

Exactly lol. I could give a **** about driving something with salvage, only thing I worry with is resale value. For the right offer I'll def buy it though, even if it's just to part out.

sorry to hear:shakes head: glad you are ok!

Thanks buddy!

Now, another question for everyone: what parts can I ethically take off the car before turning it in permanently? It's at the shop now, but I don't think they're gonna watch me like hawks over taking stuff off. Pretty laid back and nice folks. Obviously my sound system, Weathertechs, etc. But I wouldn't mind yanking a few other parts off for the sake of resale or to have for extras for my next Z. Thoughts?