ravig292

I was in an accident with my LS 2 days ago. Luckily nobody was hurt. It wasn't my fault. I was stopped by a light behind someone who had to stop on a green light because the person in front of him was trying to make an illegal u-turn at the light where there are no turns allowed. You have to keep moving forward. So i stopped and then all of a sudden some lady who wasn't paying attention rams me from the back then i go flying into the person in front of me. The back wasn't that bad maybe just the bumper and the exhaust i hope. But the front scares me. I think the insurance might total the car. I am really pissed off because the a**hole making the illegal u-turn got away and i couldn't get his plate number and now i may be dealing with a totaled car. The car was running smooth like it came out of the dealer yesterday. no engine problems or anything. I don't want to get rid of it i want it fixed and back on the road. I posted this to ask what you guys think, totaled or not?

Its a 2000 Ls400 with 268,000 miles(A lot but trust when i say its runs like new).

emarknot

If your laws are anything like Arizona, the lady not paying attention and rear-ended you is responsible for your car as well as the car you hit. The car you hit may come into question as to how close you were at the time of impact. If you were inches from the car in front of you, then "they" could deem it as you were following too close. Bit, if you were a reasonable space away and say your foot came off the brake pedal from the impact, then it is her responsibility.

Ultimately, the lady who hit you is responsible for your car. I strongly recommend you get a decent lawyer to help you out.
I know laws vary from place to place, so get a crash course on your states laws before you say,do, or accept anything.

Hope this helps.


P.s. glad your ok and no one was seriously hurt. Sorry about your car.

Good luck friend

whit3b0y

generally once the repairs become 80%(?) (pretty sure) of the value of the car it is then deemed a total loss. Being that an ins company will say value is near 8-10, and the cost to fix a lexus. Looks to me like it will probably be a total loss. if you can buy it back, might be able to make money off of it parting it out. Sucks man looks like it was a clean one.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

if the core support is bent, the labor will make them total the car out sadly If there's no frame damage there's some chance at least for it to not be totalled.

if you end up getting left with the car, i'll give the engine a warm place to live lol.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Sorry to hear yet glad there were no injuries, that is the main point. We cherish our rides and it is hard to see them get damaged this way. Sometimes it is the role our machines take to be sacrificed unfortunately. You will continue on and there will be another car you'll enjoy.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

ouch... but glad that everyone was ok

McPierson

iTrader: (3)

I'm impressed with how well the back of your car held up.

Vroomin350

iTrader: (28)

^ seriously the ladys van looks destroyed.

Like ra40 said, hopefully you get your baby back but if you dont she served her purpose well.
good luck.

FrankReynoldsCPA

That sucks. I would go after the lady for sure. I bet she was texting.

But hey, this resolves the question I've been wondering.....what would hold up better in a collision between my LS400 and my dad's Toyota Sienna.......Now I know.

bauceLS400

iTrader: (2)

Wow, that ladys van is smashed. How fast was she going?

An LS with 270k miles. i think its a total loss. Maybe collect insurance money and buy yourself a new one?

RamAirRckt

That bites! If you have mods or things you have done recently or improvements to it, or it is somehow unique, be prepared to prove that, if you can, then that is additional $ to you. Else they treat it all as a base model with high miles and claim it is worth very little.

Remember too, if you can, get your insurance company against hers, they will fight for you (State Farm will if you have full coverage). This is where Full Coverage becomes worth its weight in gold.

Glad the car did its job and kept you save. That is the most important. Have a good chiropractor look at you ASAP. Better safe that sorry later... Trust me on that, we have a Chiropractor that will come in the office in the middle of the night if you get a hold of him. He feels that strongly about it.

TheDream

Glad you and everyone involved is okay. I'd still get checked out just in case you have some neck pain from the whiplash, because it looks like she hit you hard. Were there any airbag deployments (in either your or her car)?

By the looks of it, I'm afraid the car would be totaled. If you look at the back, you'd see that the trunk is pushed up and no longer aligned with the quarter panel meaning there's underlying frame damage behind the bumper that would need to be pulled by a competent frame shop. Combine that with welding in a new core support, replacing and repainting the hood/fenders/bumper, replacing the radiator, condenser and all the other things would I'm sure put you over the 75% value mark for totaling the car.

I would personally ask for a "collateral swap," which is when the insurance company tries to find you a comparable car in the same condition, mileage and documented maintenance history or gives you the value of a comparable car on the market. This way you'll get the true replacement cost, or another LS if you want to stick with the same car.

ravig292

Thanks for the replies. haha yes the back held up like a tank. Yea i do notice the trunk lift up a bit and i hope it isn't too serious. and yes the lady's insurance will have to pay because she rear ended me. as for the distance i was at least 3 to 4 feet. I think her van must have lifted my car from the back a little and put my front end down because that would be the only reason why the car made contact with his from the grill area and not the bumper. The insurance company is going to look at my car today or tomorrow so i should know soon what the verdict is. There were traffic cameras at the light and if they do record it might have caught the car making the illegal u turn causing us to stop and me left in an accident. If they did i am considering to pursue this person and file a lawsuit against him. I wish i caught his plates but i didn't. all i know that it was white car couldn't see the make or anything once i was hit i couldn't focus on anything but the accident. i will keep you guys posted on what happens to my car.

denverdog

if you had uninsured motorist coverage, that might cover the liability of the guy who fled. depends on new jersey law. most pi attorneys wuill know this and give a free consulotation. don't delay inm making the claim against your own coverage. let the two carriers work out who [ays what.

trcarnut

Insurance companies vary on what they consider a "total loss". Some say 90% some say 100%. They will check the used car lots to see comps but with 268k it's going to be hard to find similar vehicles. Also make sure you check over the rear wheels for frame damage (look in the wheel wells too). It's easy to miss things like that and it can cause serious problems down the road with alignment and re-sale. Also when they repair cars they use parts from salvage yards so be prepared.