salimshah

Folks my beloved RX got side swept and took out the driver side quarter panel, rear bumper, rear wheel suspension.

Occupants are doing fine .. managing whiplash..

Base on age and milage [close to 1/4 of my dream milage] every one who looked at it is suggesting that it will be totaled. [cost of repair will exceed the market value].

Dr Cofee ... no transmission hiccups/problems and no oil burning. Exception to the rule or middle sample?

Any suggestions dealing with insurance company?

Salim

2KHarrier

First and foremost, I'm thankful to hear all are OK. As you have stated many times in the past, the car is replaceable... Make sure you document any recent work so they give you full value for anything that has been done recently. Unfortunately, you'll be getting pennies on the dollar for the vehicle, as you probably know, but every little item will help bring the offer up.
Speaking of offers, don't take the first offer they give you, providing it's the other driver's insurance that you are dealing with.

Depending on how they treat you, you are not out of line in contacting a lawyer, to ensure you are made whole again. The insurance company has a lawyer, you should to.

hypervish

Glad to hear everyone is alright! Sorry to hear it may be totaled!

Similarly, my RX also has no transmission issues or oil consumption. If I were in your boat, I'm not sure I'd push for it to not be totaled. If they give you a fair price, might give you a good excuse to upgrade. Although, I know you've mentioned you prefer the 1st gen over the newer models in the past.

I'm sure your RX is in tip-top shape otherwise, thus I'd be ready to show any receipts you have. And, when they lowball you; show them only comparable RX300s for sale which saw the same level of care you provided.

fastnoypi

Sorry to hear about your accident Salim. Glad everyone is alright and the RX held true to its testimony in safety as i've read in this forum over the years. Due to the age of the car and mileage, regardless of its tip top mechanical condition, be prepared to total the car. The only exception would be if it had collectible market value. If you have recent pictures and any very recent receipts of recent parts you have added to the RX such as tires, brakes, etc.., the adjuster can work with you to get the top value back. As Hypervish mentioned, use references of any comparable condition RX300's on the market if they push for a lesser amount.

carguy07

Glad to hear everyone is ok! Probably just get full retail + tax as if you bought another one.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Glad you and others are safe, be careful with the next stuff - that often takes time to show up fully so don't be quick to settle.

thomas1

Bummer, but glad you are safe...It is only a vehicle, you are more important. Please don't give up your quest for 1 million....Is there another Lexus in your future..?

salimshah

Thank you all for the concern.

I can handle the mechanical work to get the RX drivable, but frame and body work is beyond me, The rear corner got pushed in-up-and forward.

Salim

6.0PSD

Sorry to hear about your car but long as no serious injuries occured the car can be replaced or fixed... Depending on how bad it is you may still be able to get that one fixed to rack up some more miles...

Find a reputable repair shop and get it fixed back to original as the other insurance should cover all costs if you push for a fix... Otherwise you may wind up with someone else's problems if they chose to only total it and you have buy another used comparable vehicle...

cwatx

So sorry this happened, Salim. Glad to hear that everyone is ok.

I don't know if you have a good body shop that you use in Austin, but Jeff's has done work on both my RX and my S2000, and they do good work.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

You can collect on the insurance and then buy the car back from the insurance company for a lot less, if you are so inclined. Get any structural damage and bodywork repaired and then do the mechanical stuff yourself. The car will have a "salvage" title but that won't really matter at 1,000,000 miles!

Alternatively, take the money and get another RX300 and keep up the good work on this forum.

Good luck!

ski2days

Glad you are all okay. My 02 has 220k no tranny or oil leak. Wife want to keep forever. With good maintenance, is it realistic to get 300k? Need plugs, and timing belt.

thanks!

2KHarrier

Absolutely it's possible. Any car that is "properly maintained" can run for 250-300K, but it becomes a matter of semantics. Do we continue to invest money into a car that, at some point, is not worth the next repair? Salim's RX is at roughly 250K, and runs great. In reality, because of the age, the insurance company will total it and offer him somewhere in the vicinity of 2500-3500 dollars for the car.
If he bought it back for 500 and put 2000 into it to fix the damage, he would be back to square one. The big question is, is it worth the hassle?

The other option is, as was stated already, take the money and buy something else.

Oh, and Ski, get the TB done ASAP!!

salimshah

The title of this thread was to discuss my desire to reach 1Million miles on my RX and not lament on the insurance.

For my objective you need

1. Quality vehicle
2. Care and devotion, which includes proper maintenance, proper repair, no abuse etc.
3. Time to reach Million miles [There is huge investment of time .. significant portion of human life]
4. A vehicle design you can live with for ages.

There were no indications that my RX would not reach my goal and that hurts. This statement is true mechanically and visually.

Salim

2KHarrier

I guess that depends on how much you drive each day. I'm averaging 34,000 miles a year in my commute from Milwaukee to O'Hare in Chicago, and I see cars at the auto auction that have 300K or more miles on them that are 5 or 6 years old.
Truck drivers hit a million miles frequently..

Again, glad everyone got out ok.