dtomala

Hello All,

Looking for some advice:

Just bought A New (Used) '99 RX300 with 59000 miles from Lex dealer - for wife. Had it for 2 days and I got hit by a Semi truck. Waiting to hear back from insurance on totalling the car, but sounds like they want to total it out. My insurance mentioned that I may be able to buy back the car. It was 100% fault of trucker. Do you think this is repairable damage? Or should I just take the cash and try to find another? The car was immaculate inside and out, I hate to just give it up to salvage.

Note:
I was sitting for about 1/2 hour after the accident and the car was idling fine with no check engine lites / no fluid leaks and the air was still working fine. I was also able to drive the car out of the intersection a short distance

fastnoypi

I vote to take the cash and find another. Glad you were able to walk away and be safe!

hypervish

Welcome to Club Lexus!

Glad to hear everyone is safe! Nope, don't fix it. It won't be the same!

Make sure they give you enough money to purchase another RX in similar condition with as low miles. Don't settle for a number you aren't happy with. I'm surprised you were able to find one with such low miles.

dtomala

Agreed - It's gonna be quite hard to find one in the same condition in that year...
I hope the insurance treats me well - I should find out this week.

Maybe if the insurance gives me a Really good salvage price, I will buy it back - Maybe...

Thanks for the quick replies...

ATLs460

Good idea, you couldn't pay me to put that back on the road with that twisted sub frame (and who knows what else)

If the buy back is cheap, sell the parts on here lol

hypervish

I call dibs on the headlights!

salimshah

Since you recently bought the vehicle, you should be able to provide them the sale value. With old vehicles, even with low milage, it is hard to establish the value.

You can take it to an alignment place and determine the status. Rest is all cosmetic. Dont get me wrong, the fix can still add up.

Salim.

jimbug

I'll take the front seats!! LOL

dtomala

Headlights and seats are in mint condition, so maybe I should keep the rest!

Couple of other questions if y'all have time:


How difficult is a fender replacement on this model?

Anyone repalced front subframe? Is it possible? (Don't even know if this will be necessary)

Also would have to have it taken to a frame shop to check for straight as Salim suggested.

I believe I can source a hood, door, misc parts...

I have 2 other good running cars and plenty of tinkering time.

Thanks,

Dave

bob2200

I agree with the other comments. Given the cost of body shop repair, it looks way over "totaled" to me. The insurance company will likely sell it to the highest bidder junk yard, so the good parts will likely go back into use. It's not like its headed for a crusher before saleable parts are stripped off.

2KHarrier

I can't believe the door got pushed in that far and the glass didn't at least crack from the stress.

Yes, I agree with Salim on getting the dealer involved since it's a recent purchase. When my Bonneville was totaled last year, the insurance company went off "Fair Market Value" while taking consideration for the condition of the car, new tires, recent suspension work (I kept all receipts, so had proof of work that was done)
The big thing that killed the value, was the mileage. I was just shy of 200K on the clock... So, in the end I got a check for 3700 dollars for a 12 year old Pontiac.

Don't settle for the first offer....

hypervish

If I may ask, how much did you pay? You can wait till this whole thing is over if you wish to tell us.

salimshah

If you are savvy you can tell by how the vehicle drives after accident.

Then you can do the visual ,,, anchor point in the engine bay for the shock and visual from below .. control arm anchors etc. Then put it on the rack to do actual measurements to confirm. While on the rack you can even get the alignment done, but you need to tell the shop to stop if they find the reference points out of spec due to accident.

The fenders and doors are bolt off/on. Color/shade matching is a different issue.

Give us a shot of the engine side of the driver wheel.

Salim

timmui

The best news is that ending second best with a semi is that you're OK. Having been the victim of a jack (another name for a donkey) who came tearing out of a parking lot without checking for oncoming cars, I have a few things to add from experience.

First, take the money. With a sales receipt, you should be able to convince the insurance adjuster that they reimburse you for the full amount. Take the vehicle back for parts salvage. You'll make more money back in shipping parts to forum members then they deduct in salvage.

Second, if you decide you really don't want to part it out, you need to check two important areas after getting the hood open:
Area 1: With the hood open, stand at the center line of the RX, take three big steps back and compare the rails (the section that the fenders mount to) and check if they are parallel. With a semi truck's mass, it is likely the driver side is now bent towards the engine.
Area 2: You need to get under the RX for this one. From the driver's side, look up at the firewall. If it seems like it is pushed back or bowed forward, you're done.

For the first area, that means your frame is bent, and getting a front end alignment is next to impossible. When I went to local collision shops to try to get my ES repaired, most flat out refused to take it in after looking at it. For the second, well, it's going to cost more than what you paid for it, end of story. As it was explained to me by an insurance adjustor: The cost to repair it has just shot up by $5-7k because the entire dash, engine and transmission has to come out and there is no guarantee that it can still be repaired after that is done.

In my case, I did not have this latter issue, however, in your pictures, it appears the semi connected further back with your RX, making this the more important determinant in whether to keep it or not. GL!

Anseladam

1. What the insurance company is doing is determining the ACV (actual cash value) less the "salvage value" vs. the estimated cost to repair and any potential for "supplemental" repairs.
2. If you owner retain salvage, then insurance company will deduct salvage amount and you keep vehicle. Vehicle will have a salvage branded title.
3. As previously mentioned I'd be concerned about the sub-frame crossmember, the left suspension, and the unibody frame. If used parts are a consideration to repair vs. totaling out, by all means go with used to keep cost of repair down. Used suspension?-depends on the part.
4. If you recently purchased the vehicle then the bill of sale is very important. Essentially that was that the market rate was for a 1999 Lexus with such low miles and condition.
5. Read your insurance policy and know your state's insurance total loss settlement regulations.