Unibody car damage

[The Goat]

So my scion that was for sale encountered a mystery object at about 55mph last night. It looked like an armadillo, but honestly after seeing the damage today, I think it must have been a vice or something off of a tool truck.

My question is whether they are going to total or fix it.

Transmission and oil pan both dented and now leaking.
Exhaust bent to crap.
Floor bent to the point where the passenger seat is six inches off kilter.
Seem to have new camber on right rear wheel.
And rear hitch is bent.
And plastic rear bumper and front bumper cover is mangled.

I think it contacted one own, bounced to the other, tumbled under the car, and then when it contacted the hitch it torqued the frame.

Wierd part is, after it happened I could NOT find what I hit.

Any thoughts?

I don't want to dive a vehicle with repaired frame damage.

[Jon Boy]

from what i've seen, chances are if the cost of repair is more than the value of the vehicle then they usually total it.

[The Goat]

Also, on impact instant kill.

And the bottom of the fuel tank is touching the top.

[Big Mike]

Depending on the extent of the floor damage, they will most likely repair it.

[atc007]

It's totalled. I don't have to ask what year it is. If it's a Saturn it's a 10 or older,,But if it's much older,there is no doubt.

[fabiodriven]

Totalled I say for sure.

[thestud25]

That armadillo must have been all jacked up on Mt. Dew to do that kind of damage!!!

[rjs89ia]

armadillos will do some damage, when i lived in iowa i ramped an unavoidable dead deer that had just been hit by a semi in my toyota paseo and after that i had to get in my car and jump up and down to get the floor pan to bend back down lol. it was a suprise but i was laughing my off after it happened.

[Thorpe]

Sounds like the Scion may be done for....

[300rman]

I wouldnt worry about driving a car with repaired frame damage. My dad buys totaled cars and fixes/sells them on the side of auto repair. He is extremely talented at it. Any frame pulling will be done by a guy that is pretty smart MOST of the time, so as long as you get it back and it drives straight, I wouldnt give it a second thought.

[yooperman]

i am pretty positive they will total it, because the amount it cost to straighten out the uni body is pretty exspensive and most of the time they total them. that is what i was told when i brought my sunfire in after and accident the owner of the body shop told me.

[swampthang]

For a vehicle to be considered a total loss buy the insurance company the repairs have to cost more then a set percentage of what the vehicles value is. More then likely it's done for. Having a vehicle on a frame rack cost more per hour then just regular body shop labor per hour. I wouldn't be scared to drive a vehicle that has a rebuilt title if it was done correctly because they would have to be inspected by the state if they have a rebuilt title. But thats only if it is totaled and you wanted it rebuilt.

[The Goat]

Personally I want it totaled. I dint want to try to sell a newly damaged car, nor would I feel particularly comfortable selling a car with a straightened frame.

Yes, they can get it straight. No, it will not behave as the manufacture intended in another accident. Metal cannot be bent and reshaped by bob the frame guy and retain it's original strength, he can make it stronger, he might make it weaker. I'd say the chances of him hitting it right on its little Japanese nose is slim to none.

[JasonB]

that sucks! My mr2 swallowed an armadillo 2 years ago when I was tearing down a 2 lane back road enjoying some twisties at high speed. The thing went THROUGH the front grill, hit the radiator, and out the bottom and under the car. Everyone SWORE that it wasnt an armadillo here in MO but I know it was lol little bastards come out of no where.

Ya that sounds totalled for sure. I hope you get it totalled out and get what your owed for it

[300rman]

For a vehicle to be considered a total loss buy the insurance company the repairs have to cost more then a set percentage of what the vehicles value is. More then likely it's done for. Having a vehicle on a frame rack cost more per hour then just regular body shop labor per hour. I wouldn't be scared to drive a vehicle that has a rebuilt title if it was done correctly because they would have to be inspected by the state if they have a rebuilt title. But thats only if it is totaled and you wanted it rebuilt.

state inspections arent really an inspection of the quality of the work. sure, if something monumental is wrong, it wont pass, but they mainly look at the replaced car parts, makig sure you have recipts for the parts you used, making sure you arent using stolen car parts. We get a few inspected a year.