My Tundra may get totaled. Can you help with Value?

Update: Insurance inspection shows the frame is cracked (aft of the left rear wheel), bed floor is warped, and the cab doors are slightly compressed. It will be a total loss. The inspector was impressed by the condition of my truck and being 20 years old. Small consolation, i guess.

 

Ah that sucks man...sorry to hear it.

 

That sucks man,but there's always an option to buy it back from the insurance company - if you're willing to take the salvage title and fixing the truck. Post the picture of the cracked frame, Lets see if anyone here can suggest a repair.

 

To all the folks who commented and especially those with helpful advice, and there were many, thank you. I have used the forum on and off for a while a while and recently logged in with a new username (after forget my old one). I have read lots of useful information here and gained a new found appreciation for my Gen1. My Land cruiser should be paid off in a couple months and then I will probably spring for a new Tundra. So, I may be back on the Gen3 side of the house. This is a great forum with great enthusiasts! Thanks to all!

 

Ugh, sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you can get what it's worth out of them.

 

I will post the photos ASAP. My son wanted to buy it back, conditional on the frame. I don't want him driving a compromised frame. With a background in engineering, structures and Finite Element Analysis, my instinct is to let go and move on. Safety, baby!

 

Working on getting comps and building an e-folder of upgrades and recent improvements that I have done recently. Probably not many one owner, low mile, exceptional condition Tundras out there.

 

If you're patient or willing to travel I think you could find one. Sorry to hear it was totaled. It was definitely a beautiful truck.

 

no, you're probably in fairly rare company there, although, there are probably some on this forum who have gone through similar experiences, it's just a matter of getting them to find your thread.

 

If the crack is aft, as in closer to the bumper past the axle, I think you definitely gotta buy it back. It would be a salvage title, only value assessed would be to a wrecking yard which in my area only pays $200-$300, even for vehicles with clean titles that can be driven to the yard. Your finite element comments sounds like you're some type of engineer, which I am not, but if the frame is solid where the axle U-bolts mate up, there's really no safety concern. That last stretch of frame is just support for the bumper and bed floor. I bet you could buy it back and someone from this forum would pay you double for it.

 

Totally sucks. It did look pretty bad. The search begins!

 

Pinched doors are awful. Sorry to hear this. Did I miss the follow up on Trustifarian Boy?

 

The seam maybe misaligned a little bit, but the OP said the doors worked after the accident.

"I drove it home from the tow lot (it ended up in the middle of the street after the accident). It ran fine and drove fine. All the doors worked fine. Even the tailgate works easy with only minor binding."

 

They work, but are compressed which means a difficult fix. Thats how I read it.

Anyways, another 1st Gen bites the dust. Our club just got smaller.

 

There are shops that straighten frames. If not in a small town then get their opinion if worth saving vs what the ins offers. Probably can give good advise due to seeing this situation many of times.

 

IMO
Not worth fixing. There's at least $3-4000 to get the truck right. A good, clean 2000-02 Tundras can be had for under $5,000, patience and more patience. And you still have the iffy transmission, exhaust manifold issues and a branded title.
I will admit that I am partial to the 2000-02, I like the styling and the mechanics are still a bit simple. I like the 1st Gen as a whole cause of the size and driving character. I would squeeze the insurance for as much as I could and then patiently shop. It may take months but finding a clean truck with low'ish mileage can be found at a reasonable price.

 

Sorry, cant agree with this statement. Remember he only had 96k on his. Almost any early access cab under $5k, if it exists at that price, will either be a junker, have over 300k on it, or be a RWD.

Take insurance money, call it $8,000
Buy it back -500
Fix it safe -3000
Remaining Ins money 4,500
Sell as rebuilt 8,000
Net profit 12,500 for a 19 year old truck.

If you document with pics from the accident and the repairs, you'll have no problem getting $8k. Probably $9-$10k is very realistic for a one owner with under 100k. Were not talking about a rollover with airbag deployment. It's a bent frame that insurance doesn't feel like dealing with. Their profit/loss algorithm is your gain.

BTW, here's the listed under $6k tundras. The next 5 listings were all RWD.

 

2001 4x4 53k miles, add about $1,500 for fees and taxes



2004 DC 4x4 111k miles add about $1,500 taxes and fees




But I still say patience will find you a good truck with a clean title at the right price.

 

My insurance company paid me 11k - was an 06 double cab with 180k miles. It was also super clean inside and out.

A drunk driver was responsible for this accident as well...

 

That's a bad 1. Glad you're still here

 

Did you sell it to Manheim? Hooptytrix would buy it!

 

The only thing I can add is to find several comp trucks.
Roughly same mileage, year, condition etc.
When Insurance company low balls you, show them comps.

You are not looking to upgrade to a Ferrari, you just want what you had.
And the average “ replacement” price is XXX

 

1: If the price is right and there's money to be made then yes I would.
2: Manheim is the dealer auction house, they do not purchase vehicles.
3: Most people do not realize how many manufacturers and dealers buy & sell vehicles at Manheim daily. If you have purchased a used vehicle from a dealer then it is either a trade in or it came from Manheim.

 

@#$&...that was some serious shit!!

 

2: Manheim is the dealer auction house, they do not purchase vehicles. So how do they get their inventory? Tony Soprano and Feech LaManna supplying them with vehicles? Johnny Sack? Goodwill donations??


I'm just pointing out that Manheim to local dealer prices are not apples to apples. Can a person score a good deal at Manheim? Sure. But Manheim transactions are typically "as is" no test drive, no state inspection. So yes, there's a 2001 54k miles access cab in Bridgeton, MO to support your post that a clean 2000-02 can be had for $5k. But it's Manheim, you don't even know if it has an engine or transmission. And if you want to know if the engine starts, or the transmission will move the truck forward or backward, well sir, that's an enhanced service fee from Manheim.

 

Sounds like you have never dealt with Manheim and have no concept of how things are done there.

 

I'm gonna drop it after this post. My original point was to let the OP know that finding a low mileage access cab for $5,000 was not realistic. I wanted the OP and others to know that, in most cases, buying from Manheim is not the same as buying from a local dealer. If you want to tell people on this site that Manheim provides the same commitments and assurances as a local dealer, it's not my job to police your comments. We're all adults on this board and can make up our own mind. Live and let live.

 

Thats nuts to see and to think you lived through that.

 

My first car purchase was through an Auction. Not sure if it was Manheim, but I scored a great deal on a Honda fixer upper. Got it for 25% of the retail used KBB value at the time. Put some new tires, fluids, etc. on and drove it for 3 years and sold it for the same purchase price. Plenty of sharks were swimming the water at that auction.

 

Depends on what company you have as to which valuation service they us. Largest valuation service is Certified Collateral which is based off retail comps within 200 miles, 500 if there are not enough comps nearby. I would not assume they are going to low ball you rather wait for the value and ask for the detailed value report. I’ve been doing this for 16 years and the person who comes out to inspect only reports what they see to the valuation company. It’s up to the valuation company to decide what the value is and it up to you to prove them wrong, which you can’t do with out the valuation report (usually 6-17 pages long). Just ask for the report and go line by line, negotiate condition adjustments, verified all the options are accounted for and call on the comps mentioned.