Rolled truck- need help deciding what to do

Hi All:
I've got a great 2005 Toyota Tundra SR5 with 240,000 miles on it, based in Albuquerque, NM. Unfortunately, I crashed and rolled the truck on the passenger side (it did not completely flip). The cab is squished, windshield needs to be replaced, front right fender needs to be replaced, front passenger door needs to be replaced, and passenger side backdoor will probably need to be replaced once cab is straightened. I don't have insurance, I do have cash. I am having a really hard time finding an auto body shop to give me a serious quote. As soon as they hear I don't have insurance, they never follow-up with a quote. Truck still run greats, no fluids leaking, I drove it 2+ hours back the day after crashing. Is this a lost cause and not worth trying to get it fixed? Biggest barrier I see is straightening the cab to get a new windshield installed. Any tips, advice will be appreciated!

 

Junkyard cab swap? Or copart?

 

You might have to pay a shop to get a serious estimate, but it might be worth it to you. Sorry this happened.

 

I am pretty sure @empty_lord restored a rollover truck. What say you, Sir?

 

Find a donor truck with a good body and rusted out frame?

Are you into doing any of the work yourself?

I would be sure your frame is solid before proceeding with anything, but the bit visible in the photos looks pristine.

 

How hardly are you? I would look for a donor truck with a hood cab and swap it myself.

 

First thought - no body shop wants to touch that.

The cab is toast. They won’t give estimates for free on that as they are busy already and just don’t want to give you a 10k estimate on a job you may not book with them. It would take an hour at least to write - and the fact it’s big job and could easily be a money pit scares them.

Say a shop tells you 10k (it needs a cab) - then they get in there and there’s a frame twist too - it’s really hard to go back and say - sorry - we need more money now. Easier to just pass on the job.

As far as getting a good cab off a bad frame - good luck. Call your local LKQ yard and ask how many Tundras they have sitting there. Simply aren’t many and when you find one wrecked it brings a nice price. Demand overseas is strong on these. You might do better selling this one and buying another honestly. Even cosmetically totaled someone will pay.

I had one in NC I totaled out last year for a client - 350k miles - rear end with destroyed bed/frame - good cab and drivetrain - was a 2004 and it sold at Copart for 7900 I think - I only paid the guy like 10,900for the truck and he couldn’t sign title fast enough to me. Would have been a good candidate - it sold to a buyer in Saudi Arabia.

I do think truck is worth saving. That cab though - alot of repair hours to do it right. It looks simple - and pulling the corners isn’t too bad - but things like the roof - that’s thin metal and would oil can easily - meaning you will be chasing a dent all day to work it out. Learn auto body or find a student or someone whose time isn’t as valuable and wants to learn. Pros can make 65 and hour and don’t want to tie up 100 hours in projects - students though might take a few more hours - but if your giving them $20 an hour - it’s a good deal for both - learning for them and cheap labor for you if you can go without the truck a few months.

 

Use your cash to buy another Tundra. For what it will cost to repair this one you could probably find one like my 2008 DC 4x4 with 217k. They're going for about $12k around here.

 

You could fix it up to useable levels. It would cost a fair bit of take a lot of time to fix it properly. My cab luckily missed impact. My bed and a fender were casualties

 

First, glad to see that you're ok. I think body shops don't want to give you a quote because they know they price will scare you and most likely won't be willing to pay it so they don't want to waste their time. (I'm not saying you can't afford it) And going through insurance company they know they will get paid for their work.

Maybe try to sell it as-is. I'm sure someone will snatch it up and turn it into a "off-road toy" Or someone that has the skillset may fix it themselves. Good luck

 

@Shamrock92 thanks for the info and ideas. Do you have any tips on how to get the most money from a copart auction?

 

Copart or IAA (the duopoly of salvage sellers) typically only “auction” for companies who do business with them regularly (90% of sellers are insurance companies selling cars they obtained from claims handling) - the other 10% is groups like Goodwill/Kars for Kids and places who take auto donations and then sell via Copart/IAA.

Copart will buy directly from individuals and then resell themselves. As well - they may give names of local buyers who specialize in imports. Tundras command a premium - so don’t let them lowball you (some will try to start).

www.copart.com

www.iaai.com

call them both and see what they say.

You can also buy as an individual from these companies - but most times there’s a work around needed. On certain sales / public bids are allowed - these tend to be “run and drives” (don’t let the term fool you / it only means a vehicle will start and was driven 5 feet - doesn’t imply a good running car for daily use always) - but in cases where it’s “dealer only” (need a dealer license and to be a registered buyer at Copart - you have to go through a broker/bidder.

I like www.autobidmaster.com - their fees aren’t horrible and free membership makes it worthwhile of your just looking for a particular vehicle or a good deal on something. To be a Copart member - it’s like $100 a year or $250 - depending on your member level. With Auto idMaster - you get a lower level of buying power free (just a $400 pre auth on your card) and if you win - a $300 broker fee charge in addition to winning bid and buyers fees (be aware - these add up fast. They give a total cost calculator though so you can see total cost by entering your high bid and it will calculate the total cost.

Might be worth looking at current inventory/past sales in 90 days - both to get a feel for what it might cost for a donor cab for yours - as well to get an idea of what a fair price to sell yours at might be. Good luck.