Is this fixable or totaled?

For the first time, I hit a deer this morning heading to work. It happened on ramp and I was going roughly 60-65 mph to merge on to highway. So I have front end damage and some to my fender flares. Filed a report. As I wait for my insurance claim, I’m just wondering what you guys think. The truck still starts/runs, airbags didn’t deploy. Can’t get the hood to open. I’m sure by it being 18 years old and having over 260k miles it may not be worth as much. I know on my last appraisal value it’s roughly $7k.

 

100% fixable..unsure of what insurance will say. Buy it back and fix for under 1k, if they decide to salvage it.

 

Does the transmission fluid have a separate cooler on these trucks , or does it go through the radiator? If it goes through the rad , a hairline crack could allow coolant into the trans and destroy
it quickly , seen it happen. Need to get that hood open to inspect things, but you still wouldn't know if the rad was intact and not a danger to what could be happening.

 

It is located with the A/C condenser

 

It can be fixed. Luckily the radiator nor anything in the engine compartment was affected. The person that came to look was able to open the hood although it was a struggle. The incident affected the hood latch/lever. They quoted about 1.7K for shop of choice to fix. Mainly need a front bumper overhaul, fix hood, and fix the front sides.

 

Do it. Could have been much worse. Imagine hitting a 1700lb Yukon bull moose like my friend did in AK with a 1 ton Dodge truck. He walked away. Truck totaled. Largest Yukon taken by a bullet was 1808lbs!

 

That's a lot of meat!!

 

That's great
Shop will probably come in around 3-5k but should deal directly with ins

 

Should I be concerned about the use of aftermarket parts? I see that some have A/M CAPA while 2 of them just A/M. Mainly front bumper stuff. Bumper cover w/o park assist, upper retainer, reinforcement, valence panel.

 

Can probably do it yourself and save thousands. I did my wife's 4Runner with a new color-matched bumper cover from PaintedOEMparts.com ... saved us thousands and probably a bump in our premium if we'd otherwise made a claim.

 

At this point, I'd be glad they've agreed to fix it, no matter the type of parts! this is indeed great news! Looks like 2nd gen takes deer better than 3rd gens. My venza got aftermarket parts fitted after a fender bender. Couple years later, seems fine. Wind noise is a little louder, but I think thats from loose foam piece that got damaged while putting it back in. Also, my rear door glass got scratched, which is only visible when car is clean. They probably rammed with tools into it.

Definitely get a VERY good look at your vehicle after it's been at repair center. She will never be the same after the accident, to some degree.

 

Well, my truck is at the shop and I’m driving a ‘19 Sierra base trim as rental. I think I’m falling in love with this truck! Never had a gm truck before but it’s really nice to drive. Still love my Tun though.

 

I wouldn't even take it through the insurance. No sense in risking your rate going up for something that can be fixed little by little. The truck is still drivable it seems so no rush to fix it.

 

Wow, sounds like she’s already gone through w/ the insurance claim. Hopefully her rates won’t go up. Looks like all she would have needed is front bumper replacement and a few other things.

 

Well, maybe she doesn't have anyone skilled enough to help with the repair?

 

You really are at the mercy of that.

Even myself, a strong DIYer, am away from home for a 1 year contract on the other side of the country. I'm living in an apartment in the city. No tools, no space to do any work. I could probably sneak an oil change like the hooligans, but that's about it. It's weird being on the other side of things. Definitely makes me think differently...

 

I'm in AK, and this is exactly the reason why big trucks and SUVs are so expensive... sure, a Subaru handles well in winter, but you don't want to be crushed by a suicidal moose coming through your windshield

 

Just realized how old thread was