Rude awakening

Nobody asked if he was suspected of drinking and driving? LOL I’ll be the elephant.
If so and he managed to not get a DUI, I’d make sure that rod was so far up his ass he couldn’t walk for a month.
And he wouldn’t be driving even my beater cars. He’d be mowing yards and walking to work until he bought his own $500 pinto - and figured out how to fix the fucker every week LOL!!
But, if he wasn’t drinking - I’d let him slide a bit.
Drinking and driving (I’m sure we’ve all done it) is something the kids these days need to learn not to do. The cops these days generally don’t just let you keep going on down the road like they did with me a few times as a kid.
The last time doing 90mph in a 35mph (20 years ago) landed my ass in jail and lost my license for quite a while.
I want to make sure my kids are never as stupid as I was.
Good to hear everyone was okay

 

Well, we finally got the wife's 4Runner back last week, after nearly 8 weeks in the shop. $15k in repairs, $3k in car rental, and $2.5k in aftermarket reimbursements for a grand total of right at $21k my insurance had to cough up. Repair looks good, but wife is set on getting the TRD Pro now. We looked at trading and were offered barely half the value of the vehicle because CARFAX is showing structural damage.

I disputed the CARFAX because there was no frame damage/repair, but was informed that these items constitute structural damage:

Repair LT Apron assy
Repair LT Hinge pillar

After calling the shop, I learned that these are in fact a part of the unibody and we are stuck with the CARFAX.

Looks like we'll be selling the 4Runner private party. KBB shows it as worth $32k (not adjusted for the accident) and CARFAX says it's worth $27k (including accident). If anyone here knows someone that might be interested, send them my way!

 

Since you got that in writing, should be able to hit USAA with a diminished value claim. You may need to take your car to one or two other dealerships, get it valued as a trade in (get it in writing), then submit it to USAA. Depending on laws in your state, they'll pay a good chunk of that diminished value... or you'll likely win at civil court.

IMO you'll have a hard time selling it for 27k with that damage reported by Carmax. Probably worth the effort to fight. Also, despite their saying no initially, USAA has a good reputation for paying fairly on diminished value claims, once presented with documentation.

 

you sound like a good dad. my dad would have just killed me and been done with it. and then still found a way for me to pay for the damage.

glad your son is ok.

i have a 19 mo girl and reading this stuff is scaring the crap out of me.

 

Yeah, I asked about diminished value this week. Apparently, in the state of South Carolina, diminished value is only covered in an uninsured motorist claim; and therefore I will get nothing from USAA. I do think I'll give them a call and ask again now that I know exactly how much the value has gone down.

I agree that we may have a hard time selling it. I know some folks are not as scared of a repaired vehicle as I am and would rather save the money. Maybe I'll get lucky.

Oddly enough, one of the partners in my wife's firm asked her yesterday if she was interested in selling it. Very random and unsolicited, but I guess he's looking for a vehicle for his teenager. He had no idea we were looking to get rid of it and, somehow, he had failed to hear that it had been wrecked and didn't notice that she hadn't driven it since November. I doubt he'll take it now that it's been wrecked, but he was at least going to consider it.

 

Obligatory shit'll buff out post.

 

Trade it in for a new one and have your son pay you back the 5k for diminished value.

 

I would keep the car if its well repaired.

20k / $15 hr .... thats a lot of days he needs to work to pay off. Thats the cost of having kids, I guess. I will soon be on the same boat n my dad was on the same one. Life continues. He will soon have his own as well. You are lucky that nothing happened to him. Could have been worst. Lucky he was in a nice car.

 

Just curious why a TRD pro and not a TRD offroad premium. You can have the dealer install suspension of your choice and pick up a TRD skid plate for less then dealer price from the T4R.org forum. Youd still be way under TRD pro price and have better suspensions and basically everything you get in a PRO.

 

Doesn’t the pro 4runner have crawl control and all that jazz.

 

Haven't thought of that route. Her desire for the TRD Pro is probably 110% aesthetics.

We did consider another Limited and then modifying that. Possibly even keeping the current one and modifying it. Still considering all of our options.

Good news is the partner in her office asked for more details on the repairs. So he's not a 'no' yet (fingers crossed).

 

Yeah, I considered those options. At 21 and trying to find his way in life already, I didn't want to burden him with paying us that kind of money. He'll pay the $1,000 deductible and not ever drive our vehicles, and I'll eat the loss if we chose to sell/trade it rather than keep it. I can afford that a lot easier than he can; chalk it up to cost of kids I guess.

He can pay me back by sticking with the electrician apprenticeship he just started. Not gonna hold my breathe though, it's a 4-5 year program. He's usually good for about 3-6 months before he moves on or does something to get moved on.

 

Oh god be with your son. That’s rough man!

 

Turn the page and be happy thinking that your kid is safe and loves you guys. Again, it could have easily been much worst. Important: did he learned what his mistake was?

 

I think adding a diminished value claim will cause your rates to go up even higher so they can get that money back. Cheaper in the long run to just accept the lower offers.

 

So just the shocks the rims and the badging are the only other things. They do look really sweet right off the showroom floor though.

 

Im just glad that by the time my 3 and 1 yr old drive it will be in an autonomaus vehicles cause it scares me as well. when i crashed my moms lexus LS in high school i had to pay for all the damages... no questions asked.. my parents were old school in that way.

 

Anything over dealer trade is a win in my book. I wouldn't let the co-worker get away.

There's a reason a structurally damaged and repaired Ferrari F-40 still brings $1M. Or anything you see on GYC. If the body shop was credible and the title clean the repair is irrelevant. My understanding is that it's not a salvage or rebuilt title. GLWS

 

Well, looks like we're going to attempt to sell it. Looks good after the repair. Let me know if you or someone you know might be interested.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/763168137/overview/

 

Looks like it buffed out!
Does it track like this?

 

Make it a wheeler!! Then those dings will fit in. Glad everyones ok......I think

 

- It did in fact buff out. Way better than I expected. Really does drive good as new. The wife is hooked on that new TRD Pro, so I'm trying to make it happen! I have 4 boys and one thing I've always said (and meant) - "If mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy"

We've tossed around the idea of just converting it to a 'Limited Pro'. May still revisit that thought if we aren't able to sell it. (and yes, no one was injured in the accident).

 

Thank God he's ok. Numero uno. That aside - he needs to get his own car. I got a $500 2003 Solara with 200k miles on it for my daughter. (It's still very reliable - it's a Toyota.) She's had her license for only 3 or 4 months & has already rear-ended someone at a light, and careened into a highway's median going ~60mph. And before she even got her license (or even had her permit!) - she "stole" the Solara & went for a joy ride. On the highway. During rush hour. Amazing she didn't die or kill someone. She had never been behind the wheel at that point. That trip cost 2 tires, a rim, & cost of towing. She paid for it ALL. And that's why she's driving a $500 beater. She will not drive the Tundra. lol

Make him pay for it. If you have a $500 insurance deductible - make him pay for it. Towing, etc - make him pay it. It's not harsh - it's reality. It's what he would have to do if he were on his own. Even if it was an honest accident, he needs to feel the pinch. Otherwise they don't understand the price that these sorts of things cost people (just talking financial...nevermind if someone gets hurt). There is a much greater appreciation for money and what accidents and traffic tickets cost when they have to pay themselves. It's made my daughter much more careful. And much less likely to do something dumb. (Because she doesn't want to pay all that again, and because the accidents scared the crap out of her.) She hated it the entire time she was paying me back - and it took her a while. I felt bad about that, but it was a good lesson.

 

Oh, yeah, he's definitely paying the ($1,000) deductible. His next step will be the buy the '02 Highlander from us. That's the one he would have been driving that night if his brother's car hadn't been in the shop. It was let one drive the 4Runner to deliver pizza or let the other drive it to hang out with friends. We clearly chose poorly.

 

lol - that sucks. Good that he's feeling the pinch but stinks that you guys have to deal with the headaches of the aftermath.

 

I also graduated (PHD) from the school of hard knocks. Many of us have been there and stolen one of our cat's lives in one form or another. Some of us are reminded about those who were not as fortunate to think of their actions after the fact. Certainly after your words of caution and wisdom, he has learned his lesson. You all have our prayers of thanks he came out safe and alive.

 

I think that keeping and driving this truck unit the wheels fall off again is the only way you're going to make the most of the truck and have the least impact on the depreciation value. The damage doesn't seem that bad to not keep the truck also from a buys standpoint, there's always going to be a thought of what else could have been damaged that's not shown in the picture. I'd say keep this truck and let your son drive is through his college years and is able to buy his own. Any youtube rebuilder would have jumped on this truck from Copart had the truck been totaled out by the insurance company. Just an example of what people think of rebuild/salvage titles here is a forum posting of what some thoughts are

https://www.tundras.com/threads/would-you-buy-this-salvage-titled-truck.38035/

However all of the above doesn't matter if the question of depreciation doesn't matter and $ is not a problem.

 

I'm not sure what I would do .As my daughter is only 12 and keeps telling me the truck will be hers to drive when 16. I don't think so she would probably wreck it the first day. Like back over some kids BMW in the school parking lot .

 

Funny you mention backing over a BMW at school. Same son was allowed to drive her 2012 Tacoma on the last day of school as a Junior in high school (about 5 years ago) and backed into the broad side of a Mini Cooper.

You'd think he, or we, would have learned our lesson about him driving our cars. He is now officially banned from driving any more of the wife's vehicles...probably for life.