[ethicalpaul]

Have a look at this ebay auction with an Insight that has a salvage title. Look how little damage can total one. Maybe there is more damage than meets the eye?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... S%3AUS%3A1

 

[Yves M.]

Looks like the front 'sub frame' is bent in the direction of the driver side. Maybe after possible repairs, an alignment could be harder to do.

 

[Corey872]

I guess it really depends on the insurance company (and possibly the persistance of the car owner). I remember a post on here not long ago where an individual had a large tree limb fall on his insight, smash the roof, back hatch, etc...then slid off the side and took out a door...it looked like a large amount of damage. IIRC, the shop wound up cutting the entire roof off the car and welding on another. Quite extensive damage, but the car was repaired.

I guess another factor that would come into play is that with a storm/natural occurrence, I don't know that the ins. co. could raise your rates. But if you crashed the car yourself, they could say it was your fault and boost your rates astronomically...uh...I mean accordingly. It seems like the car would be much more likely to be "totaled" if the ins. co. knew they were going to make the money back in premiums.

 

[Sparky5501]

HAH!

That is considered totaled! The hood still fits. My front end accident was way worse than that and my insurance didn't hesitate to fix it. Shoot my hood was crumpled and I still drove my car for two weeks before it went to the shop.

I'd say that damage would take less than $4000 to fix.

 

[ethicalpaul]

Yeah, Sparky, that was my thought too.

Also, a clarification:
I reread my original post, and I didn't mean to say that it takes little damage to total an Insight in general. I meant to say that it seemingly took very little damage for that particular insurance company to total that Insight.

 

[Chris]

That's not totalled, you can still drive it, if it was totalled you wouldn't be able to drive it.

 

[ethicalpaul]

Well actually, it is totalled because it is the insurance company that decides when a car is totalled, as evidenced by the Salvage Title.

 

[Chris]

Well ethicalpaul, if it was totalled then why would the guy be selling it on e-bay?

 

[ethicalpaul]

Probably because he bought it at a live auction for real cheap, and now he wants to make some money. There is a car repair shop near me and that's all he does--he goes to auctions, buys totalled cars, fixes them up, and sells them with a salvage title.

This ebay guy apparently decided not to do the repair work on this insight, or something. If you look at his other auctions you will see other salvage title vehicles. It's what he does, apparently.

Are you saying that a totalled car can no longer be sold??? What are you saying???

 

[Armin]

not so bad

It looks like it got hit in exacly the same spot mine did in the winter. Only much less hard! The damage is very small compared to mine. I had a quote of $6500 to fix it, but am working on it myself to save cost. The one in the auction must be much cheaper to fix!