Sorry about your car. I'd love to see that $8,500 estimate. Must be a lot of hidden damage?
Sorry about your car. I'd love to see that $8,500 estimate. Must be a lot of hidden damage?
I think modern body-shop estimating software has the "book" value of most cars programmed into it (at least the shops I use do). When the estimate approaches 75% of the car's value, the estimate is pretty much over if it is an insurance job. Because at that point, the insurance company is just going to write you a check and move on. But I'm also having a hard time coming up with $8500!?!
This car needs a front bumper cover, maybe a couple of fenders, and possibly a hood.
Hmmm...where have I seen a car like that lately? Link
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)
I always figure about $500 per panel or major item.
Hood, bumper, fender, headlight... core support? Inner fender? Maybe an airbag or two?
That's 8 items if the airbags popped.
And airbags these days are often more like $800.
So, yeah... could be $8500. Remember, their job is to make the car 100% exactly as it should be. YOU might choose to do a lesser repair (as would I), but if the insurance company is paying to repair your car to perfection, that's their goal. 100% perfect repair. So, they should be replacing everything that's bent, dinged, scratched, etc. They can absolutely go overboard with it. But... they should. That should be your expectation.
In this case, it's "just a Mirage". But, what if it was your new sports car? You WANT that level of repair from the body shop that's working for your insurance company to make your car right again.
And now we know why there are so many salvage and repaired Mirages out there. Doesn't take much to get one to where the insurance company is going to write it off.
Back in the early 2000's with 94-97 Miatas... it was the airbags that were the kicker. If you had JUST enough of an impact to pop the airbags (no passenger sensor, so both airbags always popped), the passenger side airbag cover would ALWAYS break the windshield. So, you'd have front bumper, hood, two fenders, headlights, an $800 windshield, and $1500 worth of airbags. Spec Miata, here we come!
Certain cars that don't hold their value (Mirage), or are unusually expensive to repair "by the book" (early Miatas) end up getting totalled a lot and become absolute bargains to "rebuild".
Simplify and add lightness.
Glad to hear you are okay. I wasn't there, but things like this can be avoided if you keep a good distance between you and the car in front of you. As a general rule, I try to keep at least one car distance between me and the car in front of me for every 10 mph.
It makes the people behind me furious, but I've dodged some pretty close calls because of the distance.
Once again, I wasn't there so I'm not judging, but this is a good reminder as to why it is important to keep your distance. I got hit by a tire that flew off an 18 wheeler about 15 years ago, and I've been driving like an old man ever since then. Getting hit by stuff at high speeds is no fun.
Dirk Diggler - How much would you be willing to pay for a 2017 Mirage ES (manual) that has 120,000 miles on it?
The insurance company is giving him $6800 for his damaged car. It's not their fault that he still owes $5000 on it. If a $6800 payment out is criminal, how much would you be willing to pay for a base level Mirage with a manual transmission & 120,000 miles on it? What do you consider a fair price for a car like that?
If insurance companies paid off your auto loan & gave you the full value of your car on top of that, everyone would be looking for couches to smash into!
I don't believe they would object however those tires have 80k miles on them so maybe another 20k miles of life left which for the use of this car is about 6 more months, the wheels I got for about $65 dollars a piece so in total it is a nice little chunk of change but I sold my oem wheels so I think I gotta kissem good bye
2017 mitsubishi mirage manual , redline mtl in the gearbox every 40k, mobil1 ep 0w20 along with fram ultra xg7317 every 15k
h here is the first estimate the bodyshop have gave me after a quick teardown which my insurance approved however, two days later the body shop called back and said the insurance had claimed it a total loss. So I contacted my insurance and they notified my that although they had approved of the bodyshop's estimate of just over 5k, that the body shop had submitted them a second estimate which totaled 8,500 and they could only cover so much there for it is totaled
2017 mitsubishi mirage manual , redline mtl in the gearbox every 40k, mobil1 ep 0w20 along with fram ultra xg7317 every 15k
To be fair after seeingbthe damage up close and seeing that the brackets where panels attached are pretty bentbojt of shsp and ac lines sliced and pinched brake lines the car was beat up...Not to say it was toast in my book because I've got a geo metro that I've patched up quite a few times and has 394k miles, but none the loss a huge cost to repair.
2017 mitsubishi mirage manual , redline mtl in the gearbox every 40k, mobil1 ep 0w20 along with fram ultra xg7317 every 15k