[V8] Rear Ended--Need Parts--To fix or not to fix

[Buchholz, Steven]

... I feel your pain!  This sounds pretty similar to what happened to me
with #2 ... in my case I was a bit fortunate in the fact that the lady
that clipped me didn't have insurance ... but her family was willing to
cover the repairs.  We ended up using a different body shop, and they
repaired the rear quarter panel and got used rear taillights ... as far
as I could tell the bumper cover was new.  It wasn't what should have
happened ... in a perfect world the person at fault would be liable to
restore the vehicle to the prior condition ... but in the end I'm mostly
satisfied ... 

I'm pretty sure that if you go to any insurance company with a $7K
estimate your car's going to be a total.  You may want to try to talk to
your insurance company to see if they have any ideas as to allowing you
to get your car fixed somehow on the cheap and pay to get it done.  

If you really do need all the parts you've listed, I'm skeptical that
the insurance company will do anything but total it.  You can always
allow them to total it and find out how much they would want to "buy" it
back from them ... and do what you can on your own with the cash.  Your
options will be determined in some part by the laws in the state you
live in ... as you'd need to get it recertified.

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)
> 
> Just when I got her running smooth a dog ran out in front of
> me and a jeep ran into the back of me.  The body shop
> estimated $7K in repairs and I am afraid that the insurance
> company is not going to value this car as highly as I do. Any
> tips for getting the highest value out of the estimator?
> 
> Its still driveable and I don't suspect any damage other than
> body work.  Are there any notorious mechanical problems that
> result from a rear end collision?
> 
> It was hit pretty directly on the rear right corner and lamp
> assembly, the rear right corner is smashed and I need all of
> the body parts adjacent to that.  I need to see what parts are
> available (I'm in western colorado):
> 
> Rt outer panel
> Rear body panel
> Trunk Lid
> Rt trunk side trim
> Rt Tail Lamp Assembly
> Rt backup lamp assembly
> Rt corner moldings upper and lower
> Rear Window
> Rt glass molding belt
> Rear Bumper Cover
> Rt Filler side
> Right Hinge interior trim
> 
> Poll: Should I fix it? it runs great!