Okay - firstly, some pictures.







So I was taking my fiancee's 9 year old brother to his first baseball practice of the season. There is a small windy road marked at 15mph that goes through a park and a bunch of baseball fields behind the local elementary and highschool. Just after I start down this road, a white 2006 Chevy Cobalt comes flying down the road about to come around the last corner - as I see him, I slow down but before I could do anything else, he had come completely across my lane and hit the right front corner of my car sending me back into his lane. He continued back into his lane and ended up on top of a street sign on the curb. My little buddy and I both exited the car safely. The engine stopped running but the rest of the electrical still seemed to be operating (radio etc..) The driver and both passengers in the other car all exited safely. I soon came to find out that the vehicle was supposedly a rental. Later I also found out that the drivers' license had recently been suspended and that he had no insurance. Before the whole ordeal was cleaned up I also found out that the car which was rented in LA California was reported missing (not stolen).

So I find myself in quite a pickle. The car has been up for sale for a few months now - I've been trying to sell it to get rid of the car payment. After looking at it again, it really doesn't seem that bad and I'm assuming it will just be repaired, but I'm worried that I'll never be able to get anywhere near the amount I need to sell it, pay off the loan and buy a new car.

From the looks of it, both fenders, the hood and the entire front end will need to be replaced. The radiator and headlights and everything else up front will need to be replaced. My airbag deployed so everything that goes with that will need to be replaced but seeing as the value of the car should still be around 17k, I'm assuming the damage is no where near the 80% or so needed to consider the vehicle totalled.

Anyways - just thought I'd share my story. If anyone has some insight on what I should do or would like to share any information or stories, I would love to hear.

Thanks!

 

Not joknig at all, i'd be all over anything and everything that that person owns. I do hope you did'nt just say okay I'll have to fix it i guess. I'mpicturing police, cuffs, you know, where this guy is being help or something. That person needs to pay for it. This is a case where are lawsuit happy civilizations habit is the right thing to do.

 

Michigan is a "No Fault" state....i.e. if you are in an accident, your insurance picks up the bill. Your vehicle may be worth less $$$ after the repairs, but only if the person is truly diligent in researching their purchase (many people don't) I'm certainly not telling you to lie (if they ask if it has been in an accident, you say yes, lying would be misrepresentation and fraud (both illegal), I'm just saying don't advertise the fact is has been in an accident.)

Make sure the repairs are done in a reputable shop...best bet is at a Mazda dealer from a resale standpoint as the buyer will know they used Mazda parts not knock-offs for the repair.

Good luck.

 

i personally was in a bigger accident with my 3 to....Toyota Sequioa illegal made a u-turn and i t-boned it.

your accident appears to be worse then mine, cause i had no engine damage or anything....but bumper, hood, fender, rim, and airbags...added up to 9k+ pretty fast.

Hope everything goes well.

 

did you get the cops involed? you need a accident report so you can sue the guy for your loses. aren't you covered for the repair under your insurance? less the deductable. I would think the insurance would pay to fix the car or total it. if they total it, than you may be screwed because the value of the car maybe less then what you owe on your loan.

 

I would have called the cops, found this guy's home, found the rental company, got the information of everyone in the car to assist in tracking him down.

I sincerely hope you didn't go..."don't worry about it." But take it to your insurance company because you would be surprised how fast repairs can add up.

 

Okay, well we did call 911 immediately after the accident. The guys in the other vehicle were cool about everything. I actually knew one of the cops personally and he said it should looks more totalled than not so I'm hoping it is. So the hood and fenders and stuff really do add up quickly? My dad was guessing that all that would be around 2-3 grand and then another grand or two in labor so I was pretty bummed. I owe about 10,500 on the car as of right now. High book on my car is 17,025. I was asking 16,900 for it. I just hope I can get a decent amount out of it regardless what happens. We've got our insurance contacted but we have to wait for the police report to be all finished up so we can start going after the rental cars companiesinsurance. The driver graduated last year with me (didn't know him personally, but I recognized him) so he's basically on his own, and has no resources for money.

 

Garnish his future paychecks.

 

If he has no ability to pay then he shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car. if he doesn't have insurance even more so. I'm sorry but driving is a priveledge and responsibility. If you are not ready to take comand of said "powers" then get out of the driver seat.

 

Ugh! Everytime I look at it - especially the pictures - it looks less damaged. I just hope it's totalled!

Let me know if I need to resize them - I can do so.