TOTALED!? or Fixable?? We’ll find out soon!

Sadly, my Bronco was hit head on while stopped at a red light, by a dude high on meth! He hit about 3 cars, but the Bronco took the brunt of the impact.

BUT, the Bronco front end crushed where it needed to and protected my wife inside! And that’s all that matters.

I always drive the Bronco to work, even though I have a long drive, because well, it’s a Bronco, and it drives amazing!

For some reason, I told my wife to take the Bronco to work that morning, and I drove her hybrid to work.

Now to wait and find out if this will be a high dollar repair job, or if it will be a total loss.
What do you think? Not sure if any portions of the frame were bent, which usually writes it off as totaled immediately. I guess we’ll see!

Sad day, but again, just glad my wife was safe inside the Bronco when this happened.

And even though i’m upset at the meth head who crashed into everyone, I’m glad he was ok and didn’t get severely hurt in the crash. (and if you’re wondering why I say meth head, we all saw the pipes and lighters in the drivers seat)

Looks like coolant was leaking out, but the Bronco still started right up and tow truck driver drove it right up the back of the flat tow.

Now to wait for the insurance process.

Sorry this happened OP, glad to hear your wife is okay and the Bronco kept her safe.

it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it:

It looks fixable, it’s just if you want a repaired vehicle. It will take a hit on resale value.

Might not be totaled but I'd sure want it to be after that.

Diminished value for sure if they insist on fixing it.

Gassyjack said:

It looks fixable, it’s just if you want a repaired vehicle. It will take a hit on resale value.

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Exactly, not sure I’d even want it repaired. Bummer is, if it’s totaled, they’ll take it as is and i’ll loose all my aftermarket parts. If it’s repaired, I get all my money’s worth in parts back, but loose overall value by far.

Either way it sucks. If it’s totaled, maybe I’ll jump into a Wildtrak next time though

BigHoof said:

Might not be totaled but I'd sure want it to be after that.

Diminished value for sure if they insist on fixing it.

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Exactly

I would think it is totaled and to be honest I would want it totaled. I wouldn't want it back after a hit like that.

My honest opinion is hope for a total. Every time I’ve driven a vehicle that had front end damage it never felt the same afterwards.
I get accidents happen, and yes it will hurt resale later, but if you plan to drive it til the wheels fall off that doesn’t matter.

Glad your wife is okay. It's probably repairable and given you'll likely have to wait a year for a replacement it's probably worth fixing. I'm in CA as well and it's likely the other driver either has no or the bare minimum insurance. In that case you'll be dealing with your own insurance which might actually be easier.

It will be close. All depends on if the frame past the front repair section is bent and if it got into the firewall. Frame + Body=

flip said:

It will be close. All depends on if the frame past the front repair section is bent and if it got into the firewall. Frame + Body=

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Yep! I’m thinking this one will be close.
I’ve seen a crash post on here with barely any damage, but rear section of frame was bent and they totaled it.

Really depends if portion of the frame up front was bent at all. We’ll see!

That sucks man. Nice build...

Depends on the insurance company, who the adjuster is, and whether they have a sweet deal going with a local auction company or body shop. Some will fight to get it totaled when it shouldn't be, some will fight to get it repaired when you think it should be totaled. I'm going to place my bet that in your area, it's more likely to be totaled.

Aftermarket parts should be included in the total value of the vehicle, if they're not then it's up to you to have them removed before the deal is done.

Alternatively, whether they total or repair, you have one other choice to make. Take the repair check or buy it back, then turn it into an ultra4 4600 class rig and beat the absolute hell out of it at KOH. That damage is worth at least a set of portals....

Tex said:

Depends on the insurance company, who the adjuster is, and whether they have a sweet deal going with a local auction company or body shop. Some will fight to get it totaled when it shouldn't be, some will fight to get it repaired when you think it should be totaled. I'm going to place my bet that in your area, it's more likely to be totaled.

Aftermarket parts should be included in the total value of the vehicle, if they're not then it's up to you to have them removed before the deal is done.

Alternatively, whether they total or repair, you have one other choice to make. Take the repair check or buy it back, then turn it into an ultra4 4600 class rig and beat the absolute hell out of it at KOH. That damage is worth at least a set of portals....

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Ha! Very true, and I like your last option