Cool Hand’s car meets deer both lose badly..

[copyright1997reloaded]

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Originally Posted by rayinpenn Ok preliminary verdict is in $3,200 - damage. Car is worth around $5,000 I am going to get it fixed.. hopefully i dont need to spend more than $500 (the deductible). Notables..what adjuster told me. Radiator damaged A/c damaged Hoof damage on door. Sweet Moses!

Unsolicited advice: Fix only what is necessary to run/pass inspection. Keep the rest towards the eventual replacement vehicle.

[ncbill]

Waiting on an adjuster to come by today...my oldest kid hit a deer coming back from a reception last Saturday night (graduated from undergrad Friday)

Hope they won't total it out...it is an old SL500 coupe in otherwise great shape with only ~80,000 miles.

[Sunset]

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Originally Posted by Ronstar Glad your son is ok. I’ve hit somewhere between 5 and 10 deer. About 1 per vehicle that I’ve owned. Almost all within 5 miles from home. Got one in my corvette in the street at the end of our driveway at 20 mph. Haven’t got one yet in my 2017 F150. DW doesn’t hit them. Only me.

If you put crash bars on the front of your 150, or a small plow, it might save the 150 from damage, and with your record of hitting deer, it could be cheaper than hunting.

[freedomatlast]

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Originally Posted by Bigdawg Are you kidding me? That looks fine. I would have that fixed and keep driving it. Heck, I'm thinking about making you an offer.

I agree with Bigdawg. Don't write that off yet. Find someone with even average mechanical skills and you will have that back on the road for less than a couple of hundred bucks. Don't drive it anymore though till you determine what is leaking and why. I'm sure it won't be anythhing too serious.

[Texas Proud]

I was just thinking.... you could do what my neighbor did many years ago...


He unbolted the quarter panel and hammered it out himself to a reasonable shape of what it was and bolted it back on... saved lots of money and it actually was not that bad looking...

[freedomatlast]

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Originally Posted by RetiredAt55.5 Yes, like the OP, I also live in Pennsylvania. My son was in an accident in 2012 (other party's fault). The car only had cosmetic damage - cracked front bumper, crumpled fender, and scratches/dents down the passenger side. But, it was 16 years old with 100k miles and was deemed totalled (State Farm repair estimate was over $3k). Anyway, we bought it back from State Farm for about $400, and had it "recertified" so we could drive it again. In PA, there's a list of state inspection shops that can do the recertification process for you. It entails a safety inspection, checking that no body work sticks out, the doors open correctly, etc. They also need to take a number of photos and then send all the paperwork into the DMV. It takes a couple of weeks before you get a new recertified title, replacing the totalled title. I think my shop charged about $300 for the inspection and paperwork. Note, we did not fix any of the bodywork, fender, or bumper, and we're still driving it 7 years later. If it's drivable, it would be worthwhile to find a shop close by that does recertifications and get their opinion on exactly what would need to be fixed to qualify for a recertified title.

In PA, if the insurance company totals the vehicle and you buy it back, they take your clean title and issue you a salvage certificate. After any necessary repairs, you then take it to certified shop where they send in the paperwork, including the salvage certificate, with pictures and you are issued a title branded with an "R" which stands for "Reconstructed".