Need to bounce something off of you guys...

[Rhinopkc]

I crashed my truck in a low speed (5 mph) kind of way. It has front end damage, but can still be driven, insurance has declared it a total loss. They'll give me about $3500-4000 as it sits, if I can find all of my receipts, or 2800 delivered to my door with a salvage title. I have Heath PMD, Gear Vendors, Kennedy Computer, Transfer Flow 45 gallon frame-mounted tank, A-team turbo, full gauges, power vision mirrors, and almost new tires.
Do you think it's worth the hassle to bring it home and part it out/ sell it as a running salvage?

 

[3500GMC]

Haggle with them. Don't accept the lowball.

Take the buyout, bank it, buy back you truck, fix it and drive it just as you were.

 

[WarWagon]

Some folks don't even fix the damage... Seriously you can fix a truck cheap with used parts. Or buy another truck and transfer the 'good' parts.

 

[btfarm]

Buy it back and fix it up if you want to. You need to want to do the work and not have the neighbors/town complaining about the 'eyesore'. If you have the place and tools go for it!. This is the right time of year for that kind of work where you are anyhow.

 

[Rhinopkc]

I probably should have mentioned that no matter what, I'm buying a new truck. Like '09-'11 new. I'm just wondering if you guys think it's worth trying to part/sell whole my truck, or just taking the money and letting all of the goodies go to the sCrapper.

 

[jrsavoie]

how many miles are on the truck?

I doubt You'd get your money back if you let them give you a salvage title. I'm for going for a better price.

You'd have to part it out to get your money out of it.

I hate to see a good truck go to scrap.

What condition is the drivers door in? What color?

 

[Rhinopkc]

It's got about 230,000 miles on it. It's white, and the doors are good.

 

[racedaymechanic]

My 98 got Totaled out about 4 years ago, only 150k miles But I fought with them and gave them a list of everything I did to it in the last year or so (tires, PMD, Batteries ect) and they payed me $9600.00 they started at about 7k so it was worth the battle, Don't give in

 

[handcannon]

Repairing your truck may be a worthwhile project for somebody. This is what I did to get my pickup.

A friend "totaled" his rig and helped me get it from his insurance for $400. I had the frame horn that supports the bumper straightened and then, doing the rest of the work myself, replaced the hood,left fender, radiator core support, radiator, grill, and bumper.

I now have a decent running pickup that I can afford to drive (almost,-- high diesel prices). The Ford pickup (4X4, 460) I previously had got 5-6 MPG towing and 9-10 MPG empty. This 4X4 K2500 Chevy with the 6.5 gets 10-11 MPG towing and 14 empty. Doing the work myself was worth it to me.

Don

 

[Guster]

IF you have the space and time to do it, take the offer w\ a salvage title. Strip off all the goodies, throw some stock salvage yard parts on it to replace the "good stuff". You can sell off the Gear vendors and tank for as much as the rest of the truck will bring. The wrecked truck will bring a couple of thousand anyway if it is a driver.

 

[WarWagon]

I'll buy it as is.

 

[dka99burb]

You can definitely negotiate them a lot. Between my father, brother, a friend, and myself we have never paid more than $500 to get a salvage back from the insurance company when totaled. If I were closer I would help you. Personally, I would want it back, with a lot of negotiation! Make some money off of it if you don't want to fix it.

 

[jrsavoie]

You do not have to take a salvage title any more than you have to take what they offer. If you keep the truck tell them you want X amount of dollars to go towards fixing the truck and you will supply the difference yourself. What you do with the money after the settlement is none of there buisness. If the damage had not been covered by insurance the truck would not be getting a salvage title.

 

[Guster]

I crashed my truck in a low speed (5 mph) kind of way.

Your bad or someone else? This your insurance carrier or someone else? It can kind of change the way this plays out. They may not insure it in the future if it is your carrier. Just something else to think about.

 

[Rhinopkc]

Not too bad really.

 

[Rhinopkc]

Pics

 

[handcannon]

There's really not that much damage visible there. Going from my experience with the rebuilder I got, and not having visually inspected this vehicle here's my assessment.

1.- right fender, may not need inner fender,
2.- grill, complete with lower bumper apron
3.- bumper, with all brackets

I don't think that bumper has been pushed back far enough to have bent the frame horn where the bumper attaches. Only a visual inspection will be able to give that answer. If it is bent, that is probably as much as $1000 right there. I got a price of $650 to fix mine and the guy said afterward he spent more time straightening it than estimated. Mine was badly bent, but it didn't go any farther back into the frame.

For used parts here's what I think it will cost, going by what I spent.

fender--$50 to $75
bumper--$100 to $150 (hard to find in good condition)
grill--next to impossible to find in good condition used, new aftermarket will be the cheapest but don't always fit as good as OEM. Off the top of my head I don't have a price, but just guessing I'd say $150 to $200.

If anybody wants an easy project this would be that one. I wish we weren't so far apart, I'd be interested.

Don

BTW--What kind of fuel mileage do you get with that gearvendors OD?

 

[Rhinopkc]

Core support is bent a little, oil&trans coolers are bent a little (not cracked or leaking), the running board was broken before the crash, and I drove it to and from work like this for a few days, so it's not hurt that bad.

I need new injectors, but if I keep it a 75 I get 17. Would probably do better if I didn't have mountains between work and home. Not bad for 230k miles!

The first adjuster offered to deliver it to my house, it's in So. Cal now, a different adjuster called yesterday, but I missed his call and he hasn't returned mine. I wish he would call back so I could get the final numbers and make a decision. I already bought a new(to me) truck, now I need to accessorize!

 

[btfarm]

I'll buy it as is.

There's one answer right there.

 

[jrsavoie]

How much are you going to want for it?

Nice truck.