Hi all, Last Thursday I purchased my very first car: 2013 Prius C. I was finally so happy to have this responsibility and to share it with one of the members of the hybrid fleet. Just this morning, someone hit my Prius and ran off. My car was parked and was hit on the right side of the bumper. The bumper fell off, the wheels are mal-aligned, and the tail lights are smashed. I'm so worried this is going to affect the fuel efficiency, and that I'll never get the freshness of a new car back. I have to pay my deductible and don't know the estimate of the repairs just yet since this accident happened some hours ago. I'm so mad. Has anyone else experienced a lot of damage with a Prius? If so, after the repairs, did it feel like itself again or did it feel like it was in an accident? Thanks... I really love my Prius and I want it to heal 100%.
Its going to be a long process. Depending on the extent of the damage you may wind up in a position to ask for a new car. You're just going to have to be patient and take it a step at a time. Don't agree to anything along the way until you have all the information. Don't settle for less than you feel is fair. That said, its amazing what they can do with a damaged body, it all depends on what the actual damage is.
Considering it is so new, and the damage is relatively minor, I doubt it will be totalled. But you need to take lots of pictures, and go over the insurance adjuster's report meticulously. Sometimes they genuinely don't know the vehicle, other times I believe (obviously no proof) they purposely skip add-ons and marks to keep the repair value low if it won't be totalled. Also it depends on the state but sometimes you can get depreciated value on the car. Since you are going through the insurance company, it will be reported to the necessary companies. This means any CarFax/dealer/auction house etc will be able to pull the data and show that it was in an accident. You will never get the full market value for your car, because nobody wants to buy a car that has previously been in an accident. Therefore you are able to ask for the delta between the full market value right now without an accident, and the value of the car right now as-is.
major bummer! sorry man. my daughters '04 got hit by a deer, hood, windscreen, right front fender, wheel and axle, front passenger door. around five grand. toyota fixed it up good as new, she put another 40k on it with no problems. now, my neighbor has been driving it for a year and a half. no worries, all the best!
I am sorry to hear about your new car. That really stinks. Thankfully you were not in the car or hurt. If you find a good body shop they can make it look like new again.
You can read my prior Tbne post as we were T-Boned in May after purchasing our Prius in February......not sure but it is dated in this forum , you can go back in time to view the post....good luck, and yes, after the car came back from 2 months repairs, waiting for inspections, checks to cut etc....it takes awhile to feel new again.....but mechanically- so far so good...it was the cosmetics and interior placement of parts inside that keep becoming issues.... The forum here really gave nice support as I became attached to the car . We bought the Prius so I could go through 3 months of daily radiation treatments to the nearby cancer center.....then after all my treatments we got hit! I did receive $4500 for diminished value on my 2011 Prius. Good luck-
Well, considering it's not even a week old, I guess my insurance would replace it without it being so expensive for me. But, the idea that my brand new Prius may be totaled is depressing, especially since it was due to a hit and run. The coward couldn't even leave his/her info. At the end of the day my car will be restored either through repairs or replacement, however, my view of humanity will remain affected, leaving me feeling more negative and cynical. This incident is way more than the headache of fixing a car and dealing with insurance; it is also leaving me with a broken heart and fear.
Just be thankful it was only the car and you weren't inside or even at the hatch loading something when the idiot decided to play bumper cars. Toyota makes lots of cars every day, there's only 1 of you.
I couldn't agree more. It'll be a long process (depending on your insurance agency). I have AAA and they have (so far) always taken care of me. With that said, I'm sure you felt first hand that sinking feeling in your gut. I'm sorry this happened to your new car.
