2004 Totaled - who buys wrecks?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by cthorsman, Sep 5, 2013.

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  1. cthorsman

    cthorsman Member

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    My baby gone - lady ran a red light and totaled my 2004 Prius. (5,000 miles short of 300,000. Great car.)

    She hit me hard in the driver's side rear door. Everything still works, but the fix would be about double the value of the vehicle repaired.

    Long story short, i now need to sell it. Looking to find best value for it. Who buys wrecks?

    I am located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

    Thanks, Craig
     
    #1 cthorsman, Sep 5, 2013
  2. alekska

    alekska Active Member

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    The only place I know is Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle PHEV, they are in Indiana. May be too far...

    - Alex
     
    #2 alekska, Sep 5, 2013
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    ouch, that's a shame. glad you're okay!(y) (i assume):)
     
    #3 bisco, Sep 5, 2013
  4. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Sorry to hear about yor loss.
    The most lucrative method of disposal if you have the time and space is to part it out yourself. Most Prius parts sell quickly and at good prices.
    Breakers will buy the car off you but at a fraction of it's true value. The battery alone is probably worth $400. Doors, hood, tailgate,bumpers, fenders, lights, wheels with tyres, steering rack, power steering , suspension components, ECU's, MFD, radio, speedo, AC components including compressor, radiators, airbags, and even key fobs are all very saleable items. In fact any part that can be damaged in an accident or fail. Engines and transmissions because of there reliability not quite so but priced low enough will sell.
    I would not be surprised if parting out the car bought in more than it was worth before it's demise.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #4 Britprius, Sep 5, 2013
  5. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    Re-Involt refurbishes batteries and charges a $700 core if you want to keep your old one. You could see if they want the battery.
     
    #5 css28, Sep 5, 2013
  6. cthorsman

    cthorsman Member

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    Amazingly, everyone walked away, though a little banged up. Thanks for asking.

    The place mentioned in Indiana said it would cost them $5-600 to transport, so they could only offer $600.

    Unfortunately, I do not have a place or the patience to part it out, though thanks for the suggestion. That would be like a monkey with a football, LOL.

    I figure it has to be worth more than $600. For that much I might just take it apart and use the little pieces for decoy weights.
     
    #6 cthorsman, Sep 5, 2013
  7. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    I thought the insurance company gives you a check and you give them the car.
     
    #7 JMD, Sep 5, 2013
  8. cthorsman

    cthorsman Member

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    Yes, well, that would be lovely, but, unfortunatly, does not apply in my situation. (5 commas. Probably not grammatically correct.)

    Short story, do not drop the collision part of your insurance to save a few bucks. I was on a green light, but when the dust cleared no one had stopped to offer witness and she does not admit fault. It occured at a very busy intersection. No one stopped and I was the only person to call 911. It was a big hit. She drove right thru me spinning me almost 180 degrees and it was weeks before my head cleared.

    If she had struck me 12 inches to the left I might not be asking this question, so ...
     
    #8 cthorsman, Sep 5, 2013
  9. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    A few thoughts. Your right t bone accidents can be deadly. If she struck the driver door you may have sustained an injury. Thank god you're OK.

    Maybe moving forward think about full insurance. :)
     
    #9 JMD, Sep 5, 2013
  10. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    You may want to put the car for sale as is on Autotrader and Craigslist.

    Also contact a few salvage yards near your town.

    You can also donate it to a charity and take the tax write off if you do the long form
     
    #10 JMD, Sep 5, 2013
  11. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    IIRC the Prius has a 'black box' of sorts that might register the exact time the accident occurred. Perhaps your city uses a traffic light that logs when it is green for a certain direction ?
     
    #11 SageBrush, Sep 5, 2013
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  12. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Auto investigator. Perhaps worth a look into it as Sage suggests
     
    #12 JMD, Sep 5, 2013
  13. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    I'm under the impression that it is possible to deconstruct an accident after the fact so that it is known who ran into whom.

    An overview
     
    #13 SageBrush, Sep 5, 2013
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  14. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    You might join "Prius_Technical_Stuff" and let folks know it is available. There are a couple of 'home rebuilders' who hang there and might be interested.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #14 bwilson4web, Sep 5, 2013
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  15. cthorsman

    cthorsman Member

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    Thanks, good thoughts. In my mind I am putting together the framework of a court suit. My next step will be to run the facts by a retired police officer trained in accident reconstruction. On the flip side I have to consider the cost in time and dollars weighed against the likelyhood of success and the value of that success.

    I will check with the Maryland State Highway Administration about any monitoring systems on traffic lights.

    Lawsuits are are about money. Pay an expert, pay a lawyer, not much left in this one. Damn lawyers.

    And yes, i was foolish to minimize my insurance.
     
    #15 cthorsman, Sep 5, 2013
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  16. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    How much did you save on the insurance, and for how many years? You have to offset that against the difference between the value of the car before the accident and what you could get for it now.
     
    #16 ftl, Sep 5, 2013
  17. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Small Claims court in California limits are $10,000. Not sure what it is in your state. Just google it. You can represent yourself in small claims court. Just get your facts straight and present. You can bring a lawyer with you. In many cases they just charge a few hundred.
     
    #17 JMD, Sep 5, 2013
  18. FreydNot

    FreydNot Member

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    I can't imagine the insurance company would have paid out much for a car with nearly 300k miles on it.
     
    #18 FreydNot, Sep 6, 2013
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  19. cthorsman

    cthorsman Member

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    Hmm. Reduced Ins coverage just this past year. Saved less than $200. Car market value maybe $4,000. Do not yet know value in current condtion.

    What i miss is a car i liked, was paid for, getting 48 mpg and oil changes every 5 to 6 thous miles. Now i am driving my 1996 T100 at 20 mpg and it squeaks.
     
    #19 cthorsman, Sep 6, 2013
  20. cthorsman

    cthorsman Member

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    Thanks for the suggestion. If I sue, her insurance company would defend the suit on her behalf. I estimate my only chance would be if an expert could shed some helpful light on the accident. If a court found her to be at fault, then we would fight over the amount of damages. Market value would be maybe $4,000. Insurance companies always seem to be on a low end of market value. I would need an expert fo that, too. The court would require proof of value. That requires an expert to testify. Standards of proof go up when lawyers are involved.
     
    #20 cthorsman, Sep 6, 2013
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