2005 Prius in At-Fault Rear-End Accident

Maybe it is totaled, maybe not. As long as the frame is not bent, soft crumpled body parts can be replaced. Did the air bags go off???

Keith

 

I'm very sorry to hear about this accident, and I would like to be able to help, but it may be pretty hard for me (and others) to offer much advice without a bit more information.

Did you attempt to start the car after the accident? With what result?

Did you lose any fluids? If so, what kind? (At least try to go with color, smell, viscosity.)

Did any airbags deploy?

Are any doors (or the hatchback) jambed? Any glass broken (doesn't look like it, but I'm not certain)?

Where was it towed? Is there a Toyota dealership nearby?

This is just a start. Please try to share a bit more, and you may find someone here has some very valuable advice.

 

Sounds as though you may be facing a bit of body work, but it appears the HSD is intact (for the most part)! It is hard to see how this car could be totalled.

Unless you have a great relationship with a Prius-certified mechanic, I think you'll need to get the car to a dealership for an estimate. I hope your carrier is covering the costs of the tow and lot in the meantime -- subject to your deductible, I assume.

 

If you have full coverage and if they total the car, you need to do alot of reasearch before settling with the insurance company. Go to Autotrader.com, cars.com, carmax.com and also local toyota dealers. Do a search for your the year of your Prius and with the same features and miles. Do a 200 mile radius search. Then figure up the price you will have to pay to replace your Prius with the same year and model. In most cases I would say if you don't have GAP Insurance you would probably be upside down in the amount you owe VS the price to replace. But not in today's world witht he big demand for a Prius. The insuance company will try to do the Kelly Blue Book thing, but we all know that KBB is not up to date with the huge demand for a Prius right now. You might have to keep pushing them for a few weeks, but don't back down.

If they don't total the car, make sure you get to take it to a repair shop of your choice.

 

The red fluid was probably coolant, which is not a huge deal as long as the car wasn't left running for long. (The engine probably shut itself off anyway.) No surprise that the door doesn't open right given that the quarter panel was damaged that badly. They might total it bit it looks to me like the car will be running again. Worst case, they total it and sell it off to a rebuilder.

 

ouch. looks like that could have taken out your chs tank, hence the coolant loss. unfortunately we can't realistically estimate repair cost on the internet, but let us know how it turns out.

 

So when is the divorce final?

Rod

 

Looks worse than it is I think. Looks like an off-set hit where your DH caught the corner of the car on another. It looks like the chassis rail is in tact but you can't tell with a photo. I wouldn't be surprised if it bounced back to you all straight.

 

In September of last year, I was struck by a Sienna in the same area of my 2004 Prius. I was waiting to come out from a cross street so she hit me at an angle. My damage looked very similar to yours minus the leaking fluid. Here's what happened with us through Commerce Insurance living just north of Boston:

- The car was towed to the body shop
- Initial estimate was $9,000 of damage
- The body shop took stuff apart and found that there was frame damage in addition to cosmetic damage
- The insurance company totaled the vehicle and we got a check for ~$18,900 which paid for most of the 2007 Prius I'm driving today


Based on my experience, your picture, and the fact that the driver's door doesn't open properly I'd say you should start checking blue book values and such (Auto Trader was my friend in this) to get ready to negotiate with your insurance about exactly how much they'll pay out for totaling it. Still, I'm hoping they don't total it on you as you might have a harder time getting a new Prius now than we did 8 months ago and that would suck.

 

Can we start bidding for parts yet?

Just asking...... :behindsofa:

 

That car is totaled. It seem these days that anything other than a deep scratch totals a Prius. The reason seem to be that there are no aftermarket parts for the Prius and there are very few Priuses in salvage yards to get parts from. This limits the adjuster to using new Toyota parts only.

 

I am no expert, but I have recently weathered the storm of having my son move from his teen years to his early twenties, so I have been to the body shop a time or three. From that picture and your description, I would say that barring any frame damage the car is repairable. I think we should start a pool. I believe the car can be repaired for $8,915.37.

Recently I have begun to develop a certain amount of paranoia about being hit. If someone were to run into me, I would be hard pressed to replace my baby, the market being what it is and I wouldn't be happy with anything other than a Prius. Maybe I'll stay in tonight

Anyway, good luck and I am glad no one was hurt. It really doesn't look that bad. The engine was running, the collision was not enough to set off the airbags or break glass. I think it is just a fender bender.

Keep us posted.

 

I totalled my 2005 Prius on 6/2. I hit a Honda Accord at approx 55mph. Both my airbag and the passenger side airbag deployed. I was the only person in the Prius. I was able to walk away from the car. It was of course totalled. I had a little over 65,000 miles on the car. But it was in exceptional condition. Allstate was more than fair with my settlement.

 

Bummer.

Be sure to do your homework on value. Prii are in high demand and even used ones are going for higher than new. Don't let them lowball you.

If they let you recover your personal items, make sure you take the mats and the tonneau cover. You bought those extra. You can use them in your new car or sell them on eBay for a nice chunk. If you can, grab the manual too.