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Sad occurrence.

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by chenderson2, Jul 9, 2016.

  1. chenderson2

    chenderson2 Member

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    Haven't been on here in a while, but would like to update you on my experience with the 2016 gen 4. I got my first one in February and drove it 3 months before running into a curb. It blew out both the tires on the passenger side. When I took to to Toyota they replaced the tires and wheels and aligned the front end. However, they told me that the rear end was damaged and that I should file an insurance claim to have it repaired. It seemed to drive fine to me, but I was afraid I'd have trouble down the line if the frame was truly damaged. So, I asked about trading it in, rather than filing an insurance claim. They allowed 23,000 trade in and I got a new Prius. Unfortunately, at least as far as I was concerned, they only replacement was a Prius identical to the original one except the interior is black, rather than the off white I had. I preferred the original to the black. My question to you is do you think that running into the curb really damaged the frame, or did the dealer pull a fast one on me? Anyway, I still think the 2016 Prius is the best one Toyota has ever made. I love the styling and the ride and, like many of you, I am getting 60 mpg. The first one was getting more like 65 mpg, but the weather was cooler back then.
     
    #1 chenderson2, Jul 9, 2016
    bisco likes this.
  2. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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    Certainly possible the frame (unibody) is damaged if both tires blew and the rims were bent.

    Now define rear end...axle, suspension, frame.
    Your post really doesn't really indicate and assumes rear end is frame.

    Can you crawl under the car and look? Remove trunk carpet and look.
    And look foe what? Bends, broken paint, shifted bolts and components.

    Trade in sounds good to me...hold out for the car you want though.

    Good luck.
     
    #2 Kenny94945, Jul 9, 2016
  3. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    That seems like a pretty good trade in price for a damaged vehicle. I think you did good personally.
     
    #3 Kramah313, Jul 9, 2016
    krmcg likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sorry to hear it man! congrats on gen 4 #2! :) it's hard to say. how much did you pay for your first one? how much did you have to pay for the new one, after the 23k trade in? are they the exact same msrp?
     
    #4 bisco, Jul 9, 2016
  5. Jim in NC

    Jim in NC Active Member

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    I think you did okay.

    If you filed an insurance claim, then you would have an accident on the vehicle's CARFAX report. That would be an instant drop in value. With regards to an accident, it is called 'diminished value' rather than the drop due to normal depreciation.

    I traded my first 2016 Prius in for another one after 3 weeks. It was not due to an accident or anything, but I just wanted the higher model 4 rather than the Eco 2.
     
    #5 Jim in NC, Jul 9, 2016
    krmcg likes this.
  6. Gen 2 Tom

    Gen 2 Tom Active Member

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    To test the straightness of the frame, you could have had it put on a frame machine, or a wheel alignment. Yes surely you could have bent a suspension part or the frame. Were they guessing or did the know something appeared to bent. They should have showed you. But that's water over the dam now.
     
    #6 Gen 2 Tom, Jul 10, 2016
  7. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Could you have gotten a 2nd opinion somewhere??? If they gave you 23K for your car, I don't think it was that damaged, and/or it was easily fixed by them.

    Or, there was nothing wrong with it, and they just low-balled you on the trade-in because they knew you were anxious. That's more likely the case. (Shame on me for being so negative.;))

    The MSRP on new red basic Prius Four in my area, $30,373. With rebate $28,873. With ATP & PCP the "sale" price is $32,118.
     
    #7 Coast Cruiser, Jul 10, 2016
  8. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    Having "rear end damage" and having unit body damage is not the same. It's too late now anyway. You should have asked the dealer to provide you a proper estimate. I have insurance through Chubb -- high limits but also high deductible ... that's the best way to purchase insurance. With a proper estimate the decision to pay for the repairs vs going through insurance is easy. I would never have traded a car for that level of damage.

    How much did it cost to fix the car? How much $$ was lost trading in a new car? The second item must have been expensive.

    I do hope you are not holding $500.00 deductible insurance -- you clearly will not use it !
     
    #8 yeldogt, Jul 23, 2016
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