MatrixPC

Basically, yes.
First I don't even know who actually hit me other than witnesses gave me partial info of the car hitting me.
I have full coverage so I went to my insurance to file a claim. The claim adjuster said I have to pay the deductible because it's a hit and run accident.
The claim adjuster told that the car would be totalled because of frame damage.
The adjuster gave me option to buy the car back if I want to. At the time, fair market value for my Matrix was 8K-8.5K. They paid me 9K-500 deductible + sale tax on 9K + pro-rate registration. And if I want to buy the car, it would be 2K. If I opt to buy the car, they would paid me 7K + sale take on 7K. I opt not to buy the car because was thinking of buying the van. So the accident just happened at the right time . I use that 10K payout for the down payment on the Sienna.
A week after they cut me the check, the adjuster called me and told that they found the other driver and they take full responsible for the accident. So my insurance refund me that 500 deductible.
I have no clue anything after that. Basically, my insurance took care of me, then went after the other party for what they paid out to me.

Arrin

Drives fine, just minor suspension issues from the accident but those parts were replaced.

peanut93

UPDATE: Geico - His Insurance - has an estimate of repairs for $18k

specONE

iTrader: (3)

Is this estimate replacing with OEM new parts? or is any aftermarket being used?
and have you talk to your insurance about this already?

peanut93

I saw there were some after market parts which I will discuss with them. And I have not discussed this with my insurance just yet.

peanut93

UPDATE: My car has been considered totaled by the at-fault party's insurance - Geico. They estimated $21k in damages. Thank you for all of your input. The flooring in my trunk and back seats were cracked due to the crash.

New question: What should look for in a payout? They said they will only pay for a rental for 5 days. After that, if I haven't found a car, I'll be carless. Is there anyway to fight this?

specONE

iTrader: (3)

Glad to hear your car is totaled, not worth the trouble you may face down the line after it is repaired.
Its better in the long run.
My estimate repair was pretty close

No, once they pay you out its pretty much on your own to find new transportation.
They will typically go searching Used car market in your area with similar equipped options and mileage and use that gauge payout amount.

Hope you find another 3IS and stay with us on this forum

peanut93

I've received documentation for the valuation of my car. They compared it to only one 2014 IS F-Sport. The other 10 cars they compared it to are 2014 IS w/o F-sport package. Is this something I should be okay with? Should I get a third party to do another car valuation?

specONE

iTrader: (3)

Well how far off is it from Blue Book Value for your area?

Typically from what I've seen of friends cars that get totaled, payout is actually very generous for the vehicle and most times I am surprised and was guessing lower, But that is in area I am at (California)

nehal1802

Find other F-Sport cars in your area and send your adjuster the link if you think the value is too low. Basically you need to explain that you need to be able to get a comparable or better car without spending a cent out of pocket (especially since you were not even in the vehicle when this happened).

Also, the damage looks like it can easily be fixed with a proper body shop however the reason it was most likely totaled is due to quarter panel damage which is $$$ to fix. You could also get some private quotes on repair and buy the car back. Since it was hit from the back, the drive will be a lot easier to restore back to stock than if it was hit from the front.

E46CT

Cars don't have frames. And that's not too bad of an accident. Pretty run-of-the-mill type repair. It's all going to come down to the cost of repair vs. the value of the car. It can be a pretty expensive repair just cause Lexus parts and shop time is expensive.

Either way, cars are not really mysterious "oh it'll never run right again" "oh the frame" etc etc. This is pretty standard stuff. Car manufacturers have official repair procedures for just about every situation. You can remove the entire side of the car and replace it if done right.