Is it totaled? If not, will it be the same?
 

So last night I had a girl turn left crossing through my lane while I had a green light and the right of way. Both of our front drivers side hit each other, there was enough force for her car to do a complete 180 and hit the car behind her. Both front airbags were deployed.

The car is a lease and everything has been reported to the insurance companies, now its just a matter of waiting out the process. Now my fear is whether or not it will be totaled, and if it isn't will the car ever drive the same.

Really hard to tell. Sometimes the damage looks massive but no vital parts were harmed.
Of course on the other hand it can look fine and there be horrible structural damage (rare in the age of cars designed to crumple though).
Really just a wait and see case from what I can tell by your pics.
At least everybody is OK!

Totaled

If one wheel is turned and the other is straight, then yes, you're more than likely totaled.

With the airbags I'm going to guess totaled, but if not most likely a good body shop can get it like new. I had smashed my STi pretty good into a pole a few years ago, no airbags but slight front frame support damage. They put it on the rack and pulled it all straight, built it all back up better than it was when I brought it in. Just do due diligence in picking out the body shop.

Yea it's not lookin good. But yea glad to here everyone was safe

Crap, sorry for your misfortune...

For so few cars like these out there there sure seems to be a lot of accidents in them. Be safe you guys!

It seems like lots because we hear about them. Bet in reality it is so far under the 1% mark that it is miniscule.

Many of what we do hear about seem to be getting rear ended so it wouldn't really matter what the car is if somebody is going to drive into the back of you.

What impresses me is that we hear of these pretty nasty accidents but never hear of any serious injuries (I am sure there are some but don't hear about them) and this says a lot about the safety of the car.

Perhaps, but I'm on two other car forums and there seems to be more accidents over here.

damn!! that sucks :( sorry to hear/see. glad everyone is okay though and no major injuries

I think the "seems" word is accurate.
Too many variables to be any form of scientific study.
Maybe more people here, more willing to share info, etc, etc.
Without actual hard data the perceived concern could be way off base.

It's tough to tell from the pictures, but that does appear to be totaled IMO

Make sure you get yourself checked out too! You may not be hurting now, but pain and soreness can surface a few days later

Nick C.

agreed.

on a tangent note, "internet peoples" can all be rocking the same wheels and have it considered played out on the internets... but in reality, depending on where you live, you might be the only one with it and so to you, you might be thinking "hows this played out? i get compliments all the time and never see it on the road and blah blah blah"

perception can be reality, but not the other way around.

To really simplify things.. a car is just a tub of metal with suspension pieces bolted to it and aligned appropriately so it rolls straight down the road.

So let's assume the cost of repairs don't total it out and lets assume there's no structural frame damage. Yes, even Unibody's have a structural "frame".

So if the points at which the suspension mount to are all in their original position and all the repairs result in no visible remnants of the accident then (other than the carfax) it's as good as new in terms of functionality and aesthetics.

It's just metal and molded plastics. So to answer your question: "Will it be the same?" the answer is, yes and no. Yes, it will be the same if good repairs are performed but No, because the accident will be on a carfax report even if the car isn't totaled and thus the resale value will be affected even if the look, feel, performance of the car isn't.

Sorry for the bad luck. She was turning left, make sure her insurance pays for it.


edit: I agree with others above though.. It looks totaled: AKA the cost of repairs most likely exceed the cost of the vehicle.

I just found a new quote to use when I give training on Hazard Analysis and Incident Investigation!!!!
Thanks!

No way it'll drive the same.

Damn dude, good thing is you made it out in one piece.

It looks totaled to me, though many moons ago I had a similar looking hit on my RX-7 and they repaired it. Insurance adjusters gonna insurance adjust.

Hope it works out for you, either way.

Haha! I was just reading about how both of these can be true at the same time ~ quantum mechanics yo.

I had similar damage to my BRZ a while back. Only my airbag deployed and the steering wasn't jacked like yours. Mine WASN'T totaled, but came DAMN close. Luckily for me there was no suspension damages. These cars have long impact beams in the front surrounding the engine that are meant to crumple in a front end crash. I only crumpled one of them and all was well in my world. No frame damage, no suspension damage, car handles just as it did the day that I bought it.

From the looks of your crash I would say it IS totaled. But you have to remember that EVERY insurance company has a different percentage of MSRP that needs to be reached for it to be totaled. Mine was 75% and I came to about %70... IE my damages were roughly 23k. Some of my damage was the fact that upon crashing, part of the intake got lodged in a cylinder and Subaru had to dismantle my engine to get it out. I found that odd because I physically shut the car off after the crash and it was running fine, must have happened when they went to start it after repairs.

Either way, it could go either way. If there is suspension damage or frame damage, you will more than likely feel it unfortunately. Good luck sir!

Also, HUGE ADVICE! If this wasn't your fault, check your state to see if you can submit DIMINISHED VALUE CLAIM... Not sure if you can do this with a leased vehicle, but worth checking. Insurance companies won't suggest it because they loose money on it, but check it out!

If I was ever to have a major collision I'd pray that my car was totaled.

I have OCD about driving around in a car which has undergone major repairs. I got crashed into once in my old Supra and the car wasn't a write off. Got it repaired but I always noticed tiny things like different panel gaps and such, annoyed the hell out of me so I ended up selling the car.

That's just me though.

Totalitarian state

Most likely yes it is. That's a lot of damage and bent stuff that you can't see.

It will be totaled (from insurance stand point), but can be repaired and drive the same.

If fixed right, it'll drive the same.

Note the word right. There's rally cars going on the track this weekend that have been through worse damage than this...

Yes that happened to my FRS w/ one wheel going a different direction than the other and the cost to fix just that alone was 2500$. That plus a dozen or more other things that'll need to be done to this car looks like it'll be totaled.

I can't remember if it was still running or not, I know I took the keys out immediately though. Right after the accident I smelled the airbags which I thought was the smell of something burning so I got out of the car fast.

I have yet to hear from the insurance companies as far as the state of my car, I'll hopefully find out today. From what I am being told, if it is totaled most likely her insurance will pay off the lease so I will basically be without a car and no cash to put down on a new one which sounds like some bullshit to me but my insurance guy said that's how it is. So I'll either be without a car and no cash or a car that has been in a pretty bad crash and repaired. Either way I am screwed...

That's a really shitty situation either way. But think, it could always be worse! You walked away and lived to drive another of the twins!! If you didn't get frame damage then there's a good chance it will drive just fine after repairs. The crash beams in the front of the car are designed really well.

I'm pretty sure yours will be a write off just by judging by the damage on the left wheel area alone.

The car is totaled, so now it's onto figuring out to get another one.

Reminds me of my accident, happened same way except was perfect T bone. Guy making a left turn and totally misjudging. At the point he decided to go for it it was like slow motion kicked in and I knew he wasnt gonna make it. Honestly though since everyone was ok for the most part it was best thing that could of happened. I was looking to get rid of the car but could not get shit for it and had been nothing but problems since I bought it. Insurance totaled it and ended up getting more for it than I could have ever sold it for.

First they told me not totaled, but then they called back said something had gone through the engine so they were totaling it.

http://f.cl.ly/items/1m1j0d2i2p0u0B0Z3932/335.jpg

So I am really getting bent over on this one. The insurance is cutting a check for $23k to Toyota and my payoff on the lease is $24k. Me being stupid and not really understanding it, didn't get gap insurance on the lease. So now I am out a car and owe $1k because some stupid girl doesn't know how to drive.

Im pretty sure you don't have to accept their offer if you don't believe it is fair. If you have a case for it actually being worth more than that, then I would negotiate.

Welcome to the world of deprecation. You lost money the second you signed the sales agreement.
I have absolutely no idea how insurance works in the States but we pay an extra $200 a year for replacement value on our cars. Should one get totaled, the insurance will cover enough to buy the exact same car, one model year newer. I did also get the GAP on this car as I was way upside down on the loan due to getting out of my last car way too early.
These extra costs are only pennies a day but in the long run should the worst occur I will come out not owing a cent and have a car newer then mine at the time.

Same here, the wheel alignment was always a little off and no matter what was done they could never nail it. Also the wear pattern on the tires were driving me nuts.

1. Glad you're physically ok.
2. Your insurance company should be able to negotiate some with theirs. That gap could be covered.
3. It takes a good alignment shop to know what to bend to get a slightly tweaked car going straight. The local tire place probably isn't that good. They'll see the numbers on the machine and think it's perfect. That's why I get alignments at a race shop. There IS a difference.