Last week I put in an order for an MC in PW. I'd been driving a Subaru Legacy GT, and though it's a fine car, it just never really did it for me. One drive in a MINI, and I knew I had to make the switch; best part was that I have a nice, pretty valuable, low mileage car I could put in for a trade, and I'd end up getting a new MINI without paying very much money at all.

So last night I'm awoken by the sound of tires skidding and cars crashing. I go outside and discover that a HUMMER had eaten my Subie! God bless Cambridge police, they actually beat me there. Of course, they didn't get there in time to see who was driving the HUMMER- he'd already fled the scene.

It took two tow trucks half an hour to pull the cars apart- one pulls at the HUMMER, the other pulls at the Subaru, etc. I have to apologize to you guys already, in just my first post, because I didn't take any pictures (though the police took plenty).

If they decide it's fixable, which who knows, it might be, I'm screwed, since the trade value goes in the toilet. If they decide it's totaled, I'm home free (right?) So here's my crazy first post new MINI question- who's ever been in an accident that was borderline fixable/totaled and how hard was it to get the money out of the insurance company? And what kind of value do you get for your totaled car anyway?

 

I don't know the answer to any of your questions, but I'm sorry about your car! Good luck and you're gonna love your mini!

 

hopefully your insurace company will total it out and give u a fair payout value on the Subie. If they dont and they deside to fix it. it could take months in the repair shop before you get it back . I sont know when you MINI is due to come in, they might now have it fixed in time for the trade in.

 

Technically, it should have no effect on your trade-in value. You may even come out ahead since your insurance/his insurance should give you $$ to meet replacement value which is usually higher than trade-in value. Plus there is diminished value which you should also get and amount for.
You need to talk to your insurance agent since if he doesn't have decent coverage, your insurance will have to cover you, which would then inspire your insurance to go after the $$ from the Hummer guys.
Annette

 

Look online at Auto Trader or Carmax in your area & also look in the local newspaper & see what a car like yours is selling for in your area. That is the money you should get if it is totaled. If the insurance company tries to lowball you have these values that you have researched & use them for arguing the price up.

If it is repairable then you will get less for your trade-in but hopefully you are in a state where you can also collect a diminished value claim from the insurance company to offset the loss when you trade it in.

Good luck to you. I hope everything works out OK

 

Did you have an offer from the dealership for trade-in value on the Subaru? If so, and you have it on paper, you may be able to press the DUMMER owner's insurance to pay out that amount.

 

This is probably a given, but was the Hummer reported as stolen? I can't imagine an owner fleeing the scene (on foot) with all evidence right there to trace it back to them anyway.

 

The only way the Hummer can get away with that is if it was reported stolen... Fleeing the scene, i can imagine someone' kid getting his butt kicked. :P

sorry to hear of your situation. i am sure things will start looking up for you soon.

 

the owner's cell phone was still sitting on the passenger seat. it rang while i was there. it was the Hummer owner's father (?) calling. one of the cops answered it while all the others stood around snickering...

 

that's my other worry. my MINI's coming in 5 weeks or so, and if my would-be trade in car is sitting in the shop still undergoing serious repairs when the MINI does come in, what could i do but tell the dealer i can't take the car?

 

Wow!

Good thing you weren't in the car when a son-of-dummer hummer pummeled your Subie.

If the car isn't totaled, check your state's laws to determine whether a diminished value precedent exists. Let's hope so, otherwise you may lose that amount. It happened to me, but fortunately, with a leased car, and so I did not suffer from the $5k loss in diminished value on that two-month old car.

 

Hopefully if they don't total it your dealer will hold the Mini for you since these are def extenuating circumstances

 

bluestone, where in cambridge did this all happen?! I live right outside Cambridge, in Belmont. That totally sucks though! Sounds like they will catch the kid who was stupid. :P Good luck with the MINI! Are you ordering from MoP or HC?

 

it happened at harvard and lee (near central sq). i ordered from peabody. that's after visiting herb chambers first...

 

My MA was good with me. I was going to take me 3 weeks after it arrived to pick it up becuase i had to travel for work. Hopefully (if its being repaired) your MA will be willing to work with you on your pick up day

 

The fact that it took 1/2 hour to pull the cars apart and it was hit by a Hummer, makes me think the Suby is totalled. Can't recall where I read it but the replacement cost, part by part, of a car is nearly 10 times what the MSRP is.

One big question to ask is if the frame is bent and, if it is, how much. A bent frame, and yes there is one even on unibody vehicles. will generally make a insurance company "total" the car. There are two reasons:
1. Cost for straightening a frame.
2. Liability for the insurance company. If, god forbid, the vehicle is involved in another accident resulting in injury or death, a lawsuit could cost a insurance company millions (because they have it.) On the other hand, if the insurance company "totals" a vehicle that vehicle has a salvaged title and liability belongs to the repair shop (they don't have unlimited $'s and therefore aren't worth a lawyers time.)

Finally, you don't want to be dishonest, but fight any settlement you think is unfair. If needs be, hire a lawyer (though it hurts me to say that.)

Good luck.

 

so the insurance guy says the car is totaled. he was actually getting excited telling me about the damage- "every thing in the back half of the car was destroyed! every single part that goes into making the back half of a car would have to be replaced! even the upholstery!"

hopefully they'll give me a good settlement, but whatever they do, it's MINI Cooper time for me...

 

well that's pretty nice... just be sure to get the value for a similar vehicle in your area... which will probably be a few thousand more than the trade in you were going to get. then see if you can get a good rate on a long term rental (for all 5 weeks) or borrow someone's car if you can. I went through a week and a half before my delivery date borrowing my dad's old jeep wrangler that he uses for plowing in the winter. Believe me, it sure made me appreciate the MINI that much more when I took delivery

you really could end up making out pretty well here... so that's good. hopefully the Hummer kid will have to pay for it in the long run with highly increased insurance costs.

 

Well, that sounds like a good ending. What's the follow-up story on the hit and run idiot?

I live in Brookline and bought from MoP even though HC is a mile from my house. However, I've been going to HC for services (flat tire once and a spontaneous electrical system problem once). I go there just because it's a lot easier to get to than Peabody.

 

Not related, but way back in 1977, I had ordered a new Mustang. A month before it came in, I ran my Fiat X 1/9 into the back of another car and badly damaged the front end. I rushed it through the insurance/body shop procedure and had it back in 3 weeks with a decent cosmetic repair (no telling how sound it was mechanically.) The dealer had already offered me next to nothing for trade, so I ended up selling it privately just before the Mustang arrived. Liability issues weren't nearly as acute back then as they are today.

 

mt, look at the value of an X1/9 today versus a 77 Mustang. Keep some tissue handy!

 

Any particular reason why you went through MoP instead of HC?

 

The X 1/9 was my first new car. I was 19 and the drive out price was somewhere around $4500. Brown with brown vinyl seats and orange carpet! How 70's! It had its issues but was a major part of my lifelong love of cars. The only X 1/9 I've seen in years was a rusted hulk sitting in the bone yard behind a local body shop, I don't think it's there anymore. I'd love to see one in pristine condition again. Back in 1998 I had the opportunity to buy a Lancia Scorpion. It was in decent condition but the guy wanted too much and I didn't really have room to store it.

 

I still see them now and then in autocross events. The Scorpion would have been a great score.

 

A lot of owners will flee if they are drunk! Then they report it stolen. , or come up with some story that they went to call the police but xxxx happened and they just were about to call (now that they are sober).

Earl