Almost like a horror movie, 4 days after getting my 2002 MCS back on the road after a complete rebuild and performance upgrade, I was hit from behind by a distracted driver.

The rear bumper was badly damaged, and the hatch door panel was dented. There was also a curious bump in the quarter panel as though the rear strut tower had impacted the sheet metal from the inside. It was a significant thump, but I didn't have any idea what was coming.

The other driver admitted fault and I took my car to the repair shop. 3 weeks later they declared it a total loss. $5000 in repairs needed for a $6000 car. They said the 'frame' has damage (presumably the unibody shell).



So I'm pretty disgusted with life at the moment.

What I want to know is this...I eventually wanted to put this car on the track....should I buy it back or are these unibody cars impossible to bend straight again? TBH i drove it for several days after the accident and noticed nothing that felt like misalignment. Is there a DIY version of making small repairs to a bent Mini chassis?

If I could satisfy myself that it's straight, I'd strip it down and build a dedicated track car. It's too expensive here in NZ to try to get a totalled car back on the road.

Doesn't look like a totalled car does it?


Totalled? Hard to beleive.

 

Alternatively, buy a straight shell and swap everything over.

 

Doesn’t look totaled from the pics. Get a second opinion?

how much to buy it back?

 

I feel like a second opinion is needed on this honestly. It doesn't seem that bad from the picture but i guess hidden issues are possible. If you are going to buy it back for track, then why not go for it and have fun with it really. I'm sure the repairs to make it track worthy might not be as much as they need for the street.

 

Funny enough, my mom got into a fender bender. The hood was dented and a small indentation in the radiator. Guess what? Totaled out. Drives perfectly fine though.

You can get a body shop or a mechanic to look at the frame and see if it's bent. Like other people have commented, I guess you could get a shell (though that's beyond me) but you could otherwise go to a Pick N Pull and get the parts you need and replace them.

 

Interesting repair analysis since your car has both a front and rear subframe that are both replaceable. Looks like only body damage to me since the right tail light still seems to align with the body (or is the bottom gap larger now - hard to tell from the photo?). Might be worth a $100 to get it laser-aligned. That should tell you if it can be put back to spec. If it can, then take the settlement and buy it back from the insurance company.

 

I bought a 2005 last year. Paid 2800 for it. Had a tornado come through and a tree top landed on it. Broke the windshield and back drivers side glass.dents every where. The insurance company gave me 5300 for it and sold it to me for 400. I stuck vinyl bandaid sticker all over the dents. And got it back on the road for under 500 thanks to Allmag. I love this car. A Curtis

 

Major bummer. Head up... You'll figure it out. I was really enjoying your posts over the past couple months. Lots of good work and thoughts.

 

That stinks. I agree it doesn't look like a totaled car, but with unibodies it's impossible to judge by outward appearances, and no one is going to be able to give you an accurate diagnosis from the photos.

You're going to want to find a good body shop that can put it on a rack and determine if the unibody is damaged, and if the damage can be "pulled" (not necessarily an accurate term, but it'll suffice).

If you're wanting to turn it into a track car, this analysis is even more important. The cosmetic damage means nothing, but knowing what, if any damage has been done to your suspension mounting points, subframe mounting points, etc, is critical. Most modern cars are designed with "crumple zones" to absorb energy from the impact. This protects occupants, but makes cars much more likely to be totaled by what appears to be insignificant damage.

You need to find someone who can answer those questions for you. Here in the US, most body shops won't answer the questions because if they tell you wrong, or attempt to fix the structural damage, and then there's a failure, they can wind up with a liability issue that most will want to avoid. Shops that specialize in insurance work aren't going to help you. You need to find a good independent shop that does a lot of custom work, restoration, that kind of jobs.

 

This has become a proper soap-opera. I am in the middle of arguing with the insurance company (of the other driver) that the valuation is too low, and have no reponse from them. Meanwhile, I get a phone call from the autobody shop telling me my car has just been towed away! Nobody can tell me who has come to pick it up and why! I've called the police to report it stolen, and the insurance company has called back to tell me its on its way to the auction yard by mistake. I'v told them they have unlawfully taken my car, and that if it's not returned to me shortly I will press charges.

Unreal...how's that for big business...

 

X2 Don't use the bent body, as there are many outy there, that need engines, which go pretty cheap! Buy it back and remove the good stuff!

 

That's crazy!

Hopefully it will turn into leverage you can use to get a better settlement.

 

Wow

 

Update:

I've found my car. It's being brought back to my house.

I've been offered a better settlement, and I'm going to buy the car back for salvage value. It's expensive to put a written-off car back on the road here, so I may just decide to accelerate my track car plans and convert it to a track only machine. I'm not sure what classes I can run in here in NZ, but there must be some club racing available.

So first things first, straighten out the chassis if indeed it is bent slightly...I'll strip it down and take it into a shop that can measure it exactly.