cfiiman

So I got a call from my frantic wife this evening saying she had been slammed into in my Cayenne by a truck. Police were on the scene and the guy was apologetic (older gentleman) and took responsibility even though it was apparent he hit a stopped car. The police cited him for careless driving and thankfully he did have insurance (many people here in FL do not). My wife was in some pain so we went to the ER to have her checked out by a Doc. He gave her an exam and some pain medicine and said to "watch it" for the next few days. Have no idea how bad the damage will come in at, (back end bashed in, bumper messed up, light broken) the problem is our old 2004 Cayenne is worth a lot more to us than book value. Not sure what to do. I called the at fault drivers insurance and started a claim. They said the adjuster would call me with in a day or so being Friday evening. I need a rental car I think b/c the back of it is crushed in and the taillight is shattered and doesn't work. Can anyone give me some advice on how to proceed? I've never been through something like this before. I'm scared they're going to say my car is worth nothing and give me nothing, even though to me it is worth a lot and I have done a lot things to it maintenance wise to make it a wonderful car. I looked up Nada clean retail (have no idea if that is what they use) and it was 7K+ with my high mileage. Any advice would be appreciated. He hit her hard enough that the word "PORSCHE" is indented in his hood (see pic) which actually was kind of funny if it happened to someone else. Was wondering about rental car, who pays, etc. and anything else I need to be thinking about. Glad it wasn't my 911TT, thanks for any help.

jeff spahn

If they total it, buy it back, buy a parts and car and put it back together. Doesn't look that bad though. Depends on unibody damage.

cfiiman

I agree, seems like it should be fixable but with Porsche pricing and labor and the age/mileage I'm worried about the "totaled" scenario. How do you "buy it back"? I've heard of this but never done it, do you always have that option? Should I try to take it to an expensive dealer to have an estimate or a cheaper indy, does it matter?

nodoors

The adjuster will decide what he thinks it will cost to repair. It will be up to you to counter that number via quotes from a body shop.
Generally a vehicle is declared totalled if the cost of repairs exceeds about 80% of the current market value.

If they decide to total it you will probably get a check for less than you would like. You will have the right of first refusal to buy the car back at a very cheap price. It will have a salvage title which might make things to difficult to get it back on the road (depending on your state) if you decide to fix it.

Good luck! These things are stressful, but remember it is just a hunk of metal, leather, rubber, plastic, and glass that can be replaced. Your wife can not. If you don't have your health you don't have much.

Kirill

Don't go thu "other guys" insurance go thru yours. The reason is they love to spend other guy's money. At the end, your insurance will be reimbursed and they know it, they absolutely don't care how expensive it's going to be for another guy.
Did your wife see the other guy before? If she did - she braced for impact and that what causes the pain.
How well she fits in the seats? - if her back is not fully supported by seat - the impact wasn't distributed well.
Take her to a chiropractor for evaluation and get her full body massage.
Look up your state rules if you even supposed to drive it with busted tailight .
Ask your insurance about rental - but even if you don't have rental insurance - it's other guy's fault - he is paying for it.
Find a body shop that you want to work on your Cayenne - ask in local forums, call your dealer, or find a Porsche approved shop, take it for an estimate - so you know where you at. Just ballpark - if a body shop will use used pats - 2k$ on the bumper, 3-4k$ on the tailgate with taillight. If Porsche approved shop using new parts - 10k$ plus easy. When you figure out which shop you want to work on your car - drop it there, let insurance know, get yourself a rental - tell the shop to call you when they have an update.

Check out enterprise.com - they have cheap rates for weekend and they will come any pick you up, but insuarance may have a discounted rate with somebody else and they can just direct bill the insurance.

zx5go

Is Florida a 100% fault state? If not I wouldn’t speak with their agent on the phone without consulting your insurance and an attorney first (not sure I would anyway). I found out Missouri was not a 100% fault state the hard way.

If you want the easy route, turn it in to your insurance and let them go after the other driver’s insurance. Your agent should be able to explain the benefits of this approach. The other driver’s insurance isn’t there to help you in any way. The goal will be to minimize their outlay of cash.

cfiiman

Wait, ok, so if I take it to a shop that uses used parts, etc. then the guess is about 6K give or take or 10K with porsche. Wouldn't either of those "total" my 04 Cayenne with 160K miles? This is what is the worst scenario I can't get a really nice well cared for Cayenne fixed and to boot don't get enough money to get jack $hit that compares and we did NOTHING wrong WTF!

cfiiman

Florida is a no-fault state. I spoke to my insurance company tonight, they said it is fine to go through his insurance because there is no deductible and it is a 100% slam dunk that it is his fault. The claims person said if they give me the run-around I can get them involved if I want if I don't like how they are handling it. Not sure what to do, my buddy who is a lawyer told me to go after his insurance which is why I filed the claim with them, but what you are saying makes sense. However, this all seems to be a moot point as it sounds like fixing the bumper/tailgate/light without knowing anything else like frame or anything else would come close to totaling it b/c of its age, and definitely total it if it was at a Porsche dealer/approved shop. So the question is does it matter, and am I only looking for a number for the car? How much fighting can I do numbers wise? NADA has it at over 7K which I'd be ok with but that is "clean retail", not sure what that is.

Kirill

With used parts - they can give you a low initial estimate - insurance may bite and say go ahead with repair - then they will find hidden damage and find cheap parts, insurance will say continue.
Bumper cover if 500$ https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Rear-Bumper-Cover-Complete-for-2004-2006-Porsche-Cayenne/253216913510?fits=Year%3A2004%7CMake%3APorsche%7CModel%3ACayenne&hash=it em3af4e77866:g:6DAAAOSwTEJZ6T5p&vxp=mtr , than there must be some other mounting \ reinforcements, labor paint, bodyshop may have access to cheaper parts. They can pick up floor damaged Turbo from couple threads over - use parts from it. Really need to go to bodyshop and talk to them.

But be prepared to to fight over value for total loss. Have your mainenance history documented, and find what you'd think is a comparable vehicle - with simular history. Tell them this vehicle has sentimental value for you - they can't replace it with cold hard cash, only with a lot of cash.

Find some comparable Cayennes that you want to present as proof of value of yours

cfiiman

Any guess if they do decide to total it what they're top shelf offer would be? My Porsche Indy mechanic said mine was one of the nicest he'd ever seen and that's the problem. There are cheap Cayennes out there they may point to in order to low ball me but I'd rather have my higher mileage one then one with half the miles b/c of how well it runs. This is the problem. I feel like we are not talking enough money to get a lawyer involved, but don't want to take it up the *** with a concrete ***** either.

Kirill

7k$ figure that you found is probably that they will offer. Ask your mechanic to write a letter for you, explain that most comparable cayennes are neglected, may get 1-2k$ extra, but I doubt you can get them over 10k. Lawer will not help much - unless you go for pain and suffer for your wife.

cfiiman

Yeah, I hate lawyers anyway (my best friend and Dad are one lol), I just don't want them to offer me 4 grand b/c it is totaled. Guess I'll have to wait and see. Should I go ahead and rent a car, are they obligated to reimburse for it or am I just out those expenses?

Dilberto

Did the rear wheel wells buckle?

v10rick

Even if the the body was repaired, drive-line shock may have caused damage that will surface later.

Most important is the g force shock to your wife. Medication is just a temporary cover up. Take it from someone with chronic back issues, delayed symptoms could surface months later.

I am surprised the lawyer did not mention this.

My spouse was involved in a fender bender with her 2000 Porsche Boxter. The insurance estimate listed new parts only. The fender, hood and headlight assembly exceeded the value of the car so it was totaled. The check was close to NADA private party resale value.

Most auto polices include a rental car, the adjuster allowed 30 days to locate a replacement. If his insurance wont pay for the rental your insurance should.

Kirill

The other guy who caused the accident is obligated to cover all your expenses for this accident. One of the expense - is you now need a vehicle to drive, so they will cover the rental, but may pretend like they don't have and try to stall.
Try calling your insurance - they may have low rate deal for rentals in your area. You will get your deductible back in few months when it all settled.