Totaled Prius

[PKSchwarz]

My daughter's 2004 Prius was totaled by a hit and run driver. She and a friend were unhurt. The insurance company paid full value to us for the car, and we turned over the title. She is now in a 2006 Prius, and, now realizing that added to the mileage and emission advantages are survivability and value retention, I am happily in a 2006 Prius of my own.

Through a quirk*, I find that her 2004 is being restored and will be returned to the road. Is this a standard practice with all manner of totaled cars? This individual apparently specializes in restoring wrecked hybrids.

Does anyone know about this?


*-a scrap of paper she left in the car had my e-mail address, and he wanted a key.

[Godiva]

I think it varies from state to state.

While there is a legal process to put a salvaged car back on the road, it isn't easy to get insurance with a salvaged title. In California insurance is required so that presents a problem.

[Rancid13]

It is legal...I don't know if it's standard practice for all totalled cars, but if you did a quick search on Ebay for Priuses in general, your search would turn up A LOT of Priuses w/salvage title. I think that particular car is in such high demand and low supply right now that if someone can repair a damaged or even totalled Prius to like-new condition they can make a pretty penny on it. But the person selling the vehicle does have to let any potential buyers know that the vehicle is a salvage title which can pose a problem for someone who's looking to finance their purchase as a lot of loan companies will not do auto loans for salvaged vehicles (as far as I know) and it is tougher to get insurance for them too.

[tduescher]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Aug 24 2006, 06:21 PM) [snapback]309051[/snapback]</div>

I think it varies from state to state.

While there is a legal process to put a salvaged car back on the road, it isn't easy to get insurance with a salvaged title. In California insurance is required so that presents a problem.
[/b]

Wisconsin allows a salvaged vehicle to operate if certified. I bought a 2005 Chev Malibu classic with 15,000 miles for my son at 1/2 of the price for a similar used car ($7,000). The drivers side wheel was tore off in the accident. The rebuilt car runs fine. I have a salvaged Title. Insurance was not a problem. Wisconsin requires that the Dept of Transportation certify any rebuilt vehicles before issuing a title.


I suspect a Hybrid would be the same

[aaf709]

Disclaimer: In California with AAA

In December 2004 my wife got in an accident in her Windstar (nobody hurt and it was still drivable). She was told the vehicle was totaled and that we had 2 choices. We could accept the payment and AAA would keep the car, or we could keep the car and take a 20% less payment. We would then use the money to tow the vehicle (which no longer ran after their tests) to a shop and have it repaired. Then it would be taken to the CHP for them to certify that it's ok to drive, then take it to the DMV to register it as a "salvaged vehicle." After that AAA wouldn't insure it for collision.

We went with the first choice. The bit of serendipity about this was that when we went to Enterprise to rent a car, they had a Prius. We ended up renting it for 2 weeks as my car (Ford Probe) was waiting registration (another story). She drove my father's spare car (which I was driving) while I got to see what the Prius was like (I was on a list since September 2004). That was in January '05 and I got one in April '05.

[yups]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PKSchwarz @ Aug 24 2006, 06:14 PM) [snapback]309046[/snapback]</div>

My daughter's 2004 Prius was totaled by a hit and run driver. She and a friend were unhurt. The insurance company paid full value to us for the car, and we turned over the title. She is now in a 2006 Prius, and, now realizing that added to the mileage and emission advantages are survivability and value retention, I am happily in a 2006 Prius of my own.

Through a quirk*, I find that her 2004 is being restored and will be returned to the road. Is this a standard practice with all manner of totaled cars? This individual apparently specializes in restoring wrecked hybrids.

Does anyone know about this?
*-a scrap of paper she left in the car had my e-mail address, and he wanted a key.
[/b]

Yups. It's best to get the H(X) of the car, like carfax. That tells you what where and when. Of note , i looked at a salvaged title 03 prius. The display couldn't give you the MPG or AVG's. All it did was let you know when ICE was running and charging. Plus it would drain the 12 V to zero after a couple of days. You gotta be super vigilant/buyer beware with an Insurance auctioned off auto.
just out of curiosity, which Insurance company came through for your duaghter? Most companys bend you over and undervalue vehicles. Snake Farm is notorious for that.

[Soylent]

It *IS*, unfortunately, possible to illegally clear the title of salvage... there are many new and used cars for sale (even at dealerships) that have been recovered from post-flood New Orleans and surrounding areas.

What did you think they did with tens, if not hundreds of thousands of flooded cars? A flooded car is supposed to be automatically "totaled" by insurance companies and marked as salvage.

There are some ways to tell--- lifting up carpeting to see if it's damp/moldy, looking inside car computer box for wetness. Besides that, not much else can be done.

[DaveinOlyWA]

in my state, all you do is get a salvage title. the insurance company is required to give the owner first right to pay the salvage cost (that would deducted from any claims payout)

[PKSchwarz]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(yups @ Aug 25 2006, 12:10 PM) [snapback]309321[/snapback]</div>

Yups. It's best to get the H(X) of the car, like carfax. That tells you what where and when. Of note , i looked at a salvaged title 03 prius. The display couldn't give you the MPG or AVG's. All it did was let you know when ICE was running and charging. Plus it would drain the 12 V to zero after a couple of days. You gotta be super vigilant/buyer beware with an Insurance auctioned off auto.
just out of curiosity, which Insurance company came through for your duaghter? Most companys bend you over and undervalue vehicles. Snake Farm is notorious for that.
[/b]

It was Travelers. I insisted at the start that the car be towed to a Toyota dealership from where it had been taken. The adjuster first found $11,000 in external damage. The Toyota people opened it up and added much more, starting with replacement of the main battery. That did it. Travelers sent me a check for $25,000, which almost paid for her new 2006.