Well on my way to work this morning, I was cruising about 80+ on my favorite back road when I spotted a deer and had to get hard on the brakes. The deer seem to be in a hurry to get where a deer needs to go in the morning. Danger gone, hard on the gas again in my super autotragic :(.

This got me thinking about how I would recover some of my parts if my insurance totaled the car after an accident, that I wouldn't have immedate parts for swaping - i.e. wheels, suspension parts? How much I would have to pay to keep the car out of a salvage yard?

Herbert

It would depend on your insurance company. I've also heard that some states are clamping down on owners buying their cars back from the insurance company.

Be careful out there - I run early in the morning in Deer Heaven, too. Had an acquaintance die this way... (unsuccessfully avoiding a deer, lost control and crashed into the woods - this guy was a certified driving instructor, too)

Get good headlights, too...

Yeah my headlights are great, I just re-aimed them about 3wks ago. My dad grew up in CT and has always taugh me to plow through animals, just aim for the rear if at all possible (lightest end of the animal).
Thanks Herbert

It would depend on your insurance company. I've also heard that some states are clamping down on owners buying their cars back from the insurance company.

Be careful out there - I run early in the morning in Deer Heaven, too. Had an acquaintance die this way... (unsuccessfully avoiding a deer, lost control and crashed into the woods - this guy was a certified driving instructor, too)

Get good headlights, too...

+1

I had a close run-in with a deer a few years ago too. That scared the hell out of me, lol. The deer went one way, then ran back across the road the other way.

Check with your insurance co. for their specific policy. Typically they let you buy back the vehicle for 1/4 the totaled price. Most of them won't credit non-factory upgrades into the value, so if you've done significant mods, the most economical prospect would be to go ahead and let them total it, buy it back, swap the parts you want to the next car and sell the rest.

If you're attached to the car, you might be better dealing directly with a body shop for the repair & keep the insurance co. out of it. Even if the car is repairable but was totaled because the cost of repair exceeds 75% book value, the insurance co. will stamp the title "Salvage". Then it becomes dicey depending on the state, whether the car can ever be put back on the road, even if it was only cosmetic damage that totaled it. There are ways to "launder" a salvage title but the legality gets sticky.

So I guess, you would have to weigh how much you would spend to replace the items you want off of the wrecked car with how much it would cost to buy the car back - which is what they pay out for the car minus about 1/4 the cost. Thanks for the info.
Herbert

FWIW, I almost hit a deer one night last winter. In avoiding it, I hit a curb. Repairs were made and everything was good.
Now my insurance adjuster just told me my rate went up. She said if I had hit the deer, my rates would've stayed the same.

Sometimes its better to hit the deer. Just thought I would share my misery with you guys. Get good headlights!