Total it or Fix it?

[4B Viper]

I'm in a quandry and any advice would be appreciated. Unfortunately I got into an accident last month and had my Viper towed to my shop. My guy told me the damage was around 40k so it was my decision whether or not I wanted to get it fixed or for him to report it as totaled to the insurance company.

My fear for reporting it as totaled is it seems like the KBB or Edmunds value for my Viper is much lower than what it would actually cost to find a comporable replacement. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Zan186]

Have to do the Math. If frame is bent up then total it. If it is just the body, then you can work with that

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Call Jon B. at PartsRack! He loves to fight big bad insurance companies and get us actual replacement value, not what KBB says!

 

[big-n-italian]

 

[mike & juli]

First of all, 4BViper, sounds as if you are okay from the accident, that's the most important thing. Second thing--I'd say another opinion possibly on the damage? If frame is in any way compromised, I'd want to total it; if not--bodywork can be done...you need to first get EXPERT opinions by people actually looking your car over very carefully. Good Luck, and sorry to hear about the accident. ~juli~

 

[Venomiss]

Have to do the Math. If frame is bent up then total it. If it is just the body, then you can work with that

Exactly what he said. Then settle up and go find another..or even an '08!
They have some great colors this time......

 

[RTTTTed]

It's great that you're OK. Whenever something bad happens I try to get something good out of it. Instead of trying to figure out which way you'll stay even - try to figure out which way you can come out of it with a better car. Maybe if it can be fixed, you can get a better paintjob out of it, or if a shock is damaged - maybe you can get all new shocks out of the deal? Talk to your insurance adjuster and ask him what value he'll give you. Maybe they'll allow you some time to try and find a replacement car before they force you to decide to fix or replace. I'd try to find a better car to replace yours or try to get yours fixed better than it was before.

If I blow a headgasket I'll port the heads while I'm replacing the gaskets. If I have an exhaust leak, I'll instal a better exhaust system or headers so that when I'm done the car is better than it was before!

If all you do is maintenance then as your car gets older it gets worse. If you do upgrades all the time your car gets better and better as it gets older!

Ted

 

[Cobraken]

If you collect on your insurance they will determine if your car is totalled. My insurance totalled my '02 ACR (graphite/silver with 4k miles) with about the same estimate as yours & I didn't want to own a car with a salvage title so decided not to repair.

 

[PatentLaw]

4B Viper,

Sorry to hear about the accident. I am sure that you hate having your car in pieces. Aside from the normal posts that I do on this website, I happen to know where a fair amount of the other Sapphire Blue ACR's are in the country. You have a really rare car, as you know. While all Vipers have some rarity, the Sapphire Blue ACR's are especially rare and it is a shame to see 1 of the 28 originals have an accident.

To the best of my knowledge, I believe that there are two like cars in California, one in New Mexico, a couple in Texas, mine in New Jersey and one in Bahrain (no kidding). Despite the rarity, all cars, apart from their emotional value to the individual, have a monetary value. Without seeing your car, I cannot give you a totally 100 percent accurate opinion, but with the information that I have, as sad as it seems, I think that you have to total the car. The reasons are as follows:

If in your accident you damaged a couple of ACR wheels, they can be 3k per piece for perfect ones. More troublesome are the Dynamic Suspension shocks that retail, per piece, more than the wheels. As you may know, the hood is worth approximately 16k or there abouts. Totalling this all up, you may be at 30k for just parts.

Matters get worse sorry to say. Although I am sure that your mechanic is good, chances are that he/she has never worked on a complete rebuild of a Viper. The number that they gave you, 40k, is an estimate. That means it could come out lower, or higher (gulp). Lets say that it was a fairly accurate estimate and was off by only 10 percent. You are up to 44k. And that is if the person is extremely good at what they do.

Also, fixing the car, without the wheels or Dynamic Suspension shocks will affect the overall value of the car. I would not do it. If it is an ACR without the right components, it is not an ACR. Period. Might as well just put a sticker on the side of the car and call it a day.

If you run into unexpected damage, the value goes higher. If a part is hard to find, the troubles mount even more. Fixing the car, putting the car for sale, with full knowledge that the car has been in a serious accident, is fraud in some states if not disclosed. You don't want any part of that, or even to take the chance.

I would take the suggestion of some of the other members here who have had an "expert" value their car in order for you to get the most out of the car. That would be the cleanest way for you to minimize your economic damage. As for buying another Sapphire ACR, it may be a very long wait. You never know, but over 1/4 of the total production is spoken for. Many have been crashed, further limiting the number available.

Even though it pains me to say it as I am really partial to these particular cars, I think that you have to scratch one flattop and send her to Davey Jones locker. I am sure that you can get your value out of the car using the resources here.

Best of luck to you,

Patentlaw

 

[ViperJames]

HAVE IT TOTALED! Why would you want to drive around in a car that had $40k in damage? It will never be the same, and your future value will have automatically dropped significantly, plus with all the deals out there you can surely replace it with the same or better with the funds...I thnk it's a no brainer.

 

[got one]

Get Jon B involved!!!!

 

[pugads651]

total it and buy it back from the insurance company and rebuild it and have some cash left over thats what i would do.

 

[AFL in NJ]

If its any help, between the bunch of us on this forum, if you choose to undertake repairs at a shop of your choice, there are more than a few of us who would know where they've seen parts required for your list....the only question will be whether can manage not to exceed the money your insurance company authorizes to keep the car with a clear title and what overage budget you can handle without worry.

Remember, if you're involved in watching the repair, your title will remain clear however you'll have an accident history on the car.....then again if you plan to keep it, it won't really matter now....it's still your baby.

The hood is an $18600.00 part + paint, I've seen boxed new hoods as low as $6000.00 brand new, so that's $12600 right there by shopping around.

I can tell you that my girlfriend isn't that pleased that a portion of our garage is stockpiled with spare Viper parts (including a near perfect hood I plan to prep and get primed this summer) as well as the attic....although she doesn't go in there....so it's a moot point. But people like JonB, X2scott builders, Don Scharff motors, etc. have acquired lots of Viper parts and post what you can't find here and I'm sure someone will know where to find it.

Regards,
Aaron

 

[DodgeViper01]

4B Viper,

Sorry to hear about the accident. I am sure that you hate having your car in pieces. Aside from the normal posts that I do on this website, I happen to know where a fair amount of the other Sapphire Blue ACR's are in the country. You have a really rare car, as you know. While all Vipers have some rarity, the Sapphire Blue ACR's are especially rare and it is a shame to see 1 of the 28 originals have an accident.

To the best of my knowledge, I believe that there are two like cars in California, one in New Mexico, a couple in Texas, mine in New Jersey and one in Bahrain (no kidding). Despite the rarity, all cars, apart from their emotional value to the individual, have a monetary value. Without seeing your car, I cannot give you a totally 100 percent accurate opinion, but with the information that I have, as sad as it seems, I think that you have to total the car. The reasons are as follows:

If in your accident you damaged a couple of ACR wheels, they can be 3k per piece for perfect ones. More troublesome are the Dynamic Suspension shocks that retail, per piece, more than the wheels. As you may know, the hood is worth approximately 16k or there abouts. Totalling this all up, you may be at 30k for just parts.

Matters get worse sorry to say. Although I am sure that your mechanic is good, chances are that he/she has never worked on a complete rebuild of a Viper. The number that they gave you, 40k, is an estimate. That means it could come out lower, or higher (gulp). Lets say that it was a fairly accurate estimate and was off by only 10 percent. You are up to 44k. And that is if the person is extremely good at what they do.

Also, fixing the car, without the wheels or Dynamic Suspension shocks will affect the overall value of the car. I would not do it. If it is an ACR without the right components, it is not an ACR. Period. Might as well just put a sticker on the side of the car and call it a day.

If you run into unexpected damage, the value goes higher. If a part is hard to find, the troubles mount even more. Fixing the car, putting the car for sale, with full knowledge that the car has been in a serious accident, is fraud in some states if not disclosed. You don't want any part of that, or even to take the chance.

I would take the suggestion of some of the other members here who have had an "expert" value their car in order for you to get the most out of the car. That would be the cleanest way for you to minimize your economic damage. As for buying another Sapphire ACR, it may be a very long wait. You never know, but over 1/4 of the total production is spoken for. Many have been crashed, further limiting the number available.

Even though it pains me to say it as I am really partial to these particular cars, I think that you have to scratch one flattop and send her to Davey Jones locker. I am sure that you can get your value out of the car using the resources here.

Best of luck to you,

Patentlaw

Very well said Patent!

 

[DodgeViper01]

Call Jon B. at PartsRack! He loves to fight big bad insurance companies and get us actual replacement value, not what KBB says!

Yes sir. He seems to be very good at this.

 

[PDCjonny]

Zero resale value.
Dump it.

 

[thebigsnake]

By giving it a "Rebuild" title your giving the next owner a whole bunch of issues as both the state government & the insurance companies' garages use the opportunity to extort money out of the owner of the car.
Once again those so called do-gooders are really the fun-killers.

 

[4B Viper]

I really appreciate everyody's feedback on this matter and especially PatentLaw and those who've personally PMed me. It reminds me of what a tight and great community this is.

Regretfully, I've decided to let my Viper be totalled so at this moment I'm Viperless. I say regretfully because there's a small chance I may not get another Viper as a replacement. Problem is that I love this car too much and when I'm behind the wheel of a Viper, I drive it like a madman. With any other car, I'm a really conservative driver, but for some reason I tend to drive a little faster and harder than I should with my Viper, which was pretty much the cause of my accident.

On the upside, although I love my Sapphire to death, I've always had my eye on a FE so there maybe a silverlining to this after all.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Same thing happened to me a year ago, I actually found an exact duplicate of my car with only 1400 miles on it. Start shopping, the pain will fade.

 

[mike & juli]

4B: Viperless--that is so very sad...sorry to hear about the decision to total the car, but it's probably the best decision for that particular car. I see that you would have to learn to 'restrain' yourself, is that the word?!!! As you said, that was the cause of the accident, that's not good....as you know, these Vipers get away from one VERY easily....if you DO get another Viper, hope that you enjoy it AND drive responsibly~~~~~~juli

 

[dansauto]

canyou buy the car back from the ins co. Find out and PM me I may be interested, I rebuild these all the time.

 

[AviP]

Regretfully, I've decided to let my Viper be totalled so at this moment I'm Viperless.

Total it, buy back the car (usually 20% or less) and rebuild it for the track. It will fix all your problems.

 

[Cobraken]

I too was sick when I lost my ACR & from time to time look to see if 1 of her sisters is on the market. I bought my car & sold it to Jon B to make 1 of his "donor" cars. It really made me sick when I would see her parts being sold on the internet or here in the forums.

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

Sorry about your accident and I'm glad you are OK. I agree with above posts that letting go of it is the best option. The 08's are coming out this year with 600 hp and upgraded driveline. I am partial to the appearence of a Gen I or II (especially an ACR) so I can understand if you are considering keepng it but getting a new Viper is the best financial option.

 

[Bobpantax]

Problem is that I love this car too much and when I'm behind the wheel of a Viper, I drive it like a madman. With any other car, I'm a really conservative driver, but for some reason I tend to drive a little faster and harder than I should with my Viper, which was pretty much the cause of my accident.

I am sorry for your loss. You seem to be saying that the cause of the accident was driving beyond your skill level. Two words: Driving School. Driving school is fun, informative, relatively inexpensive and worth the time and effort. You were very, very lucky. You did not hurt yourself or others. Think about it. The crash could have resulted in a permanent change to your reality. Get a new Viper. It's similar to when a pet dies. The sooner you replace it with the new Viper/puppy, the sooner the pain will subside. Have a safe one.

Happy Father's Day!

Bob