I JUST BOUGHT HER 4 MONTHS AGO!!!!

[1stMarauder]

I was waiting at a red light with my girlfriend and it changed to green. I started to hit the gas and made it halfway through the intersection when an 18 year old girl on her cell phone with no seat belt ran the the red light doing about 40 mph. It happened so fast and I didn't even see her coming. I'm hoping the car can be fixed. Fortunately we were okay. I believe the girl's face smashed into her windshield and she had to be taken out be ambulance. 1 more second and she would have hit my driver door. The Marauder is built like a tank. It is still drivable but I am not sure the insurance won't total it out. The trunk lines are off. We shall see if I can find a good collision guy.

[sam]

Im glad you and your lady friend are ok. car can be replaced.
Keep your chin up ok.

[1stMarauder]

Im glad you and your lady friend are ok. car can be replaced.
Keep your chin up ok.

Thanks man. You are absolutely right. I am so glad everyone involved (more or less) was able to walk away. It still stings that I just bought this car and it was in such good shape. I really wanted to keep it as factory as possible but now it has this on its record.

[ctrlraven]

Glad to hear you guys were okay.

If the insurance company totals it out, you could always buy it back and fix it.

[Gryphonzus]

I understand your pain. Glad you are not hurt and walked away from it. Hopefully they can fix it or you can find another one.

[88CuttyClassic]

i had a similar thing happen to my hurst olds. not nearly as fast. i ripped the girl a new one and didnt feel bad when she cried.... still dont either. and of course she had the cheapest insurance possible, The general.

[1stMarauder]

i had a similar thing happen to my hurst olds. not nearly as fast. i ripped the girl a new one and didnt feel bad when she cried.... still dont either. and of course she had the cheapest insurance possible, The general.

I'm pretty sure this girl has really cheap insurance as well. It's called Infinity Low Cost....

[Lowndex]

I was waiting at a red light with my girlfriend and it changed to green. I started to hit the gas and made it halfway through the intersection when an 18 year old girl on her cell phone with no seat belt ran the the red light doing about 40 mph. It happened so fast and I didn't even see her coming. I'm hoping the car can be fixed. Fortunately we were okay. I believe the girl's face smashed into her windshield and she had to be taken out be ambulance. 1 more second and she would have hit my driver door. The Marauder is built like a tank. It is still drivable but I am not sure the insurance won't total it out. The trunk lines are off. We shall see if I can find a good collision guy.

If the frame is damaged, it will need much $ to straighten. May be better buying a used Marauder in great shape (fully loaded, stock, etc.).

Make sure the insurance company provides for an inspection and you find the source - NEVER trust your insurance company! Insurance companies are in business to collect money; not give it out. That business is called a bank.

[fastblackmerc]

Glad to hear no one was seriously hurt.

Take it to a shop that YOU trust.

[1stMarauder]

If the frame is damaged, it will need much $ to straighten. May be better buying a used Marauder in great shape (fully loaded, stock, etc.).

Make sure the insurance company provides for an inspection and you find the source - NEVER trust your insurance company! Insurance companies are in business to collect money; not give it out. That business is called a bank.

I have it reported to my insurance company but the claim is going through her company. I am not entirely sure what value they compare against the damage to determine if it is totaled or not. Does anyone know if they use trade in, retail, private vs dealer values?

[WPG_Merc]

Glad to hear everyone's ok, :2thumbs:
The girl may or will charged for it & one nasty Bill from the hospital.:D

[Comin' in Hot]

Glad you are ok, the car did its job. I just saw last night that there is one for sale at Peruzzi Mitsubishi in Quakertown if yours gets totaled. Do not accept the first insurance offer. Make sure you get it fixed or replaced.

[Comin' in Hot]

http://www.peruzzimitsubishi.com/used/Mercury/2003-Mercury-Marauder-520584050a0a000277c4308b161f89 49.htm

[1stMarauder]

http://www.peruzzimitsubishi.com/used/Mercury/2003-Mercury-Marauder-520584050a0a000277c4308b161f89 49.htm

That one looks pretty nice. I'm hoping to hold onto this one if possible. If not, I'm about to finish building my truck probably in about a week. I'm just going to drive that for a bit and pick up a beater.

[BPinsent]

Glad to hear that you are okay, could have been worse.

[sailsmen]

I have it reported to my insurance company but the claim is going through her company. I am not entirely sure what value they compare against the damage to determine if it is totaled or not. Does anyone know if they use trade in, retail, private vs dealer values?

Barring any laws unique to your State. Assuming she is legally liable she has t0 put you right back where you were right before she hit you.
Generally this is the cost including taxes and title for you to buy the same car in the same condition w/ the same amount of gas in it.

[alec2538]

Most insurance companies will total a car if the repair estimate is 45% or more of the value of the car. Considering "book value" on these cars is (unfortunately) pretty low, I'd estimate they'll total it is the repair is any more than $2,800-$3,500. With the drivers frame horn being ripped sideways, header panel, bumper, fog lights, at least one headlight/side marker, grille, possible core support and condenser, plus any hidden damage and paint work I'd wager than you're WELL over that figure.

Buy it back and find a reputable body shop of your choice and get it fixed. It certainly looks saveable, even if not to the insurance company.

[jlangmaid]

Good to hear you're both ok, and fortunate that you weren't quicker into the intersection. You may both want to be checked out by a doctor if you haven't yet in case something pops up in the next couple of days.

[Badass_forever]

I need some parts.......

[jsignorelli]

The reason for having collectors insurance on limited edition cars:
cheap insurance companies are on the hook for all of the damage caused by their bad clients. Hagerty charges for what the car is appraised at, by a certified collector car appraiser.

[sailsmen]

Many "Collectors" insurance policies have use restrictions, in many instances for a garage queen.
Check any use restrictions before you switch to "Collectors" insurance.

[Darigaaz]

Yikes! No matter how safe you drive it seems like there is always the possibility that something out of your control (and the other driver's apparently) will come along. At least you and your friend made it out safe, hopefully things will work out for you.

[1 Bad Merc]

Normally the insurance companies use the Kelley Blue book value in determining when to total it.

[jsignorelli]

Guilty as charged. I do treat my Marauder like a garage queen. And... I'll still have her in 40 years, just like my '69 Shelby, my '70 Boss 302, my '73Mach 1 and my '65 FFR Cobra kit car.

[Comin' in Hot]

FYI I just saw a marauder on a flatbed pulling into Copart in Pennsburg(philly) about 3pm today. It was hit in the passenger quarter panel. The front looked good from what I saw..... I was just in the right place at the right time. I'm sure it will be listed in the next couple days.

[1stMarauder]

FYI I just saw a marauder on a flatbed pulling into Copart in Pennsburg(philly) about 3pm today. It was hit in the passenger quarter panel. The front looked good from what I saw..... I was just in the right place at the right time. I'm sure it will be listed in the next couple days.


Thanks for the heads up! I am taking the car today to have an initial estimate done. Turns out this girl was NOT covered by the insurance on the car she was driving and the claim was denied. I have USAA and they will be covering the damage and going after the family for the money. Unfortunate for them. Well I wanted to use a shop that I know and trust but was not in USAA's network so they want me to have the estimate done by someone in their network and then I take the estimate to my guy. Is it true that they will total a car if the estimate is over 45%? I have only made 3 payments on the car!

[sailsmen]

No, absolutely NOT. The USAA Adjuster has to meet with the body shop of your choice. The body shop works with the USAA Adjuster.
DEMAND this.
The adjuster and the person doing the work must have a meeting of the minds. If they can't you need to know before any $$$ is spent.

[sflrainmaker01]

No, absolutely NOT. The USAA Adjuster has to meet with the body shop of your choice. The body shop works with the USAA Adjuster.
DEMAND this.
The adjuster and the person doing the work must have a meeting of the minds. If they can't you need to know before any $$$ is spent.

Yeah. That is what they "prefer" or "strongly recommend". FWIW, my daughter just wrecked her Prizm and we sent the car to the "recommended" shop. Guess what? They totaled the car for only a hood and a pair of headlights.:mad2: Problem was they estimated a replacement hood ~$1400+++ and the estimate came out to $3000!:eek: So, they totaled it. I argued about it, but lost. I ended up just buying it back for next to nothing and put a used hood and two new headlights in it and she's as good as new again! Total cost ~$250 and some time. Good luck! ;)

[1stMarauder]

No, absolutely NOT. The USAA Adjuster has to meet with the body shop of your choice. The body shop works with the USAA Adjuster.
DEMAND this.
The adjuster and the person doing the work must have a meeting of the minds. If they can't you need to know before any $$$ is spent.

Apparently USAA does not want to use an adjuster. They want the first estimate done by a shop in their network.

[sflrainmaker01]

Apparently USAA does not want to use an adjuster. They want the first estimate done by a shop in their network.

Read my post before yours.....

[sailsmen]

Apparently USAA does not want to use an adjuster. They want the first estimate done by a shop in their network.
USAA also wanted to drag one of our cars up on a flatbed, bring it to a salvage yard, have it dumped on the ground with a fork lift and then have one of their guys do an "estimate". At that point there is no doubt it would be a total.

USAA told me front end damage on a car with over 100,000 miles is always deemed a total w/o ever having seen the damage. So they treat the car as a total.

I told them I am having my wrecker tow it to my shop and they have 2 business days to have their adjuster look at it.

To intimidate me they said we don't pay storage fees at out of network body shops. I responded I have been doing business with this shop for 30 years, they are in my network and they don't charge me a storage fee.

The car was no where near a total and USAA paid in full.

[1stMarauder]

Well, they totaled her. The frame is cracked...

[Embassy]

Sorry to hear this.

[CoreyM75]

Well, they totaled her. The frame is cracked...

That's terrible news. I hope that everything works out for you. Stick to your guns and don't take the first offer that the insurance adjuster gives you.