Finally got a decent job so I decided to do some work on my 02 Max.

Repainted the bumpers, hood and side skirts. Smoked the headlights, side markers and tail lights. New struts, new springs and custom catback exhaust. Top it all off with a full detail of the car.



After finishing everything up and almost making it through the winter, I did this.



The insurance company has officially informed me that the car is a total loss. Now I have two options: take what they offer me for the value of the car, or buy it back and fix her up. I would have to pay a salvage fee to get the car back and that would lower my net pay by $2,000. After the time and money I spent on the car, I would love to keep the car. I'm just not sure if it's realistic. The car has been well maintained and is mechanically perfect. The car is in great condition.. other than the obvious damage to the front end haha.

I just wanted to post something and see if my attachment to the car is clouding my vision of what is realistically possible. By the way, the title would not have to be registered as salvaged.

If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance.

-Ed

 

move on i would

 

I would move on. You can redo and improve on the next 5th gen.

 

I would let it go and get the money from the insurance company. Its better to get another used car and put in all your effort in improving it.

 

Let it go and pick up another Maxima.

 

I don't know if I could do that to her haha. It wouldn't be the same. This is killing me.

 

Move on, get yourself another maxima.
Its not worth fixing it up.

 

If you buy it and fix it up, you are still going to have a car that has "Salvage" branded on the title. If you ever decide to sell it, it will be worth HALF of blue book value because it is a Salvage title car. Don't go throwing good money after bad.

 

hey now my max is salvage.......

 

That accident woudn't be so bad if the fender wasn't crunched so far. There is a lot of damage behind that for sure, and it just wouldn't make sense to spend that type of money to fix it. The chances of everything lining up properly after that is pretty slim too.

 

State Farm actually said that it would not have a salvaged title. Apparently in NJ if the car more than 8 years old and it is totaled the title does not have to be altered. I can just buy it back, fix it up and as long as it's drivable I can insure it again.

I actually never planned on selling it. I was kind of hoping the car never died and I could keep commuting to work in it for the next few years.

 

I'm going to head over to the body shop that the car is currently at and see if I can inspect it further. I haven't really been able to do much since the accident because I had to wait for them to make an estimate. If I can get away with just replacing the hood, bumper and fender without having to mess with too much under the hood I think I'm going to keep it.

Bad idea? Maybe. But, it might be a necessary decision haha

 

that sucks man:9 you had clean ride. GL with everything

 

You are going to have to replace the radiator support and most likely the part in front of the strut tower. Basically there is more to it then just replacing the hood,bumper,fender, and headlight.

I think it comes down to the decision if you want to keep the car for the rest of your life. That is what is going to happen if you buy it back.

 

let it go man...sometimes you just have to take a lost...you could probably pull the skirts w/o them saying anything and sell it other than that...let it go and find another one. i'm sorry about your lost, this is one of my fears to get my car to a point then somethign like a total lost happens

 

You didn't say what they'd give you if you let them take it.... No one has bothered to ask... it's a pretty important part of making this decision. Don't forget you have the right to have it inspected and repairs quoted yourself. If you can get someone to quote high enough it may be worth it, then do some of the repairs yourself (sounds like you can paint) and you'll have cash left over.

Mileage is a huge factor too, you didnt list that either

 

You bring up a lot of good points that I should have included in the original post. That's my mistake. The car has 141k, but like I said earlier, the car has been well maintained and has never given me any trouble. If I buy the car back I will end up with $5,500. A good friend of mine painted my car in the past and he said he would be able to do it again for a decent price.

 

I say your next step is get a realistic quote on full repair cost, and then do the math.
Then factor in any repairs you are aware of that are pending on the car, including any large maintenence items, and do the math on that.
If any of those figures are close to or exceed $5500, and you can't negotiate for movement on pay-out, then take the money and walk away.

I suspect you can get someone to do the repairs much cheaper than that.. you also need to factor in that what you'll be left with, is a car with 141k that was in an accident. So if you don't have money left over, maybe it's not the best way to go. You can find a nice car for $5500 if you have time to look.

If you have the stock components to replace any mods you've done you can swap them out before they take the car too, as long as you dont remove anything without replacing it. Then you can decide to try and part out or keep for another Max.

That'd be the intellegent way to do it IMO.

 

$7500 for an 02 maxima? isn't that a bit low?

 

Are you serious? With that mileage? That's a high payout, he's very lucky to get it.

 

well man up and face the truth bud. the guy isnt lying to you

 

Get the cash and get another Max...

 

7500... bro, get the chedda

 

You can have my 02 with 96000 miles on it for $7200 if you like that price...
its a 6MT

 

Take the bread and don't look back at it anymore. Any which way you look at it, you're still going to spend some good cheddar repairing it. And for a $7200 pay-out, I would sell a few inconspicuous parts to help some members repair their buckets (like me) and keep it moving.

 

I'll be able to make a decision tomorrow after I see the car at the body shop and look at it a little closer. If it's a disaster under the hood then I might have to just let her go..

I'll post the status in here so I can see if any of you guys needs parts that I could possibly take off the car without it being obvious. They did tell me that they can adjust the amount I receive if I take anything off of the car that was factored into the settlement cost. I doubt they know that things like the CAI are even there though haha. Thanks again to everyone for your help with the decision.

 

my car is titled salvage OMG!! who cars about that it only matters if your trying to sell the car, my friends maxima is titled salvage and it is mechanically perfect such as yours and he still dustin cars like theres no tomorrow!

 

LOL as if your CAI is any good

I still think it can be done well under $5500 unless the engine and tranny are toast. And even then it's possible.

I don't think you'd regret walking away with $7500. When my 4th gen got clipped I did the math just like I told you to do. For me, I could have done the repairs and had some coin left over. Then I looked at the upcoming repairs.

I had exhaust repairs coming, power steering leaks, a couple minor oil leaks that needed to be addressed, a IP shaft bearing, and a full service, and some minor scratches in the paint, etc, plus that dam Evap canister issue. All minor things, but added up, equaled a good chunk of change over the next year or so (more than I'd be able to pocket after repairs.)

Then I considered sale cost (if I were to sell the car). That price was at least a G or two below the price they were offering to pay out for the car. SO In my mind, I decided, I'm 'selling' the car.
It was tough, There's a lot of days I wish I had kept it, but I know it was the right decision.
You have to stop listening to eveyone and just do the math on it, that will give you the answer whether you like it or not

 

It's your move now "Boss" . The "ORG-Buzzards" are circling your carnage as they can smell when one of the members have given-up on their loved-one (Maxima). If it helps, I've done something similar and now regret it because it had costed more than I was willing to dish out and I put in my own work. Again not worth repairing, but I am kinda biased because I need a very small, but much needed part that no insurance company will ever miss.

 

Sometimes salvage cars are great vehicles, sometimes they are not. I have seen ones that were actually 2 cars welded together.

If is a good car for you, more power to you. I only addressed what is is worth.
take the KBB value and cut it in half.

Oh, the other thing about salvage cars; I don't know any banks that will make a car loan against a salvage title. Cash only....


What kind of cars is he dusting? Stock Honda Civics and Camrys?

 

4Cyl Accords too silly.

 

Well, this was one of the hardest things that I've had to do in a long time. But, after considering the price to fix the car and the time it would take to get her back on the road, I have decided that it was time to move on..

Fortunately, I do not have to junk her though. A good friend of mine is confident that he can repair the car and get some good use out of it. I told him that if he pays me for the salvage of the car and handles the transport of the vehicle from the body shop to his house, he can have the car. The one condition is that I get to drive it one last time after she's patched up.

That being said, I do have some left over parts from my car. If there is any interest I'll sell them, otherwise I'll probably give them to my friend. Here's a list of what I have:

OEM Tail Lights (No wire harness. Housing only)

Aftermarket Headlights (The lenses were buffed and smoked in November so they're in great condition. However, they are retro-fitted and will need some work to allow for HID bulbs to fit. I do not have the wire harness. Housing only. Even if you want them just for the lenses it might be worth it.)

Orange Side Markers for Front Bumper

Red Side Markers for Back Bumper

I may have the stock airbox in my garage. If there is any interest I'll take a look.

PM me if there is any interest. I will most likely make a F/S in the classified section if my friend does not want any of the left overs.

Thanks to everyone who commented and offered their opinion.

 

It's hard to let go. But sounds like you made the right decision.

I'm really surprised your friend would pay 2Gs for that busted up car, it's not worth that. But hopefully it works out for you both!

All the best

 

Sounds a little high, especially with 141k miles. I have a hard time loading one up on Edmunds or KBB.com to even get $7500 RETAIL!

Wonder what I'd get if I managed to total my 02 GXE with less than 90k?

 

My friend works at an auto body shop so he is going to do all the repairs himself. Otherwise it probably wouldn't be worth it.

I did have the meridian package with my car so that increased the price of the car. (Heated power seats, heated steering wheel, Bose, etc.) I also just had the car painted and detailed not too long ago so it was rated in excellent condition.

 

It has been two years since I let go of the Max and I just heard some unfortunate news so I figured I'd complete the story.

When I decided to move on, my friend bought the car back from salvage. After about a year of sitting idle, he was finally able to get the car back up and running. He didn't do himself any favors by letting it sit out in the rain with the electrical components exposed, but it's in the past now. This is what he was able to accomplish:



I think it looks awesome.

Unfortunately, this just happened:



Sideways into a curb at about 50mph from what I hear.

I think she might be down for the count this time..

 

Wont wnt be salvage title it'll be a rebuilt title. same thing.w