mortgageguy

It's not imperative that you get the hood open, but, it would be nice. Once you get it to the shop for repair, they will contact the adjuster if they find damages not listed on the insurance quote. If you can get one side of the hood open, see if you can reach under and pull/push the cable/latch to get the other side to pop open.

I suggest you go to the Hagerty site and print off values for your car to show the adjuster if he/she starts talking total loss. Also have any receipts on hand for any repairs/upgrades you've recently made to the car. Life would be simpler if they don't total it.

MSGT-R

The adjuster is just a contractor for the insurance company. Contact your company directly to speak about negotiation. Find out how much you can get for repairs without getting it tagged with a salvage title in the end. GET IT IN WRITING. I got screwed on a 79 Sunbird repair and had to fight DMV years later when I was blind-sided during the sale!!

Do a lot of the prep work yourself to keep costs down. Expect to submit to a post-repair inspection in order to keep your policy intact.

4 speed

[QUOTE=Brandons72vette;1585559544]Mine was a similar wreck, mine happened about a month ago. Same result virtually. Just dropped mine off Wednesday at the "ICU" (JB's Corvette Specialty in DFW). I just had rebuilt the motor and stuff, so I only had liability as I wan't planning to have the wreck. I am right there with you man.

Mine: 90%+ original, original paint, documents, spare tire with tags, SUSPENSION, and everything else. My suspension was original and was honestly unsafe. I was going around a curve, had throttle issues with it sticking, 7-8 year old tires, 100% original brakes and suspension failed on me when I needed it the most. I included an up close shot of the side marker light, it shows some detail of some of the cracks in the clip. I have been advised to buy a new clip as mine is covered in cracks like that. Hood is cracked like that too. Head light bezels are trashed, left front grill ($500-800 part), it looks like a lot of minor repairs…but I think the damages are deceiving me. I have a gap in my left side door to quarter panel and the left T-Top. Frame is dented, cracked windshield, etc. BRAND NEW fan blade is trashed, belt - trashed, fan shroud is a little rough, etc. It sucks.


what was your repair estimate, if you don't mind me asking.

I'm waiting on the assessor to come out, noticed the radiatoe leaking and LR tire is flat.

4 speed

were you watching the video of the rear suspension,
PO had replace the half shaft u-joints , but didn't have the yokes seated properly

4 speed

Well the assessor came out, took a bunch of pics, said he would be a few days getting part prices and labor costs. when I asked if he thought it would get totaled he kinda gave me the its possible look and said maaaybe ???

at least he is a car guy, he has a few chevelles.

zwede

Repair costs add up quick. Other driver's insurance paid $9K for this one.

Eljay

Wow, these cars really shatter like "GLASS"

MuskieAL

I've herd State Farm is one of the better insurance company's to deal with.

mrvette

Same lesson I learned 1/2 a century ago, driving Mom to the grocery store.....pack of dawgs, swerved, right A pillar taken out by a damn overhanging tree in the ditch, Mom's head into the glass......

since then I have not swerved or hit the brakes for ANYTHING not human, dawg/cat/COW/rat/no matter


I don't even slow down, it's a NO WIN ballgame....

Una4dbl55

I'll second that,

I too learned that years ago driving a Peterbilt loaded full of cars, that hamburger left in the road is just part of the food chain

68/70Vette

20 some years ago, I lived in the Australian outback. Killed 2 kangaroos for sure, and probably one more. My advice is that if you've got an animal in your drive path, DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE AROUND IT TO AVOID IT...you may be heading for death city. Where I lived there were people who were actually killed trying to avoid kangaroos. Actually, a description of the scenes is that you have a two lane road with soft sand/gravel shoulders. If you maneuver onto the shoulder to avoid the 'roo you're going to loose control of the car. I think these comments are the same for deer, except roads here may not have this shoulder problem.
.................

When driving...you have a fleeting moment to make a decision..if something is in your way, do you swerve to attempt to avoid it or do you just hit it! Swerving may mean you avoid a collision, but you get killed or injured in a following occurrence. PS. I don't always try to avoid collisions..I've traded a lot of paint in my life. I'll trade paint if I think it's for my survival. Also, I tend to not let aggressive drivers push me aside.

v2racing

You just never know. When I chose to swerve to miss the dear in my 80, there were no other cars in sight and there wasn't much of slant to the ditches on the sides. I spun off the road into the ditch and slid into a bunch of sappling trees. The car came to a stop and wasn't running. I started it up and drove back onto the road and made my way home.

A couple of days later I was telling this story to a friend I work with. He got a phone call just as I finished the story. It was his wife. She called to tell him that a good friend of his just died in a car/dear accident that morning. The dear came over the hood and through the windshield. He was in a small car. It was a very strange moment for sure! I suddenly wasn't so worried about my broken fiberglass.

I'm not making this up, the call really happened just as I said. It was very surreal. Point is like I started, you never know!

kdf1986

Your car looks worse in the photos than in the story about it. It looks like a lot of damage. Good luck in dealing with your insurance company.

kdf

boatmark

Glad you are OK. Cars can be fixed or replaced - people not so much.

Many years ago a good friends wife hit three deer in three weeks.

Week 1.) Guy in the pickup in front of her hit the deer and got it airborne. Deer came down on the hood of her Blazer. Took out everything forward of the windshield, including most everything on the top of the motor.

Week 2.) Driving Tommies Z-28 she (almost) missed one. But almost only counts in hand grenades - destroyed the entire passenger side of the car from bumper to bumper.

Week 3.) Getting better at dodging them - Driving Tom's El Camino the deer bolted into the rear quarter. Caved in the rear quarter. Car didn't look THAT bad, but the axle was bent. (surprised the snot out of us)

Week 4.) Tommie looks at what is left in the barn - Two restored Chevelles, a Corvette, and a 34' Ford street rod . . . . Wife gets a really nice RENTAL CAR for the duration!

Some months it just doesn't pay to open the garage door.

CWerner

Years ago my insurance man told me to always hit the deer because too many major accidents occur trying to miss them.

MIKE80

Sorry about the vette. Hopefully you have good insurance.

Years ago I had a 78' Trans Am. I was coming home from work and the alternator died, it was getting dark and my headlights were dimming. With only about a mile to go, a deer pops out in the road right in front of me. I was going about 35, cut the wheel and slam on my brakes, and the deer got hung up on my drivers side mirror. With his face pressed up against the door glass, and me cursing him out, I look up to see I'm about to hit a telephone pole, $H!T! After I hit the pole, I turn back to the deer and curse him out some more before he jumps off and takes off. So, I put it in reverse and back up a couple feet and the car slides down an embankment. Now I've just had enough, so I back up some more, put it in drive and punch it. I fly up the embankment and back onto the road. I get home to see the damages, a bent front license plate and a loose side mirror that I fixed with a screwdriver.

Good luck in getting your vette repaired or getting a nice replacement.

Dustup7T2

Sounds like Tommy knew his inventory was not going to last very long, at the rate wifey and deer were consuming them. Too bad he lost two cars before getting the rental. Ouch.

Glad you're ok and survived. Better the material wrapped around you takes the hit, than your face and body.

Like doorgunner says, show us how it turns out.

4 speed

hopefully hear something today, if they total it I might try to buy it back but they'll probably want too much for it.

think corvette framed chop and channeled 55 nomad ????

Brandons72vette

Where did you have your car repaired? Mine is at JB's Corvette Specialty behind Corvette World over in Carrolton.

Brandons72vette

[QUOTE=4 speed;1585586115]Mine is $9,500.

They want $400 to remove bumpers, grilles, and trim, $325 to remove the front clip that is trashed, $65 to remove driver side inner fender well, $130 to install a new fender well, $780 to install a new front clip, $1,400 for a new front clip, $1,040 to sand and prime car, $910 to block sand, $130 to apply sealer, $1,040 to apply 4 coats of color and 4 coats of clear, $1,040 to wet sand and buff car, $300 for new windshield, $780 to re install all trim.

PARTS COST TOTAL:$2,950

LABOR COST TOTAL:$6,630

GRAND TOTAL: $9,580






However, I don't make that much in a year as I am in college. So on Monday, I am going to talk to them and see what I can work out. I can remove the trim, bumpers, etc myself. I can re install them myself. I can wet sand and buff the paint myself. So that reduces the total cost by about $2,210. It makes it come to about $7,300..which honestly makes it a heck of a lot more "affordable"…for a college student.