[mikeman1985]

Well, what was supposed to be a quick and simple trip to get some groceries turned into a really crappy evening.

I pulled into the local wal-mart and was driving on the frontage road around the parking lot when out of nowhere this lady in a hyundai pulls out right into me. There was nothing I could do. My pass. side front corner hit her drivers side front corner. Her airbags deployed, mine did not. It was a low speed collision, but due to the location and angle of the crash the damage is pretty bad to both vehicles, it's amazing how much damage there is actually!

It was pretty cut and dry who was at fault. I had the right of way, the other driver was making a left turn across traffic and had the stop line (no sign, but there is a big painted white line you are supposed to stop at) she did stop, but right when I was in front of her she went for some unknown reason. I am not sure how she didn't see my BRIGHT YELLOW Xterra there, I mean it's not like it's an obvious color... The other driver was ticketed. The first picture isn't the best angle, it almost makes it look like I hit her. There's a rear picture that shows just how far out into the lane she was, but I can't share that one because she is in the picture and license plates are shown, etc. I also had my headlights on but the pictures were a few minutes post collision after I made sure she was ok, I had shut it down and put hazards on. 2nd pic is after I parked it. The tire was rubbing when I turned, not driveable. it left on a roll back.

From what I can see easily the radiator support, fender, hood, lights, grille, bumper, bumper mounts are all damaged beyond repair. There is likely to be significant suspension damage because she hit my front tire also and it was sitting funny after the accident. I couldn't drive it to see if it pulled since there was no coolant.

I have a feeling it's going to be a total loss. I will update here in the next few days to let everyone know. It's an awesome running Xterra, has 156k on it and motor and trans are still strong. I'd bet it had at least another 100k it could have lasted. Has leather interior in near perfect condition. If it is totaled, depending on what the actual damages consist of and if I decide to fix it myself or not, I may buy it back and make parts available to anyone local to Charleston, SC or willing to come pick up items or meet me within a reasonable distance. I will know what the verdict is once I hear from the INS adjuster.

I'm kinda bummed. I bought this truck back in 2008 and it has served me well, we've been a lot of places together. I hope it doesn't end like this, but I'm not too optimistic with all the damage.

 

[Bitumen Bullet]

One of the tricks to getting lots of miles on a vehicle is luck, and that was unlucky. It is a lot of damage and insurance will no doubt write it off but I've fixed worst. The biggest hassle will be getting things to line up well enough to mount new stuff and pass inspection. It would be a great parts car if you were to get another Xterra.

 

[netdobeiras]

whats important is that you turned out ok. Personally it doesn't matter what it looks like on the outside. it's under the hood and chassis that matters. I think you might be ok considering your headlight isn't even cracked. best of luck hope everything works out.

 

[beef tits]

Collect the insurance and fix it enough to drive. It's a 15 year old Nissan. No one will care if it has a few dents. You should see mine!

 

[mikeman1985]

Well, after a couple of phone calls with the other drivers insurance co, they have accepted responsibility and It's at the body shop now and they are going to tear it down and find out the extent of the damage and provide me with the details and the decision/options.

I suspect there is significant suspension damage that may have caused frame damage which would make repairing it un feasable as it would just never be right after that.

She hit me from the side as I was traveling forward so the entire forward force was transferred into the tire/wheel/control arms/frame, etc.

The attached picture is at a bad angle and hard to see because I had to resize it in order to upload it. (fixed. Full size pictures added to original post.)

The entire front end of the truck shifted towards the drivers side and up. The core support has substantial damage. I did open the hood last night and had a look, the hood does not open all the way unless forced, The inner fender body panel and battery tray are pushed in. The rad expansion tank shattered and I don't know if that's where all of the coolant leaked from or if the rad is damaged also.

Actually the head light is shattered you just cant see it because its not the best picture.

The body damage is not what I am worried about I can fix that. Its the suspension and frame damage that will make it not feasable to repair.

The amount of damage from this collision is crazy.

Bottom line, I can get another Xterra, but what's important is that no one got hurt. Its still a bummer though!

 

[cbxterra]

Does look kind of bad. Like you said at least no one's hurt. If it's toast I wouldn't sell it as parts right away. If you've got room, I'd keep the major mechanicals (motor, tranny etc.) Interior and all doors. But hopefully it's fixable. Good luck

 

[mikeman1985]

Does look kind of bad. Like you said at least no one's hurt. If it's toast I wouldn't sell it as parts right away. If you've got room, I'd keep the major mechanicals (motor, tranny etc.) Interior and all doors. But hopefully it's fixable. Good luck

My problem with keeping it is that I rent an apartment, and I can not store it here. If it comes to that I will talk to my boss and see if he will let me park it on the lot at our warehouse. If I can do that it would buy me some time. I would not be able to part it out from there though as I know he would require it so stay intact while on the lot.

I have been looking at other 2000-2004 Xterras. We shall see what happens next week. I noticed the picture is not showing up in my first post now, not sure what happened with that, I will find somewhere to host pictures and update that post later.

 

[Bitumen Bullet]

My problem with keeping it is that I rent an apartment........

Bin der done exactly what you are about to do and my advice is get rid of that old POS beast that is costing you endless money, time and friends.

Sure it's a really nice Xterra that just needs a bit of work right now, today, but how many people are willing to let it sit in their yard for days, weeks, months, maybe years? You will, after all, have to get another car right away and that new ride, maybe even another Xterra, will be mighty jealous of you spending any time or money on the old one. Your new Xterra will want the old X to be little more than a parts car, destined to sit and rust waiting until something little piece is needed which will justify a visit to the parts car.

A parts car you have no where of your own to keep.

Remember that friend that had a yard with some cars in it, he was always working on one or two at a time, you helped him a couple times? The one that was getting flack from wife and neighbors about the yard? Have you noticed he doesn't call any more?

Or how about the boss asks about the car but you figure he is just wondering how the project is going?

It isn't worth renting space for it unless you can get space cheap and they will let you leave pieces of it lying around, nor is it going to be worth the lost of friends, the extra hassle and maybe that job...then again maybe there are always better jobs but still a hassle to have to look for another.

All that can be avoided by just walking away. That's my 2 cents just walk away.

Sure you will regret it, there are several cars I'd like back, that '61 Bel Air which was in great shape, or that '64 Biscayne with a mint condition body, or that '72 Bronco that only needed the transfer case rebuilt, or even the most painful of all that 1986 Cutlass Supreme Brougham that not only had lived it's whole life in a garage and had only 50k on it, it was a car I knew I would want in the future.

But car collecting is for those with the money or the room and I had neither.

 

[mikeman1985]

A parts car you have no where of your own to keep.

Remember that friend that had a yard with some cars in it, he was always working on one or two at a time, you helped him a couple times? The one that was getting flack from wife and neighbors about the yard? Have you noticed he doesn't call any more?


All that can be avoided by just walking away. That's my 2 cents just walk away.

True on all points.

How did you know about that friend? I do actually have just that friend. He's got 2 96 Impala Super Sports, a jeep, an s-10, a Tahoe, his brother in laws project truck, a Jeep and several motorcycles in his yard. I help work on stuff all the time and he lets me bring my stuff out there to work on it all the time since I can't do it where I live. I would never ask to park a project over there.

I would love to have a 2014-2015 Pro 4X loaded with all the options (who wouldn't), but I refuse to have a car payment. I hate Debt, and I don't have that kind of cash laying around. So, in anticipation of getting the bad news I have been looking at 1st gens for a viable replacement and all I really want off of mine is the interior and my aftermarket radio. The radio is coming out one way or another I already have that noted with the shop and insurance co. I am going to put that in my other truck. I already removed my sub-woofer and amp and everything else at the accident scene because lets face it we all know it's beyond repair for road use, I can see that just by looking at it. When I called the body shop the guy said "oh it's the yellow one, that one's bad." It would make someone else an excellent parts rig or off road use rig though, even in its current condition.

My main interest is keeping the leather interior because I have looked at dozens of these and leather interior on the early ones is rare, in fact I have not found another 1st gen with leather. Mine has near perfect leather interior with only minor wear on the driver's seat. At this point, I have no intentions of keeping it as a parts vehicle or for any extended length of time if it is totaled and bought back, because I cannot store it. If I can't come up with a short term solution that will allow me to swap my interior into a replacement truck, then I will be forced to simply walk away when the time comes. In all honesty, you're right Bitumen Bullet, the best course of action when I get that phone call is probably to go get my radio and then simply walk away with the insurance check in hand... Sucks, but that's reality. Maybe a local forum member will want to pick it up. I'd like to see it go to another enthusiast, and not just waste away in a scrap yard.

I'm not in a crisis right this minute because my daily driver is and has been my other vehicle. My 2005 Chevy Colorado Z71. It looks and runs great, but it's high mileage and daily use as a construction work truck has taken it's toll on it. While it is reliable, it's just a work truck at this point, and I don't want to use it for any other purpose. The Colly is my transportation right now, but I want another Xterra for a personal use/travel rig.

 

[TBass]

Another fist gen gone. Sad, but it is just a material thing. Take the insurance payout and put it behind you. I have the space to fix that but even I would walk.

 

[TBass]

If the insurance gives you a buyout price, pm their offer. If the interior is as nice as you say it is, I'll give you a bonus if I can pick it up.

 

[Bitumen Bullet]

How did you know about that friend?

I've known that friend and been that friend, though I usually had more motorcycles than cars.

Very wise to strip stuff off before it is towed. Unless it is getting towed home there is a good chance, 100% in some areas, that the vehicle will be well "inspected" at the yard, often by kids jumping the fence at night but sometimes by the businesses themselves. The owner might never see the vehicle again and wonder why the insurance is only giving him wholesale book value for a car with thousands of dollars of bolt on upgrades.

As suggested by TBass find out what the buy back price is and tell the insurance you'll think about it. Then try to sell it to someone who can go to the yard and pick it up from there. It is very little effort on your part, usually just a case of calling to tell the yard who, or which tow company, is coming to pick up the wreck. Who ever buys it gets a deal and you get a few extra bucks without having to store it somewhere and if you sell it at this site the parts will live on rather than be crushed or resold for big dollars by a recycler.

BTW find out if it rolls. I've showed up at a compound with a trailer only to find out the crash had locked up the drivetrain. We got it loaded but the tow truck option (with it's tools and dollies) for a couple hundred bucks would have been soooo much easier.

Meanwhile I can't help but notice the color is the same as mine and having some extra parts around would be.......oops that's the wife calling me, nevermind, I have to go cut the grass not cover more of it up.

 

[mikeman1985]

When I get a definite answer from them I do plan to inquire about buying it back, and I will let everyone know what the price is. It would have to go quick though because they wont let it sit on the yard for long around here.

The worst part will be arguing with the insurance co to get a fair settlement amount for my truck. It was in excellent condition before the collision the only thing really wrong with it was it's 15 years old. Paint was good, no body damage, runs great - still. No reason to need to replace it until it got hit. Now all of the time, money, care, and effort I put into keeping it nice is for nothing.

The X does start, and drive still. The coolant was leaking out after the accident and I don't know if it was only from the expansion tank that was crushed, or if the radiator is also damaged. It cannot be run for long, at least not unless water or coolant is put in it. It did drive after the accident. I had to move it out of the road and into a parking space after the police arrived, so the drive train is ok. The pass. front tire rubs when it is turned to the left. I have no idea if it pulls to one side or the other because I only drove it a few feet but the steering felt 'off' just in that short distance so I assume it is not safe to drive on the road, but it can be moved around under its own power as long as you only need to turn right or a wide left...

 

[mikeman1985]

I will add that the tire rubbing can probably be fixed by removing the bumper that is jammed up into the wheel well. I think that is all it is hitting. That "fix" would only be good for lot driving purposes until the steering/suspension was thoroughly gone through.

 

[wisetony]

That looks bad. Hope you get it fixed soon.

 

[mikeman1985]

That looks bad. Hope you get it fixed soon.

Yep, It is bad. Worst possible location and angle to be hit at. If it had been a full frontal collision instead of side impact, the damage likely wouldn't have been as severe since it was low speed. I don't know the full extent of the damage yet, I am waiting on the body shop to call me back, but they did confirm that it has "a lot of suspension damage". I asked if the frame was damaged and the guy told me they were still working on it and he would finish writing it up before he leaves at 6 and call me back.

I expect a total loss. The extent of the suspension damage, existence of any frame damage (almost guaranteed), and total repair cost/Insurance settlement amount will decide what happens from there. I fully expect it to be to the point where it is best to walk away and that is what I will have to do. If I don't buy it back I will still try to let everyone else know what the number is in case someone wants it.

 

[mikeman1985]

So its officially totaled. I have spoken to the shop and the insurance company. The claims rep was waiting for the estimate from the shop yesterday and she told me she would be back in touch with me today.

I have spent the last couple of days doing research trying to establish what the truck is worth, and putting together reciepts and records for work that was done to it.

Has anyone got any advice for dealing with the insurance on a settlement amount? I dont expect to get a bunch of money out of it, but I dont plan to settle for less than retail plus some for my time/aggravation/stress etc... thoughts?

 

[mikeman1985]

I have recieved a settlement offer on the Xterra that honestly is acceptable to me and I feel it is a fair amount. I was actually surprised that I did not have to fight for the amount they offered.

I can buy it back for a whopping $428.44

I can stall for a little while, but honestly I just need to get this over with.

If anyone local would like to buy the truck PM your info and I will contact you. I would like to settle quickly so I can move on. I just need to know whether or not to buy it back.

This is probably repairable if you have a place to work and the know how. I have the damage estimate from the shop. $4600. $2700 of that is parts. Parts list: core support and all related parts, complete front bumper and all related parts, rt front fender, hood and pass front door need reconditioning. (I never saw any damage on the door, but its in the estimate.) Front end of body will need some straightening to install core support. Rt upper control arm and alignment, I would just get a front end kit from Rock Auto and do the whole front end if I was putting the money into this one. There is no guarantee that further damage wont be discovered once you get into it. I think there is more than this, I believe they got to this point and stopped because they knew it was too far gone...

I could fix this if I had a shop to work on it in, but since I dont I will have to replace it, because I am not paying a shop 4600 to repair a 2001 Xterra with no guarantee that there wont be more damage uncovered.

The good, kind of, I found a 2014 Xterra X 4x4 that I like, and if I can get the numbers worked out on it I might get it. Its priced at more than I want to pay, so its a numbers game on that one.

 

[mikeman1985]

Alright, today was the official end of the road for my Solar Yellow 2001 Xterra. I settled with the insurance company for what is actually a fair amount, in all honesty I got more for it than I could have gotten by selling it. I got slightly over retail value.

I found out that leather seats was not even an option on these, and it must have been either a dealer option, or an aftermarket addition post sale. So my Xterra was a rare one. Like I said I have looked at dozens and still have not seen another 2000-2001 with leather interior, some body will make a decent amount off of this for parts.

I went to the body shop to get my tag so that I can return it to DMV and cancel my insurance and also to get my radio. An employee stole my radio! When I had him cornered with all of the info he eventually made up a story to try to cover his ass. First he claimed it must have been the tow company, but then I told him his boss knew about the radio and even had documented it with pictures. Story changed... He claims that someone must have taken it out and put it in the trash to go back and get it later. He claims to have found it in the trash. BS. Someone took so much care to take it out, unplug the wiring harness, put the dash back together with no damage... I almost flipped out, but managed to keep my cool and I emailed the shop to avoid a confrontation in front of other customers. I asked them why they had left my truck out on the lot unlocked with the keys in it knowing it had an expensive aftermarket radio in it that I planned to keep... no answer.

I am supposed to get my radio back tomorrow and the employee of six years is going to lose his job. If he returns the radio undamaged he may get off without criminal charges being filed.

 

[mikeman1985]

I forgot to say...

I had been looking at other Xterras but I think I am just going to bank the cash and wait a while so I don't do something stupid like go thousands of dollars in debt when I don't have to. I may or may not come back to the Xterra later on down the road. My current thought is to save some more and trade my Colorado in next year on a larger pickup and just have one vehicle, I don't know for sure what I want so it's best to wait a while to decide...