I got my son his first truck last October. He loved that truck and had a wreck last weekend. It was a 1996 F-250 Power stroke diesel / red with the white stripe. It had a back seat with only 2-door cab. It also had a long bed. It had to be towed away and we are waiting on repair vs. total loss decision.

I am hoping for repair. Damage to the front end only, but not sure what all that will entail, he said there were fluids leaking out, but I was not there. If it is a total loss, I have to negotiate a price, and buy another. Any advice on pricing for the loss and maximum acceptable mileage for another?

 

Too bad to hear about. You should definitely see about buying it back if they total it. You can likely part it out for a lot more than they total it for.

Pricing on replacements just depends on what part of the country you are in. Most important is that your son is ok. No problem replacing a truck... big problem replacing a son! Glad he is fine.

 

Thanks! Yes, I am grateful that he is ok. Nothing like a hunk of metal to protect my baby. Appreciate your feedback.

 

I would check craigslist and kijiji for your area and surrounding areas. I bought my obs ford for the steel around me to. And cause I love the looks of em. Glad your son is alright.

 

When mine was totaled I got them to pay NADA retail cost for great condition

 

Find adds for trucks of the same style, condition and mileage and take nothing less if they total it. I paid 8,250 for my 1996 ext. cab long bed 4x4 with Zf5 only has 130,000 miles on it and it looks like new in and out. If it were totaled today I wouldn't take a penny less from the insurance company maybe want more. It is hard to find these trucks this clean in the rust belt. Plus I am picky my replacement would have to be a 5spd and at least an ext. cab or crew cab 4x4.

 

Again glad your son was okay that is first and for most. Any truck can be rebuilt with the right amount of money, humans cannot.

 

To the insurance company, "totaled" only means the cost of the repair is greater than the value (to them) of the truck. It does NOT mean, in most states, that the vehicle is not safe to repair and drive, or that the title will be re-classified as "scrap" or "salvage" or "junk". If they total the truck, you usually have the option to "buy it back", which really means you take their settlement for the truck, minus the scrap value. In most cases, when you do this, the title never changes hands, and therefore its status does not change. If you argue for a high enough original value of the truck, and a low enough scrap value, you may get a settlement for it that will more than pay for the repair.