Was cruising down the 5 lane highway today and a guy in a Toyota Camry veered over 3 lanes, supposedly to avoid another car coming into his lane, drove up the side of my door (look at tread marks on my door to the fender, I felt him come into the door) pushing me perpendicular to the highway. I steered into it to get straight and he proceeded to ram the back of my bed and shove me off into the grass. We were both going 60mph+. No one hurt, thankfully, but my poor 96 f150, in all likely hood, is a total loss. I have around 5K into it (I bought her for a cool $1200) not including my labor and ill be lucky to get insurance to give me 3K is my guess. Although I will be providing them with probably a 100 invoices to plea my case.

I could list all the new and re-manned parts I put on her (and will strip off her since I will buy it back salvage if they total it). Had 218K on her original motor and tranny and was still going strong. Was pretty much my daily driver for the last 6 months.

After all that. It drove home. The cop who took the incident report was really cool and advised it would be best cost, time, and stress wise if the thing would drive to limp it home vs letting them impound it downtown. I was lucky and had a family who witnessed the accident stop and wait for the cops and also some homeless guys were on the side of the highway saw it and gave a statement as well.

 

That's a shame. I drive a truck for a living, used to do over the road and now just "local." My argument has always been that no matter how good a driver you are and how well you take care of your vehicle, you can't prevent the guy who isn't and doesn't from the inevitable.

Glad no one was hurt.

Dunno what state you live in or insurance companies in play. In Kansas, they negotiate "percentage of fault." 30 years ago, I got T-boned in an open intersection by a kid doing 45+ mph in a 30 who came over a hill. I had right of way and no way to see him before he plowed into me but they still said I was 20% at fault. It's the way the insurance extortion racket works. I only got 80% of the "medium value" of that vehicle in stock condition, regardless how much I had in it. (Being "at fault," the kid could not recover anything for his damages by KANSAS law.)

Now, in Missouri, that same accident, I would have had to pay 20% of the kid's damages. After 9-11, a guy swerved across three lanes and hit my passenger front quarter panel. He was driving a '93 Eagle Talon. (I put 2 and 2 together. With the post 9-11 introduction of 0% financing to jumpstart the economy, car lots were filled with one- and two-year-old trade ins and a '93 Eagle Talon had more value in the junk yard than in a used car lot.) Jumped out, said, "Yep. It's totalled." And started ripping off the bumper skin and tearing out anything in the engine compartment he could by hand until the cops arrived. All that damage *he* did to his car, I wound up paying for. Plus, in Missouri's kangaroo court, he said he believed I was pulling out in front of him. By Missouri law, anything he did at that point to "avoid" the collision (including veering across three lanes to hit me) was legit. I couldn't say "proove I was," because his *thought* is all that mattered. Whatever. It's Missouri.

So, depending on the state and the local court system, you could either get a decent settlement for replacement value, or you could get a percentage of median blue book, or you could wind up buying the idiot who hit you a new car if he says he "believed" you were changing lanes without signalling and were going to hit him.

Hope you have good insurance.

 

one_bolt_short that is some good info. I just looked up Texas and we also follow the "modified comparative fault" where they will minus the % fault you are found from the settlement. And yes why I won't buy a motorcycle, not because I am worried I would lay it down (which I would at some point) but scared some dummy will blindside me like my best friend in college (he was fine after about 6 months, broke his inner ear lope among other things, he graduated a semester behind because of it). Also the reason why I drive a old ford around 90% of the time is so I won't mind if it gets a dent or door ding here and there and if I wreck it, it won't be the end of the world as long as I am safe.

The guy who hit me claimed that he swerved to avoid someone illegally coming out of the HOV lane (this supposed car did not make contact with his car however, I believe the other driver but fact is he made contact with me as I was going straight in my lane). He told the cops this as well. Poor guy was foreign (Asian decent) and his English is somewhat broken. He had said wasn't his fault and said my insurance will pay for mine and his for his, I did not correct him when he said that since I wanted him to tell the cops the truth that he was telling me; that he swerved over 3 lanes and hit me. I was lucky for the family behind me gave a statement and contact info and the guys on the side of the road did the same all to the police officers and recorded in the incident report. All gave the same story the Camry swerved into my truck as I was going straight down the highway. I figure between the two witnesses and those pictures (he had to have been going fast and sideways into my lane to drive up my truck side like he did) and even the driver of the other vehicle saying the same to the cops (and hopefully his insurance adjuster out of ignorance). I should be okay but in this world you never know. Worse case I asked my mom if it would be okay to reach out to her traffic attorney friend if s**t hits the fan and we end up not being able to litigate through the adjusters.

KBB (which is not accurate in my experience but maybe doing me a favor here) says truck is worth $3200 private party with the options it had (off-road package, alloy wheels, etc.). I am going to push for the 5K but would be happy with $3500 - 4000. I would consider the $1000-$1500 loss car payment(s) for daily driving it for the last 6 months and having some off-road fun with it the year it sat out at the farm waiting its turn.



Luckily I bought a 1995 ext. cab short bed with only 139K from an old man about 6 months ago but it was having an intermittent issue where it would run fine when cold and like crap once it warmed up. Its been at the shop this whole time. I told him to take his time since no insurance on the truck and wanted the cheaper labor which he obliged with a good price but 6 months to get the call he figured it out. After 6 months of off and on messing with it at his shop he figured out the ground to ECU had burnt up and took the ECU with it. Some solder, heat shrink, a used ECU (which cost me $300 just for that but matching part number) later and I am supposed to get that truck back next week. So I still have a ford OBS f-150 to drive my dogs around town in.


What a day...

 

I am not hurting for the money and have other cars to drive around in the meantime. I have travelers - who have been pretty good so far on the 2 claims I have had since switching to them around a year and a half ago. Not sure who the other drivers insurance company is (cops told me my insurance company will be able to find out by incident report) but absolute worse case. I will pay my mom's friend $500 (he has done similar for the same price) and let him take them to small claims court (as long as I only need to see Chiro once or twice will be under 10K) before the 2 years are up here in Texas if his insurance company gives me the run around. I just won't cash their check and keep the claim or lawsuit open until I am content.

Sucks the way the world really works don't it?

 

If you get to negotiate the value of the truck, look at NADA value; SIGNIFICANTLY more money, 99% of the time. Seeing as the truck looks pretty clean, you might be able to push towards the "excellent" condition category.

 

Good to hear no one got hurt
Sad to see the truck did get hurt.
From what I can see that truck can be fix pretty Easley, a fender, door, bed side (does not need to be done right away to drive) and the rear wheel.


Now when that wheel got bent did it bend the axle and/or housing?
For the axle put another wheel on it and spin it to check run out. If ok then check the wheel for same.
For the housing you would need to get a 4 wheel alignment or run thru water and on to dry ground and see if all wheel marks are on top of each other but alignment is best.
Good luck
Dave ----

 

i agree that the truck is repairable. i have had them come into the body shop in much worse condition than that. the only real money item is the paint.

looking on Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market, you could repair that truck for under $1500 without even having to paint it if the white parts are color match.

 

I wouldn't let insurance total that, and would even pay out of pocket to fix if I had to.. that doesn't look significant enough to go to total. Unless the damage is worse than the pictures show, you can probably find all the body panels you need at a salvage yard and be back on the road for a few hundred bucks and some time.

 

Agreed, fender, door from a salvage yard for $200 and a bed maybe $150. But if nothing is seriously damaged, just a rim and you are mobile again. Hell, here central Illinois, the yard I go to has 3 white obs trucks. I pulled the heads off of one of them. The bodies were rust free on two of them a month ago and they are pretty stripped now.

​​​​​​​Also, is that Sammy Hagar in the second pic?

 

I thought of the same. Also was thinking about edmonds. Edmonds shows a value of only 1K in clean condition. NADA doesn't even go older than 1998. So KBB gave me best value (why I said maybe doing me a favor). I live in Texas, trucks are expensive here, a clean 4x4 not beat to hell even more expensive...

Ill have an uphill battle with insurance I am sure.

 

Lol one of the homeless dudes who saw the wreck and gave a statement.

 

If I could fix for $1500 I would in a heart beat. We have had a bunch of hail in Texas so roofing and body work pricing is 150% labor cost than usual.

I already emailed the contact info for the witnesses, pictures, and a written signed statement of my version of what happened to my insurance adjuster so she has something to work on first thing Monday. Once they clear me of fault I will figure out what the other insurance company wants to do about the truck.

If they will fix it I would be super happy, unfortunately I am fairly certain with the cost of body work in Dallas right now and the fact I will be struggling with them on value that it will probably be totalled and my best bet is just to squeeze as much as I can out of the assessment.

And yeah that truck was clean before the wreck, I mean it had 20 year old paint and some scrathes and dings here and there but no major body damage and no wrecks on carfax.

Don't worry I will keep you guys updated.

 

Oh and best part. I figured I would wake up today and be pretty sore from tensing up when he made impact and the 4-5 seconds we were going down the highway sideways. I maybe sore tomorrow but I woke up today and besides the normal soreness in my neck (very minor but weekly occurrence so doubtful has anything to do with the wreck) I feel fine. So probably hit up the Chiropractor once or twice to be sure and then hopefully I am past this health wise and only need to concern myself with the truck which again is not as major as my health.

 

according to nadaguides an 88 F150 4X4 with 302 and AC in excellent shape is worth $7,723 here in New Jersey


Values
1988 Ford F150
1/2 Ton Pickup Styleside


Original
MSRP................................................Low Retail ............................Average Retail.........................High Retail
Base Price $10,650...................................$1,825..............................................$3,925................................$6,475
Options: (change)
302 V8 Engine........................................$150.................................................. ..$275.................................$375
4 Wheel Drive.........................................$225.................................................. ..$400.................................$550
Factory Air Conditioning............................5%.................................................. .....5%...................................5%
TOTAL PRICE:$10,650............................$2,295................................................$4,795..............................$7,723
Protect your 1988 Ford F150 with specialized insurance. Click here for a free quote now!

 

Your are the man Tic Transport! Clearly I was doing something wrong this early morning (was running on little sleep) when I was on the nada website. I was in the wrong section since it only went down to year 1998. Got it to pull this just now.