So... my niece's car (I own it and support her, paying for her college, etc.) was hit the other night while parked legally on a public street in front of my house. Damage is to the left rear quarter panel and bumper.
Got some estimates today, ranging from $2,400 to $4,300. Insurance is Shelter, in Oklahoma.
Car is a '99 Camry in very good cond, 143k miles, only additional equipment is a cheapie aftermarket radio and a higher-end 2-way paging alarm and remote start system (~$500 or more installed).
Of the 6 estimates I got today, 4 were with Mitchell software and 2 of those 4 have a "-S" next to the quarter panel repair, indicating a structurally-necessary repair. I disagree and think it's mostly cosmetic, but hey... whaddya gonna do? The other 2 on Mitchell software did not indicate structurally-required.
The estimate provided by the shop my company (again, Shelter) has as their "Authorized Repair Center" used a different software. At the end of their estimate, it had a key for abbreviations used, with the same "-S" indicated for structurally-required repairs. NONE of the repairs listed in their estimate had this "-S" designation.
I am wondering if anyone here is familiar with Shelter's policy on selling back totaled vehicles, and how they may or may not determine whether any repairs are structurally required? I would like to total it out (NADA shows me about $4275 value not accounting for the aftermarket alarm). Value minus my $500 deductible, I am going to assume I'll end up with maybe $3500? If I can buy it back from them for $750-1000, then have some shadetree mechanic pound out the dent, bondo, prime and spraypaint it, add a new bumper cover and I'm done with $1500-2000 in my pocket, then just carry liability on it from now on?
I have not filed a claim with Shelter yet, as I am trying to get my ducks in a row, be prepared and educated and have a game plan for how to deal with things if they try to lowball me or something.
It is a great car, super SUPER reliable, well-maintained, just put new tires and complete tuneup (probably $500 altogether) a couple of months ago. A little ugly rear quarterpanel (after cheapie fix-up) doesn't affect its reliability, and my niece drives it to college 60+ miles one-way each day... I need her to have something reliable and fuel-efficient.
I don't think I'm going to be able to buy anything comparable for the $3-4k I am sure the insurance company will offer me, so I'd like to keep it.
Am I on the right track? Am I delusional? I've done some searching, but haven't found much regarding buybacks in Oklahoma or Shelter insurance.
I'd appreciate any help anyone here can provide. I also have some pics, if that might help... but I will have to PM them to anyone who wants them, no links allowed in my posts yet.
Thanks in advance!
