2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission My beloved truck, struck down by a drunk driver

[NWest]

Last night a drunk driver behind the wheel of an early 90's GMC Sierra took out my truck as it was parked in front of my house. It was a rear-end collision, pushed my truck 15 feet uphill, over the curb, and into a palm tree, which broke at the base from the impact. The Sierra ended up on its side in the middle of the road another 20 feet beyond.



My left rear wheel is shoved about 18" farther forward than it should be, bed is buckled at the rear, tailgate dented, left rear fender all but gone, 2" deep dent in cab where the bed hammered into it. From the damage, it looks like the impact was to the left of the driver side frame rail, since the tow hitch isn't harmed in any way.



She still starts and the engine runs perfect! No power to the rear wheels, but in 4wd I was able to crab-walk the truck back into the driveway while my wife wept at the pitiful sight.



My insurance company hasn't even inspected it yet, but they're already telling me its a total loss. What are the chances that I've still got a solid frame after that impact?

 

[LBARTLETT]

sorry about your loss, even though your hitch is not disturbed I would think the u-bolts holding the axle would have bent the frame with the wheel moving 18" forward. can you tell anything by just looking down the frame rail?

 

[NWest]

Just met with the insurance gal, who pointed out a clear bend in the last 3-4 feet of frame. She couldn't give me specific numbers on value (nor on salvage), but she was certain that the truck is totalled. She was very upbeat when she told me that it was also "100% fixable". She didn't seem to begrudge me for responding that this information was 15% helpful.



I put up a photo gallery of the crash scene, now it's time to start shopping for a truck.

 

[HBarlow]

Sorry about your loss. A good vehicle owned a long time becomes more valuable than just the nuts and bolts, parts, and panels that made it.

You wouldn't want that truck unless you own and manage a skilled body repair shop with a frame bending (straightening) rack. It would probably require a new frame under it and a list of new parts as long as your arm.

 

[NWest]

Okay, the dollar figures are in from the insurance company. They're offering to total it for $12,004, and I can buy back for salvage for $2,267. With nothing whatsoever wrong with the engine (only 113,000 miles, well maintained), the salvage value strikes me as very very low, and I'm tempted to part the truck out.



Does anybody have any thoughts on how easily I'll be able to find buyers for the parts (and how quickly I'll manage to make it worth my while)?



Thanks,



NWest

 

[LBARTLETT]

I have no idea how long it will take to part out in Calif. but what they're offering seems fair and the salvage value seems cheap too! I'd think you could get $3,000 to $4,000 out of the engine alone from someone wanting a diesel for a project truck!



Good luck on your quest for a replacement

 

[georgej]

If you or a friend have a shop and inclination to fix it go for it. As for parting it out the engine alone is worth $2000 if it was properly maintained JMO

 

[budnate]

Bummer man, if it was mine I would transfer the whole truck over to a cherry boneyard frame, really not that hard if done in sections,



if you buy it back which I would do you should be able to part it for 5K or so I would think??



if you do part it let us know, I would be interested in the transfer case.



Peace, B.

 

[analog]

I'd definitely buy it for salvage. Your upgraded VP44 and Injectors would be easy sells I'd think. Then, you could certainly sell your perfectly fine running engine for more than $2k. Then there are the axles, trans, etc. . etc... If an insurance company is willing to let it go for that price, take it!

 

[MMeier]

Salvage value sounds just about right... usually 15-20% of value. Buy it back and part it out, keep it running so someone can see the engine is still in good shape. I'd check that Tcase carefully to make sure the drive shaft didn't do any damage when it came forward.

 

[NWest]

Well, I'm taking the insurance money and buying the truck back on salvage for sure. I'm told that I'll have the final paperwork in a couple days. In the meantime, a local salvage yard owner has paid me a visit and offered me $3200 for the truck, so I'd stand to pocket $1k right away. I think that's the route I'll go, since taking care of the wife and newborn doesn't leave me much time for parting out the '99.



In other news, I'm heading to Vernon, Texas next week to pick up a replacement for my '99.



Thank you all for your comments and for your support.

 

[MMeier]

I'd tell the salvage yard guy to give you 4200 and he has himself a new truck!!

 

[LBARTLETT]

what are you buying in Vernon? that's sure a long way from Calif. !

 

[HBarlow]

I think you're making the smartest decision. The individual parts of the truck are easily worth more than $3200 but that would require you to disassemble the truck, store the parts, take calls, deal with shoppers and bs artists and maybe a bad check passer. And that's not even mentioning all the CA environmental wackos who would call in the nazi tree hugger squad at the first sight of a small coolant or oil spill in your driveway or the local code enforcement nazis at first sight of a rusty old part in your yard, garage, or driveway.

 

[champspa]

they will go up on the value of the truck if you press them to find a comparable truck for your replacement .

 

[DLangford]

Was the drunk doa at the hospital with such a hard collision?

 

[NWest]

I'll reply to your questions/comments in reverse order:



The guy who hit my truck was conscious after the impact, and had strength enough to climb up through the driver-side window. He must have had his seat belt on, since there was no blood visible and the truck didn't have an airbag. I'm pretty certain that he woke up with a headache, but I don't know if it was from the impact. I still haven't seen the police report.



Once I see the report, I may decide to go for more money on the replacement value. From what I understand, the guy hit two cars earlier in the evening, so he may be maxed on his insurance limits. I'm going to borrow a bit of cash from family to buy the replacement, so I don't have to be in a hurry to reach a settlement with the insurance companies.



As for the salvage yard, $4200 sounds better, but we agreed on $3,200 and shook on it, so I'll have to stand by that.



The truck I'm buying? An '03 HO 2500 4x4 with a 6speed. The miles are higher than I'd prefer, but it's a shortbed crewcab, and it will fit in the garage, safely out of the way of (most) drunken idiots.

 

[NWest]

Update

Well, I managed to straighten the axle enough (loosened U-bolts & tugged it back with a tow strap) to drive the truck a couple miles on a rainy day to my brother-in-law's ranch, where we put the truck up on a lift and removed the bed.



The big surprise is that there's absolutely no visible frame damage. The rear axle is bent between the u-bolts and the shock mount, and loosened at the housing. It looks like all this truck needs is a new rear end.



Maybe I should have fixed it myself and kept driving it, but I'm still pretty happy with the '03 I bought.

 

[Joe Mc]

So you decided to keep it and not sell to the salvage yard?

 

[CurtLee]

I should've posted this sooner but i have a friend with an '03 that rearended someone when the truck was like 9 months old. They pulled the front driver's side frame 5 inches and put new sheet metal on. He's put more than 90,000 miles on it and says it drives truer today then it did when it was brand new.



You may be able to fix it and eventually put it back on the road. Congrats on the new truck though, hopefully this one will be safe for many years to come.