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Worth keeping after $10K damage?

4K views 29 replies 19 participants last post by  Jim_in_PA 
#1 ·
Hey gang,

Well, I hit a deer last week in my 2015 HA that is now estimated to cost well over $10K to fix/repair. I nailed this thing traveling at about 55 mph and hit the deer on the driver side, causing damage from the quarter panel through the middle of the front of the Jeep. It was pretty extensive, but my insurance is covering everything, I had no injuries, and I'm in a pretty snazzy Sonata for the next few weeks (lol).

My main issue is my Jeep worth keeping once it is repaired? I've had the Jeep for only 4 months and it seems like it's been in on a lift at the dealer more than it's been on the road. I had all the recalls, a couple of annoying repairs, and my Jeep was in the shop the entire month of December due to issues with the air suspension, not to mention some fit and finish issues like with the fender flares coming off (something about Friday afternoon builds). I haven't even had my first oil change yet! I'm pretty picky about my car and worry that my car will never be the same again with all the tech that was damaged (park sensors, adaptive cruise, etc.). Has anyone kept a car that has had extensive damage repaired? Is it worth keeping?
 
#4 ·
As much as I'd like to agree with Bill, you got to look at the other side. Even though the vehicle is going to be put with new parts, is there anything else wrong with it? How much of a "hit" are you going to take if you try to trade it in or sell it? If money isn't a factor then dump it but to some guys they just can't afford just to get into a different (or newer) vehicle. The price went up since the 2014/2015 models so take that into consideration. But in the end, you need to be happy with your decision.
 
#6 ·
Yes, that's the dilemma. I started shopping it around after I got it back in January. I'm about 3K over what it's worth and with my current job, leasing makes more sense if I do decide to go with that. Carfax may not be an issue either since there was no police report and neither my insurance nor the body shop report. I think I could deal it, but I was really trying to keep this one after years of frequent car purchases/leases. I just hate it's one thing after another with this one.
 
#5 ·
If you had all those issues prior to the accident, I would take the opportunity to dump it.
 
#8 ·
Like Bill said, even without a vehicle accident report it most likely will show up in Carfax along with all the service that was done (recalls). Now those might not make a difference but the accident will. If your really wanting to get rid of it I would sell it yourself as you should get more for it and you don't have to deal with the carfax (hopefully). If you do happen to keep it just keep track of all the things that go wrong and maybe you could Lemon it or work something with the dealership.
 
#12 ·
Think of it this way, at 55 in a car would you have been hurt?

Another positive is if you have Geico and you go through their xpress repairs the repairs are warrantied for life of the car.

I had $8000 on a brand new 2 month old 17, I'm looking at the positive that everything they replaced has a lifetime $0 deductible warranty.
 
#15 ·
I wouldn't be concerned with the repairs. Allstate and others also have the lifetime guarantee on repairs if you use a shop in the program. Those programs are good because they cover you nationwide, not just at the shop that did the repairs.

I said dump it because he was having issues before the accident. It seems with Jeep most are good with no or few issues. But the ones that are problematic at the start continue to be so. This situation could be an "almost" get out of jail free card.

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#13 · (Edited)
Dump it and RUN!! :D
 
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#18 ·
I'll definitely look into a diminished value claim. Nothing on any reports yet which is a good thing. I should get it out in another 10 days or so. Super frustrated with all the issues though. It's funny that my dad also has a '15 Overland and hasn't had a single issue out of his. I swear if I get it back and I get that effing "service air suspension immediately" warning I'm going to lose it.
 
#27 ·
I hit a deer with my 2011 Jeep GC when it was about 6 months old. Damage was $8,000. I had it repaired by my local Jeep dealer where it was purchased. I had no problems with the repairs which included the front bumper, grill, hood, left HID light and fender. When I traded it in on my 2014 I don't think I got any discount because of the damage. In fact my neighbor 3 houses down the street purchased it and is still driving it today. They knew I had hit a deer with it. Don't know if it was recorded on Car-Fax by my dealer. Al
 
#28 ·
Had someone run a red light and t-bone my 4-month old 75th Limited last fall. Damage was north of $10k and included structural damage (damn unibody construction!). After over a month in the shop, I knew it would never be the same. Yes, I could have been in and out of the shop to ultimately fix all of the issues but I just wasn't keen on owning a Franken-vehicle for another 7-10 years that I knew had been on the brink of being totaled.

Fortunately we in Oregon have pretty decent Diminished Value laws for third party claims and I was able to recoup most of the loss in value due to the accident. In the end I decided it was worth eating the depreciation, ended up dumping it and replacing with a '17 Trailhawk - I haven't looked back... especially since my local dealer was willing to make me a pretty incredible deal.

Good luck!
 
#29 ·
Wow, that's a pricey deer! Anyone test it for drugs as to why it was in the road? Lawsuit?!

10k...I don't care if all that was minimal stuff like body parts and paint. No way I would want that vehicle after. Not for safer reasons just the fact it had 10k worth of damage. They should total the thing.
 
#30 ·
Shockwave, in 2007, my '06 Highlander Hybrid Limited was "sandwiched" on the Interstate and sustained $25+K of damage...a cracked hybrid system had to be replaced in addition to body work. There was no "frame" damage, however, since it was literally just front and back and the insurance company had it repaired since even that big number for damage was far below the ACV of the vehicle. I traded it in on my JGC in 2012. :)

In the case of the OP, there's extensive damage combined with significantly negative repair history...I'd find a way to get something new in that case.
 
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