Seriously Considering Buying my totaled 4R back

I'm not super savvy with fixing cars but I have a friend that does. A lot of the pieces of the front assembly are just take off and replace. Half the work is already completed by the shop.

The fender will prob be the trickiest part.

The reason why im now considering is because I cannot find a replacement vehicle and it's been a month since the accident. & the insurance is offering me crumbs. My 4r is in mint condition.

What do you guys think?

2006 134k miles SR5 4WD

 

Yeah, the entire radiator support needs to be done.

 

I’d say it depends on what you want to do with it. If you LOVE that one, buy it back and repair it. If you want any mods off of it and part it out to make some money back do it. If you want to get it running and have a wheeling rig and the repairs don’t need to be perfect then do that too. As others have said, it likely has some frame damage and will not be ever be the same vehicle as before. If you aren’t in love with that particular one…I’d say buy a cheaper commuter vehicle and drive that until you find the right replacement for you.

Sucks you’re going through this…sorry!

 

Do it!

 

That can be repaired, just time and money, all depends how much of both you want to invest.

 

Does it drive? If so how well does it drive/steer?

 

Frames can be straightened by a good body and fender shop. It might be worth it to find a Mom and Pop shop and have them look at it. Good luck!

 

I did drive it after the accident & it drove fine. I did a full turn left and right and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

 

remove core support
straighten drivers side inner fender
straighten or replace core support
reinstall core support
crash bar could potentially be reused
bumper support bar / brackets need replacing
probably needs grille and bumper and headlight and paint
if you could do it yourself, you're lookin at about a grand in all the hard parts

i dont see major damage or frame issues from what i can see.
hit a deer?
rear end a tall truck?
pix of before body shop puled front bumper off?

 

Hi,

Older woman pulled in front of me from a stop. Here’s a photos of post-take down.

 

New fender
New light
New hood
New bumper
New bumper support brackets
MIGHT get away with only replacing a few clips on the fender flare
Might end up needing to plastic weld a few spots to the fender flare but i doubt the fender flare has to be replaced

couple hundred bucks in hard parts, do like the body shops and use pull-apart or junk yard parts and save yourself a bunch of money over buying new. Sand, prime, repaint, clear, reassemble, you can fix that thing back to new for less than $2,000 easily doing it yourself with a buddy buying new parts and paint. You might be able to get it under $1000 with junk yard parts.

 

The big question will be how stringent recertification is where you live. I fixed up a Subaru Legacy a number of years ago, and recertification was a nightmare. They failed it over a small rust bubble on the rear fender. It was inspected three times before it passed. My father in law also did an Altima and they failed it over a lightly leaking shock. I myself would probably not do it, unless your confident in your abilities.

 

I think you may have a great idea for an '06 with 134K. I don't know where you live but I have that piece that bolts on to the front of the frame sitting in my basement.

It’s clean as far as rust - that’s red Georgia clay on it.




I pulled it off my '07 to install my outstanding Lost Trails Overland winch bumper, which, btw, completely replaces that bolt-on piece and would thus be another solid choice. Anyway, it's yours for whatever it costs to ship it or we could meet up within a reasonable distance of Canton, GA (north of Atlanta).

I love the winch bumper - imo, it's what a factory winch bumper would have looked like had Toyota offered one.

 

Definitely has structural damage - needs to be pulled and straitened - "OTL" - Insurance companies won't bother with that and neither should you. IMO

 

The opinion that matters most is from someone with a frame machine and a trammel. The superficial damage looks off-putting but if the frame and body structure are workable then by all means fix it. Insurance companies just see numbers.

 

This ^^^^

As others said, all it takes is time and money. If your love for the vehicle is above that number, go for it. It's your cash.

 

Just this week, I finally got collector car insurance for my '94 Pickup. There's no way regular car insurance would compensate me for its market value for a loss. While there are more restrictions on coverage, just as well, I shouldn't be using like an everyday vehicle anymore. And the premium drop was massive.

 

If the buy-back price is cheap and the vehicle drives straight, do it! My QX4 was totaled by a non-fault fender-bender in 2016. I repaired the damage from parts from the junkyard/ebay and drove a practically free truck (paid $6500 in 2014, was sent a check for $4800 after buyback). The repair wasn't perfect, but good enough.