Is My Car Totaled?
If you find yourself asking if your car is totaled, that means you’ve probably recently been in a bit of an accident. The good news is that the definition of a totaled vehicle, also known as a total loss, is pretty straightforward.
The bad news is that what damage and how much damage is needed to declare a car as totaled varies dramatically from car to car, making the "is my car totaled" question a bit complicated to answer.
Let’s start with the easy part. What does it mean if your car is totaled or declared a total loss? By definition, after an accident, your car will be damaged. Your insurance company will do two things:
- They’ll assess the amount of damage to your car in terms of dollar value. Someone accredited by your insurance will inspect the damage on your car and give a repair estimate.
- Your insurance company will also look at the year, make, model, trim, mileage, location and recent prices for cars similar to yours and give it an actual cash value, or what your car was worth before the accident. If the cost of repair is greater than the value of your wrecked car, it’s totaled or declared a total loss.
Fairly straight forward, no?
That’s the harder question. If your car looks is a total wreck, it’s probably a total loss. But, the reality is there are a lot of factors that come into play. The older your car, the more extensive the damage and the more expensive the parts and labor relative to the value of your car, the more likely it is that it’ll be totaled.
While your insurance’s total loss payout calculator can come up with a price for your vehicle, that’s not the only option to move forward with.
How can I get a quote for my TOTALED car instantly?
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What Can You Do With A Totaled Car?
Declaring your car a total loss means the insurance company has decided it will be more costly to fix your car after the accident than to pay for a replacement vehicle. This is why your insurer will not pay to repair your vehicle but offer you a check for the replacement value. It will be calculated on the basis of your car's pre-accident condition.
Once the insurance company decides that your vehicle is a total loss, two solutions are possible — the insurance company will keep the damaged vehicle, or they will let you keep it. If they let you keep it then perhaps you can sell your totaled car for more than the insurance value of your junk car.
Here is how: the insurance company will deduct a “salvage value” (the estimated value of a car at the end of its useful life) from your claim settlement. You can make a profit when you sell a wrecked car for a higher price than the car salvage value.
If you choose to keep your vehicle, your next option is to figure out how to sell your total loss car. Enter DamagedCars.com.
Who Buys Totaled Cars? - Sell My Total Loss Car Online
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Enter vehicle detailsBy filling out our form with accurate information on DamagedCars.com, we can give you an instant offer on some vehicles or contact you with a guaranteed offer shortly after you click “Submit for Offer.” |
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Accept your OfferHappy with the offer? Provide proof of ownership, and we will schedule the pick-up of your car and deliver the payment at the same time. |
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Get paid!We will hand you a fairly priced check during the car pick up, typically more than the car scrap value. |
Selling Your Totaled Car With DamagedCars.com
At DamagedCars.com, we’ll make you a market-based offer for your totaled, salvage or junk car, truck, van or SUV. We buy all makes and models, from a totaled BMW to a totaled Chrysler 200.
With DamagedCars.com you can keep your insurance check and sell your wrecked car for its salvage value. Because repair isn’t always the best option, sell a wrecked car to DamagedCars.com. Where we buy cars in less-than-perfect condition, and even messed up cars, nationwide.
Contact us today for a quick, no-obligation estimate. You get paid for your constructive total loss car when we pick it up.
Forget about guessing and stressing. Now the process of selling your less than perfect car is easy!