No one wants to hear that their car is totaled. Accidents cause enough stress without the additional factor of having to find a new car.
If you find yourself in this unfortunate position, all you can do is make the best out of a bad situation. In this case, the best first step you can take is to ensure you’re making the most money possible off of your totaled car.
It’s important to remember that “totaled” absolutely does not mean “worthless.” In fact, though many of us are used to hearing the word totaled used whenever a car is badly damaged in an accident, the actual definition is more specific than that.
When a claim is made to an insurance company after an accident, the insurance company evaluates the insured vehicle for the extent of the damage caused by the crash. This evaluation serves two purposes.
The first is to see if the car will be safe to be used again. Things like frame damage that may be technically fixable permanently reduce the safety of the vehicle and make it more prone to take serious damage in future collisions.
The second purpose is to see how much the repairs will cost to perform, and how much the vehicle itself is worth. This is also the step where the “totaled” designation comes from. If the cost to repair the car is too high compared to the car’s worth, the car will be designated as totaled.
The specific ratio varies between states and insurers, but a good estimate is that damage totaling between 50 to 70 percent of your vehicle is enough to declare it totaled.
The reason this matters to you is because your car still holds value despite the fact that the insurance company doesn’t view it as worth repairing. All you need to do is know where that value lies.
Why Sell To A Scrap Yard?
Did you know sometimes the airbags deploying may be enough on its own to total your car? That means that while most of your car’s parts are still fully functional, replacing the airbags would simply be cost-prohibitive. This is where your car’s value comes in.
When your car is recycled, professionals break it down into parts that can be recycled or resold. The auto recycling industry is a very important part of our economy, performing an invaluable environmental service while providing affordable car parts to drivers in need of repairs.
Cars recycled at scrapyards are drained of any fluids remaining in them, and those fluids are disposed of properly. This is important because when cars are disposed of in landfills those fluids are left to leach into the soil, impacting our water quality.
Then, all the working parts that can be resold are stripped away to provide a budget-friendly option to consumers and reduce the need to make new parts. Recyclable parts like glass, metal, and rubber are melted down. In fact, much of our roadways are constructed with recycled tires.
The non-recyclable parts can then be compressed down into a disposable chunk of metal!
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How To Get Back A Totaled Car
One of the most important responsibilities of your insurer is performed when your car is totaled, which is compensating you for the value of your car, minus your deductible. The insurance company then goes on to sell your car at auction. This is known as “making you whole,” and is where most people end the process.
What many people don’t realize is they could be making a lot more for their car by buying it back from their insurers. When you buy back your car, instead of receiving a check for the car’s value minus the deductible, you’ll receive a check for the value minus the deductible and however much they believe they would have made selling your car at auction.
While this means less money upfront, you’ll also be receiving your vehicle and a salvage title back for it. This gives you the opportunity to sell your car yourself, making you more money overall.
Selling Your Car
If selling a totaled car seems intimidating, don’t worry. It’s actually the easiest part of this whole process, and can be done entirely from the comfort of your own home.
By this time your car has been cleaned out of personal items and you’ve received your title back from your insurer, meaning all you’ll need to do to prepare for sale is take some pictures of your car. Include any damage in the photos.
Next, go online to DamagedCars.com! At DamagedCars, we specialize in damaged or totaled vehicles, meaning we know better than anyone how much your car is worth.
All we need to give you your free quote is your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and the pictures you took! Our quotes are ready in just 90 seconds.
DamagedCars works with reputable scrapyards in your area, meaning you can sell locally while knowing that your sale is safe and protected. Once you accept your quote, just schedule your free tow! Towing and title transfer is always on us, and we can schedule your pickup in 24-48 hours.
Sell your totaled car in just days from the comfort of your own home with DamagedCars today!