Can't really say without pictures, but $4500 bucks doesn't go very far in a good body shop. My wife hit a turkey with her new Cadillac and just the grill and hood cost that much. Take it to your favorite shop and get them to look at it.

 

granted, its hard to tell the extent of damage without pics

$4500 sounds pretty conservative as far as estimates go. paint alone would be $1500 or so of that (at a good body shop)

and if your frame is twisted, $4500 won't even come close to fixing the car

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll try and post some pictures.

If the frame is in need of a lot of repair, will this effect the cars safety in the future? Will it effect things like alignment, tire wear, etc? Can they repair it back to original shape?

Thanks!

 

A trained, experienced frame tech using a computerized frame machine can put the car back into as good or better specs than it had from the factory.

 

Let the body shop tell the adjuster what it'll cost.

How high is the mileage, and how modified is the car? Be sure to determine book value yourself, and make sure that you push for them to find you another *car* in equivalent condition with maintenance logs, not just to give you some cash. That might well cause them to at least raise their cash offer.

Don't forget about wheels when the body shop looks at it, I don't know what Impala SS 17" wheels go for, but I'd bet it's more than a standard wheel. Plus tires, a set of tires for this in the correct size is generally $900 installed. Also make sure that when they quote the adjuster, they quote Impala tail lights and decals and the like.

 

It's a 117,000 mile car. Just rebuilt the transmission last year, new tires all around also.

There are no mods, it's bone stock, and the car *was* in excellent condition (no dings/dents/fading etc).

I'm hoping they'll fix it. I'm thinking they'll give me low KBB which is like 7k.

I didn't know I had the option of having them find me the same car?

 

I'm hoping they'll fix it. I'm thinking they'll give me low KBB which is like 7k.

KBB is just a guide. You need to know what cars are selling for in your area. It's my understanding that insurance will pay enough to replace your car with something similar. Market value is key.

 

4500 sounds resonable. Since its a real american old skool car and probably has less plastic body panels then a hybrid lol Thats why its cheaper.
I honestly would just push to get it totalled.
Many years ago i bought a caprice also that had front end damage that was minor and repaired professionally and after that the car never drove the same. It would pull when it wanted to after numerous allighmente and tires i saw balding and a bunch of other stuff. Im sorry i bought it.

Its like this...
Once a woman gets a make-over....she never acts the same and you will always pay out the pocket lol

 

That's sad to hear. I'm the original owner of this car; really wanted to keep it. Hopefully the body shop will give me a real answer as to how it will perform after fixing.

 

That's sad to hear. I'm the original owner of this car; really wanted to keep it. Hopefully the body shop will give me a real answer as to how it will perform after fixing.

Sorry to rain on your parade . Its hard parting with a car especially if you had it long and its like a family member. But its better now then later on down the line after all that time and money to find out its not what you expected after all the repairs and something is off. You will never be happy again and it will be too late.

No matter how experience or millions of dollars to fix it , it still will never be the same. There is a small margin of era when they straighten frames. Sheetmetal is fine but once a frame loses its steel memory its impossible to bring the shape back .
At least its only your rear and not the front. The body shops will tell you yes to get your money. But i would recommend getting several shop opinions. Or better yet go to a classic car restorer shop that specializes in car restorations and they will tell you the real deal.

 

Hey everyone,
My car was hit as it was parked outside of my house. It was hit in the rear drivers side bumper, pretty significant damage to the drivers side quarter panel. The doors on that side are jammed shut, and the car looks twisted.

The same thing happen to my 95 BBB about 4 years ago. It got totaled by the insurance company. I ended up keeping it and fixing the damages. So far, I haven't had any issues with the way it drives.

this is how it looks now

 

We really need pics to know. I got brake checked and messed up the LF corner of my '96SS back in 2004 and I had to replace the inner and outer fender, core support, hood, headlight and marker light. This came to about $4000. I'm sure that your estimate will go up so definitely get at least 3 other estimates from legit shops. Find out where the dealership recommends and start there.

 

thanks guys!

 

trying to upload (edit)

This explains how to add pics.
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=272379

 

Helping a brother out...

 

definitely worth fixing.

 

Thanks for the help guys, I couldn't figure out how to add the pictures for the life of me! cwm6

 

Well the good news is there was no suspension damage!

The auto body shop is starting to work on the car. I have a few questions.

The wheel moldings are not available anymore if it's my understanding? How will the body shop get new ones? And if they can't, how can they factor that into the price for the insurance? I don't want to pay out of pocket for new ones. If the exhaust tip is damaged, would they just replace the tip or do they need to replace the entire unit? Thanks all!

 

Well the good news is there was no suspension damage!

The auto body shop is starting to work on the car. I have a few questions.

The wheel moldings are not available anymore if it's my understanding? How will the body shop get new ones? And if they can't, how can they factor that into the price for the insurance? I don't want to pay out of pocket for new ones. If the exhaust tip is damaged, would they just replace the tip or do they need to replace the entire unit? Thanks all!

You mean SS moldings i presume? Wll they will probably find caprice ones in a junkyard and then just paint em body color.

They would just replace the extension pipe (from back of mufller to end.) They are not going to get you a nice new chrome tip.

 

I'm not sure if they are SS specific, but they are the moldings that cover the wheel well on the cars.

I wasn't hoping to get chrome tips, I was thinking that if the entire exhaust needed to be replaced for any reason, I would have just upgraded and paid the difference.

 

If they cant find oem moldings period , they may just get aftermarket ones close enough to resemble it.

I never heard of body shops upgrading. They ususally just fix it the Original way with what was supposd to be on the car in that production year.

If you want to change certain exhuast parts and get nicer mufflers or something I would just go toa specific exhaust shop for that. They would be cheaper then a body shop

 

I wasn't even aware they made aftermarket moldings? Can anyone confirm this?

 

http://www.gm-auto-parts.com/seccat/impala-ss-1988/1995/lower-molding-32473/132/32473/

 

I think that's a different item.

I'm talking about the molding that goes on the wheel well just above the tire.

 

The last time I checked, most of the wheel opening moldings had been discontinued. The originals are color specific, but a black one can be painted dark cherry, etc. I replaced all of mine several months ago and was able to get two DCMs, one Black and one DGGM. I just painted the black and DGGM to DCM. Caprice w/o molding are not the same. The Impala moldings are coated in color impregnated urethane.

Caution! There is some seriously wrong advice being given in this thread! Some of the posters are obviously very ignorant of collision repair procedures and insurance claims procedures. Beware!

 

Keep us updated on the progress with pics bud. I am in a similar situation with a 96 I just purchased. (same angle or where it got hit) - a little worse than that though.

Still considering if I will invest more in repairs, or part it out.
thanx -

 

Parts

Well let me know if u total it. I'm willing to buy your front clip if you want to sell parts.

 

I would take the stock parts over aftermarket.

Stock is usually more expensive too.

 

The damage estimate for my Impala was $4500. Both doors and the quarter panel. I found two perfect Caprice doors at the junkyard for $160. I'll end up having about $400 in the repair not counting paint. Too bad I now have a total loss title. I don't really care since I never plan on selling it.

 

The insurance company should give you KBB retail value + tax + dealer fees + title fees...at least that is what I've heard from most people. They will probably only pay to repair up to 70% of that value, maybe 75%. I have heard horror stories about frame repair. It certainly diminishes the value of the car and will show up on carfax. If there is suspension damage, one possibility is to have the shop replace with performance parts. You'll just have to pay the difference between that and the cost of the stock parts, if any. If there is no frame damage, I say take this as an opportunity to upgrade if you can.