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Did the body shop company overestimated the repair so you can get a new one? Did you want it fixed or not? Some body shops with a few encouragement can make it look more expensive than it is since there are no comps.
I've owned a lot of businesses and I can say that I've occasionally found myself with requests for work that, for whatever reason (client was difficult, work was extremely custom, conditions less than ideal, etc.) we just didn't want to do.
In those situations, you look at the job and say, hey, this is a $25k job but this quarter panel is a major structural component that will require 6 linear feet of aluminum cutting and welding (warping is extremely possible), lots of paint blending into the neighboring parts (that also had to be welded), issues where panel and trim alignment had to be dead-nuts perfect because the truck has 5k miles on it, bringing in a special jig just for this truck, maybe contracting an outside specialist for the aluminum weld, removal of almost all interior trim in the rear, and just a general sense that "I could do 3 other jobs and make more $ in the time it will take to f*** with this Defender".
Shop manager says, "put a price on it that scares them away but makes it worth our time if they somehow do accept the bid... $42k".
It just wasn't worth doing at a reasonable rate and having the owner say, "I'm not happy and the rear hatch rattles".
As that shop manager, would you want to own, in perpetuity, every leak, creak, rattle, and electrical issue in a brand new $80k Land Rover?
Last edited by _Allegedly; Sep 1, 2021 at 08:44 AM.
If you can't get parts, would that cause it to be totaled? Now that would make sense.
I think this is what's going on here (this Defender and this Bronco).
~$54k car.
Insurance Co. can either pay for the repair which would be at least $10 or $15k + a couple months of rental car if they had that option on this one -or- they can total it, write a $54k check, and then dump it on Copart.
I have a feeling these Copart auctions, except maybe the flood cars, are getting close to sticker. Especially a Bronco! By totalling it, they actually lose very little.
