Originally Posted by Aratinga

When my 8 was rear-ended (hard) on the freeway, I was told that the repair estimate would have to be 85% of the car's retail value before it would be considered a total. Just for reference, here's a couple pics of my car. The repairs took over five months, the final bill was over $17,000, and it was NOT a total, even though I begged them to total it.

The other party was 100% at fault, but I was NOT "made whole again". In fact, the other party (the city of Pasadena, CA -- one of their city vehicles hit me) still hasn't paid a cent -- my insurance company had to pay for everything. Where before the accident I was driving a brand new RX-8 in pristine condition, five months and two ruptured cervical disks later I'm driving an RX-8 that has major paint, body, and frame repairs that isn't even worth close to what I owe on it. I was not reimbursed for five months' worth of loss of use, or diminished value, or anything else.