Deer killed the Forester
 

We hit a deer last week on the Northeast Extension of the PA turnpike on the way to the Philadelphia airport, and it totalled the Forester. We now have to fight with the insurance who want to lowball me. She was in amazing condition mechanically and was pampered. But since she ran so well, it's all we ever drove, so she is 20 miles shy of 120k. They offered $6k and I said no. We'll see what happens.

The poor deer! Sorry to hear about your forester. You can never come out ahead with insurance. :mad:

That does suck, but mileage kills value. Doesn't change that fact that NO ONE likes to deal with insurance.

The problem is friend, who else are you gonna find to give you 6k for a wrecked machine?

Hold strong, you don't have to take the first offer, it's a negotiation. They will find a number you can live with, just stay cool.:cool:

Pa turnpike is brutal when it comes to deer sometimes i swear its worse than some of the back roads. Sorry to hear bout the Forester man, good luck with the fight.

My wife is beside herself. She loved that car. It still starts, even with close to $7k in damage. I consouled her like any decent husband would, with a new one. We bought a 2007 Forester Sports Edition today with 4 whole miles on it. I still have to get the settlement for the old one for the down payment, but I signed all the papers so she's ours now. Garnet red with anthracite cloth interior and the different grill and front bumper that comes with the Sports Edition. Power everything, 6 cd changer, automatic climate control, etc... No sunroof though, but that's OK because I want to get a drop down DVD player put in for the kids. The best part was I got it for $4k under sticker since the 2008's are in. I know she still misses the silver one though.

Have any pics of the old one? I'm curious as to how a deer could cause 7k in damage! :eek:

It doesn't look all that bad, but the estimate was over $6600 and the insurance companies own adjuster had over $5500. We hit it with the driver's side front headlight. Hood, grill, bumper, left fender, radiator, a/c, battery, headlight, headlight support, expansion tank, and some other items, plus labor. The headlight alone is almost $200.

sorry to hear about your car, but happy that you and the family are okay. i desperately want a forester sports, but in the 2.5xt variety. :D

We got the N/A. The WR Blue 2.5XT Sports is hot, but I'm not intrested in a turbo car for a daily driver, especially for the wife. More maintenance and cost down the road. The 2.5 is 173hp now, and strange enough, I can feel the 8hp increase. The 2007 is definatley faster then the 2000. Maybe it's all mental? :)

Are these all quotes for 'brand new' parts? Did you bother throwing together an estimate with used parts? I've had good luck with car-parts.com, and the price for a 2001 driver's side headlight on a subie forester runs from $40-$80. Hood? $150. Bumper? $200, with cover and reinforcement bar.

It's cool you got a new car and all, I just kinda doubt that it needed $6,000 to be fixed. I hit somebody in an old car I had once... it was technically totalled.... they said it'd cost me $3-4,000 to fix. I paid $700 to have it straightened, and a new radiator and stuff installed so it was driveable, then over the next 2 weeks sourced a hood in the correct color, and got the fender painted for $200. Poof. Under $1000 and it was back on the road.

Since it's the only vehicle for my wife and kids, and we drive it on trips instead of the pick-up I wanted it fixed correctly. I'm sure someone could buy it and fix it up and have a hell of a vehicle, but she will probably be parted out and she doesn't deserve it. The body shop I took it to only uses new parts, and most insurance companies won't allow used parts for the liability.

Really? That's silly. Or, they just want to charge you the most amount of money they can. :P Either way, good luck with the new car! :) Maybe you should get one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/hunting-whitetai...QQcmdZViewItem

and a big brushguard.

I should put a big brush guard on the pick up and only use that for the turnpike. I wish god made deer smarter. Chipmunks and squirrels run away, the big 200lb deer stands there and looks at you.

heheheh. Never really thought of it that way. I figure evolution will eventually weed out the deer that stop and stare, so in a few hundred years animals who 'run' when they see a car will be the only ones left. :p