[JimD]

The decision from the insurance company about totaling the car is a simple equation that not everybody understands. On one side of the equation is the cost of the repair. On the other side is the value of the car MINUS to parts they can sell from the totaled car. So a limited area of damage that gives them lots of parts they can sell (or a higher salvage value for the car from the place that will sell the parts) can get you totaled even if the damage is not a lot. A low residual is bad news too.

My daughter had the Hyundai I bought her totaled by her employer, State Farm, when it was about 2 years old. She hydroplanned on a bridge and hit the sides with both the front and the back end. But the 4 doors were good, the glass was all good, and the drivetrain was fine. Residual was fairly high (for a Hyundai) but salvage value was also pretty high and they totaled it. She knew how the calculate it and just bought another one, this time in the color she really wanted (we took what they had because she wanted it quickly when I bought her first one).

So when you are guessing about what is going to happen, remember the salvage part of the equation. If residual is low and salvage value is not enough lower to cover the repair cost, they will total.