Another one down - 2023 Maverick Lariat rear-ended and totaled

[Bobkath]

Well said Glen Baker LLC.

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[Glen Baker LLC]

Well said Glen Baker LLC.

Thank You.

 

[Bwicka]

Sorry to see that, such a nice truck. The problem is a unibody construction, no frame, to make it cheaper. The damage in the photo not an issue for a truck on the frame, but with unibody, it must be totaled.

I disagree , if it was a body on frame, the frame would need replacing ( completely remove all suspension,steering and engine ,trans,ptu, etc would have to swap over ,THEN all the bed metal, floor and tailgate , rear and side panels along with all bumper parts and tailgate would need replacement, lights and wiring possibly too.
Add in primer, paint , stickers etc and spare tire that may need replacing , still going on to be $20k +
Only difference is you do the frame and possible mounts and bolts too verses rear subframe u shaped metal ( large u shaped channel that wrinkled)that has to be spot weld drilled out and replaced ,painted and rewelded after removing the rear subframe.
Either way its the labor hours taking it past what a used ones price is!
Our cheap trucks are finally getting down in used value where soon just a tailgate and rear bumper replacement will total them past a used value.
2-3 more years a single door and window replacement with factory parts will take it there too.
Just a simple fact of depreciation.

 

[Ponyprez]

Those additional photo's said a lot about why it's totaled. I bought a Ranger ext. cab that had been hit hard in the back and the bed looked fine. It was a beater and one day I had a good load of dirt in the bed, went over RR tracks a bit fast and the back door would not open. Apparently, the frame cracked at a place it was bent from the accident, but it went another 24K before failing.

 

[notfast]

the unibody damage doesn't come close to that amount.

Can't tell that just by the photos from the outside. My old commuter was rear-ended and didn't look as severe; almost looked like it just needed the hatch unbent and a new bumper cover and crash bar. Total repair bill was just under $5,000 on a car that was worth about $9,000 at the time. And that was on an older car that had basically no high strength steel.

Sorry to see that, such a nice truck. The problem is a unibody construction, no frame, to make it cheaper. The damage in the photo not an issue for a truck on the frame, but with unibody, it must be totaled.

Unibody vehicles can be put on a frame puller like something that is body-on-frame. But a key issue is the amount of high strength steel in the unibody structure. Usually those parts cannot be pulled back. Manufacturer guidelines vary, but generally those parts must be replaced. And those unibody parts require a lot of labor hours to remove and de-spotweld whatever in order to replace the damaged parts.

Either way its the labor hours taking it past what a used ones price is!
Our cheap trucks are finally getting down in used value where soon just a tailgate and rear bumper replacement will total them past a used value.

I had a cheap, clean-title motorcycle that fell over in a parking lot. It cracked the headlight and a fairing. That was enough to total it. I bought it back, replaced the damaged parts, rode it with a salvage title for many more years, and eventually gave it away to a friend who was getting into riding.

Cheaper vehicles are essentially disposable, especially when parts become expensive and/or hard to come by as you mentioned. My friend's commuter was totaled because an electrical part that is specific to that model year is no longer available. That part is needed to power two of the vehicle's computers, so it is dead in the water without it.

I was rear-ended in my '01 F-250 no fewer than 6 times. Don't know what it was, but that truck was a magnet for small cars. All those vehicles crashed into either the trailer hitch (which consisted partly of a 4x4x0.25" wall steel tube), the spare tire, or both. Never got more damage than some of their paint on the tire or the hitch. Quite a change between then and now.

 

[Lovejoy]

Sadly, your truck will be sold by the insurance company to a salvage company who will repair your truck and sell it with a salvage title. I see them on CarGurus all the time. The salvage company will pay say $6k for your wrecked vehicle and this will lessen the impact of the claim to the insurance company.

The salvage company will then repair your truck in their own shop (using salvage or aftermarket parts) for say $8k and sell it for say $18k … the numbers may be off to some degree, but this is why insurance companies would rather total a vehicle than deal with the hassle of parts shortages and the subsequent rental car costs (which can last for months).

 

[51mavhatter]

Mavericks' 199.7 inches long and 194 of it looks OK and it's totaled. Didn't even crack the taillights. I'm shopping insurance right now and blown away at the cost. My 23 Maverick cost more than my wife's 24 Honda CRV

 

[colinl]

Trucks with full frames also have these crumple zones and are just as easily written off. Sure it is possible to cut the damaged frame parts out with a full frame but insurance companies often don't bother - especially when diminished value issues arise.

I feel there's a balance to be struck and probably the way to do that is crash test ratings. what's the speed at which we would expect a vehicle not to be totaled? is it 35mph, 25? 15?

hopefully you guys get my point.

I certainly do understand that crumple zone in the rear of a Maverick is designed to save a life if you're rear-ended at 60+. but should it fold at 30? I think we can all agree it shouldn't fold at 15 mph. we often have only guesses as to impact speed in a real-world collision, but it *seems* that Mavericks are being totaled easily by *relatively low speed* accidents.

 

[Lovejoy]

The good news is you’re getting a new truck, versus having frame related damage on your CarFax, which would be a HUGE hit to your truck’s resale value.

 

[dcjones]

I feel there's a balance to be struck and probably the way to do that is crash test ratings. what's the speed at which we would expect a vehicle not to be totaled? is it 35mph, 25? 15?

hopefully you guys get my point.

I certainly do understand that crumple zone in the rear of a Maverick is designed to save a life if you're rear-ended at 60+. but should it fold at 30? I think we can all agree it shouldn't fold at 15 mph. we often have only guesses as to impact speed in a real-world collision, but it *seems* that Mavericks are being totaled easily by *relatively low speed* accidents.

I suspect the car that hit me was doing about 30 - 35mph. They didn't seem to hit the brakes at all, as there were two distinct impacts - the initial one, and then another one when I mashed the brakes after being hit the first time.

 

[Sorren66]

YEP, it's buckled a bit.

I was a claims adjuster early in my career and if the damage crumpled the body to the cab or passenger compartment we would total the vehicle. Same if the roof showed any buckling. Can this be fixed? Of course, but for the insurance company they will always go for the cheap/fastest route to settle the claim with the smallest liability risk.

 

[RicksMaverick]

Glad your okay. Hope you enjoy your 2025 Ford Maverick even better. Even if it's not cyber orange, still a few colors to choose from.

Eruption Green would be my choice. Have seen it on a Ranger, looks Sharp!

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I wonder how much this would have lessened the impact and damage?

 

[Charles T.]

Damn, Being that these trucks total easily from the insurance. I would have tried to work it out with the guy who hit you. Hey buddy I won’t call insurance and you can try to foot 80% of this issue.

?

 

[Charles T.]

That’s way my insurance premiums are so high on my Mav.

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