Wow, that'* horrible! I thought the hit only wiped out the trunk, but in a way what you described makes more sense. From my teeny bit of experience, refuse the first offer, and the second one will be higher. Best of luck!

4-20-08 update

I finally settled with my insurance co. :? they gave me $5100 and I keep the car. :P I wanted $5500 but didn't want to dicker too much with my own ins. co. So, I'm satisfied.
Started to dismantle the car yesterday (before the rains came, again) trying to get the rest of the stuff out of the trunk and to remove the rear tires to get a better view of the damage. driver tire came off no problem, pass. tire - cant get off due to sheetmetal. started to pound on it with my sledge hammer and - found my jack! gotta get it out before i can move more sheet metal. I pried away the rear panel to try to get my service manuals...finally got it moved enough to remove the box and - they're TOAST! crushed, creased, damp and moldy!! $100 gone. (found another set on e-bay last night for $55 cause I need the books for the project) Found my airhose - box crushed but airhose intact - small dent of cover shield but it still works!
spare tire (still armorall'd) survived untouched!?!
most of the wiring harness is still intact but the bose speakers on the rear shelf are all crushed or broken. electronic box for dash compass looks intact. airhose and switch for airpump are still good (compressor itself is broken) you can hear it click when you press the on switch. trunk lockout button is smashed. power antenna still works but it'* buried in the sheet metal don't know if i'll ever get it out. found the fender grommet for it amidst the pile of plastic pieces in the trunk. :?
The engine fired right up!! and the tranny shifted into gears just fine so i suspect no damage to the drivetrain. Radiator is smashed but not leaking. fans are broken but no damage to engine components.
the smell inside is awful. guess that;* what happens to a gallon of milk that sets in the once unstained carpet.for a couple of months. lots of glass shards inside everywhere.
i will strip out everything useful, deside what i want to keep, and then the rest i will post in the for sale section


























well i had descriptions for each pic but didn't transfer from photobucket.
here is the link if you want to see those.

http://s295.photobucket.com/albums/m...ediafilter=all

ok, off to strip off more stuff before the rains come again..already posted storm watches.

Terry

That is some nasty damage. Pretty much nothing left behind the rear passenger seat.

I may have missed it above, but did they catch the guy that did it? I'm glad you got decent money from the ins. company, and that you could keep it to part it off. Not to mention that you are still alive!

Very well designed rear crumple zone with no intrusion into the passenger compartment. More time to absorb the energy of the impact with less G forces imparted into the passengers.

Eerily similar to the accident that totaled my 97 SE, rear ended by a PA ultra and sandwiched between it and a truck. Same color car and same wheels, and almost identical damage from the accident. That both of us were able to walk away is a testament to the crash protection of these cars. Glad to see you're still fine and that things finally got settled.

no, they never caught the a$$hole. even did a photo linup with the cops, narrowed it down to 3 that i thought could be him but could not positively ID him. :(

more pics from this evening:












the jack in the corner is what caused the sheetmetal to go over the tire. but it also saved the antenna from getting smashed. got all the wiring out from the trunk area...it survived..mostly, the speaker bundle got cut from the right trunk hinge as well as the antenna ground strap, and one pink wire in the wires going to the compressor, a couple of other black wires with white stipes with fuse links. not sure what they are but new manuals will tell me.
removed all the seats, a bit of mold on the rear seat but it cleaned up. rearback frame on driver seat bent but all functions still works. all seats are in basement awaiting...some future.
carpet is stained and icky right now, but luckily the electronics and wiring underneath are clean and corrosion free! ...will remove headliner, sunroof, console, carpet, steering column, dash and floor wiring next week. Then lastly, motor and tranny and front harness for the project car.

more pics then.

thanks for looking.

Terry.

I suddenly feel MUCH safer driving in my car...

Glad you're okay.. I hope they find the guy. He was probably walking around with a few broken ribs and a badly injured neck. Did they happen to check the ERs in the area for anyone just walking in looking fresh from an accident?

How do you feel being its a couple months after?

i actually feel fine. most lingering thing was neck pain. spent 2 months with cyropractor and neck pain has gone away. med pay insurance paid for it all.
got my money and in the market for another bonnie. already have a couple in mind but still looking. i won't give out any details of where i'm looking but will post when i find something i want. i'm very picky about my cars. i spent 6 months looking for the one that got totaled.only got to drive it for 9 months. hope i have better luck this time.