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Car is Totaled - What now...?

jav6454

jav6454

macrumors Core
Original poster
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,270
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
Alright, so as many fo you might know, I was looking for a dash cam if in case I ever got to a fender bender from a previous fender bender incident.

Alas, not 2 weeks after my car was repaired, some drunk arse decided to make my car his stopping point via a rear-end. I am fine, but my car is not. Air bags were deployed, back part of the vehicle is destroyed and there is frame damage. Long story shot, insurance has totaled my car and the guy is sitting in county jail awaiting trial as this is his 3rd offense.

Insurance is covering up to $20k (based on pre-collision vehicle value). However, I am left with an issue. What car to purchase now. I owned a 2016 2.0L Escape Tit AWD, so naturally I'd like to stay in the same vehicle category. One change I'd like to look into is Hybrid options.

That said, what are y'alls experience with Hybrid vehicles in general. From a long time friend, her MPG is outstanding on here RAV4 (39+ MPG), and overall she has no complaints. However, I'd like to hear different view points to get a feeling for what to watch out for or be mindful off. Any models in the Escape segment (or even the new Escape) I should check out?
 
jav6454 said:
Alright, so as many fo you might know, I was looking for a dash cam if in case I ever got to a fender bender from a previous fender bender incident.

Alas, not 2 weeks after my car was repaired, some drunk arse decided to make my car his stopping point via a rear-end. I am fine, but my car is not. Air bags were deployed, back part of the vehicle is destroyed and there is frame damage. Long story shot, insurance has totaled my car and the guy is sitting in county jail awaiting trial as this is his 3rd offense.

Insurance is covering up to $20k (based on pre-collision vehicle value). However, I am left with an issue. What car to purchase now. I owned a 2016 2.0L Escape Tit AWD, so naturally I'd like to stay in the same vehicle category. One change I'd like to look into is Hybrid options.

That said, what are y'alls experience with Hybrid vehicles in general. From a long time friend, her MPG is outstanding on here RAV4 (39+ MPG), and overall she has no complaints. However, I'd like to hear different view points to get a feeling for what to watch out for or be mindful off. Any models in the Escape segment (or even the new Escape) I should check out?
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Sorry about your accident but glad you’re ok.
I’ve owned Toyota hybrids for 13 years, Camry first, 2 Prius and currently a Prius Prime )plug in). Wife has a Sonata hybrid that is now just over 5 years…
Never had a single issue, hybrids are more reliable than ICE cars and over the lifetime less expensive, eg I never had to get brake pads replaced… and if you want to read owner stories, priuschat.com is a great forum…
Now, what do you want in the future, since you mention RAV4 - they have the Prime which is a plug in that gives you 42 miles of EV range and it charges in about 11hrs off a 110V outlet. Best part is that you get a federal $7500 tax credit so really need to factor that into total price, and, depending what state you’re in you get state and sometimes local addl incentives, eg in CA you get a $1500 “discount” at POS.
My driving habits have completely changed in the past year and half due to pandemic, the last time I used the ICE in my Pius Prime was over 3 months ago…
 
Well, I am not looking exactly at the RAV4, just vehicles in the same car segment. I do know that Hybrids tend to use the lower torque (at lower rpm) Atkinson cycle engines, but that loss of power is made up by the e-drive train.
 
My current vehicle has been with me for 3+ years, and I was intending to keep it to at least 5, depending on repair costs at the 5 year mark. So yes, to your point, I intended to keep it for as long as financially feasible.

Why would you not recommend a hybrid/turbo for that metric? I looked at the Maverick, it looks solid; however, I am not in for a truck-like vehicle.
 
Airforcekid said:
If you plan to keep the car long-term 7+ years I would avoid hybrids or turbocharged vehicles and stick to a naturally aspirated vehicle. Fords new hybrid Maverick may be of interest nearly fits your insurance payout. https://www.ford.com/trucks/maverick/2022/
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what's your rationale and data for that? There are plenty user reports of Prius in particular of 200k+ miles with no issues.
And if you're in a CARB state, hybrid drivetrain (which includes battery) has 10 yrs warranty
 
jz0309 said:
what's your rationale and data for that? There are plenty user reports of Prius in particular of 200k+ miles with no issues.
And if you're in a CARB state, hybrid drivetrain (which includes battery) has 10 yrs warranty
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Basically every non naturally aspirated car I've had gave out or needed expensive work around 100k miles. My 94 F150 passed 1,250,000 miles with just regular upkeep and I have had a few 300k mile cars without an issue. I did engine swap my old Prius and turned it into quite the sleeper (12.8 second quarter mile) at the track they can be fun fun cars tuned. I already bought an old 4.6L V8 for a side project when my Model 3 gets tired.
 
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Jav, I would challenge the whole ‘Avoid hybrids’.

I can tell you this, I own a Prius Three, which I bought slightly used from an auction years back, and even though I don’t drive it that much, I’ve had absolutely zero issues.

Also, I know two shop owners on a personal level, one of those shops services almost all Prius’s, and they see these cars reach north of 350,000 miles on the original battery packs, with routine maintenance obviously being a factor.

Regardless, the 1.8L that’s in the Prius has been around for the better part of over 10 years, it’s a mature platform and there’s a reason the Prius is a staple in the rideshare industry, Not just in terms of fuel savings, but reliability.

My thoughts is this, whatever you decide on, don’t buy anything used right now, because the used car market inflation is ridiculously high, and you’re better off purchasing new, because you’re literally paying the same price for a used vehicle with low-er mileage compared to a $3,000-ish difference for a new vehicle with an attached warranty.

I personally myself I am looking to transition to a full EV aside from my performance cars, but I still think hybrids are very much relevant for years to come and have proven reliability with the likes of Toyota as an example.
 
Since longevity seems to be an important goal, I'd recommend sticking with a Toyota model. Consumer Reports vehicle owner reports support this, as do many respected online mechanics. As far as hybrid or internal combustion, I'd go with hybrid. The days of polluting, naturally aspirated engines are ending, and the environment would be thankful. Saving on gas expenses also a benefit. RAV4 would be an excellent choice in the Escape catagory.
 
Airforcekid said:
Basically every non naturally aspirated car I've had gave out or needed expensive work around 100k miles. My 94 F150 passed 1,250,000 miles with just regular upkeep and I have had a few 300k mile cars without an issue. I did engine swap my old Prius and turned it into quite the sleeper (12.8 second quarter mile) at the track they can be fun fun cars tuned. I already bought an old 4.6L V8 for a side project when my Model 3 gets tired.
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You say that but my old Honda Crosstour had 4 grand of work that had to be done as part of maintenance at a 100k.
Mind you at 154k when I finally traded it in the only major problem it got was a crack radiator. It was a NA V6.

My wife’s turbo power car is at 75k and it has not had any issues yet.

Turbo power cars are pretty common now. I personally thing the Toyota hybrids are great. A friend of my wife got a hybrid rav4 and loves it.
 
Like Jz0309, I’ve had the same 3 hybrids. The Prius Prime is great for our current location. Most of our around town drives are electric only. Last fillup was on May 20 and still have ⅓ tank. I love the torque of and electric vehicle. Our previous Prius was 9 years old when we traded it and you could notice some battery degradation but it still ran fine and delivered great mileage. My wife now refuses to consider any car that’s not electric or plug-in hybrid. Considering the Ford Escape plug in hybrid because it can be flat towed behind our motorhome. A friend has a Chevy Bolt he uses for a 30+ mile commute to work. He has only used it on a couple of long trips but says it was more relaxing because of the enforced rest breaks.
 
⬆️ It’s weird, I never see the Prius Prime on the road. I live in a big city and as many Prius’s that I actually do see, maybe only one was a Prime. I was asking why that was the other day, and someone mentioned that Toyota just can’t make enough of them, apparently they’re back-ordered, along with the elusive Toyota RAV4 Prime.
 
I've never owned a Hybird. I have driven a Prius and I thought it was awful. The car - not that it was hybrid. The Prius is a step down in space, comfort, ride and handling from the Camry and Avalon. I think that the Prius is built on a Corolla platform and I've never liked the Corolla.

The RAV4 is the fourth or fifth best-selling car this year so they make a ton of them. I like cars with big production runs as it means that any quality issues are more likely to be reported on and investigated. It also means that maintenance and spare parts will be easily available for a long time. I'm a car guy but the RAV4 would be under consideration if I wanted a small SUV. I've driven one before and like them.

One factor is that there is a short supply of new and used vehicles. It's not a great time to buy a car.
 
pshufd said:
One factor is that there is a short supply of new and used vehicles. It's not a great time to buy a car.
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I'm seeing ads on local TV from dealers trying to buy used cars. I've received emails from our local Toyota dealer wanting to buy both our 2017 Prius Prime and 2013 Highlander.
 
glenthompson said:
I'm seeing ads on local TV from dealers trying to buy used cars. I've received emails from our local Toyota dealer wanting to buy both our 2017 Prius Prime and 2013 Highlander.
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go check kbb.com, then get a quote from Carmax, and then get a quote from Carvana (assuming you have Carmax/Carvana near by) - you'll be surprised :)
 
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