Wrecked

[TownDiver]

On mobile so bear with me. I'm pretty heartbroken right now.

Haven't been too active on here lately, been trying to focus on the outside world and such. Finally been driving my disco 1 300tdi for almost two years, been the best driving days of my life. Anyway last night a tacomo tried to make the gap and ran into my front driver's side(he admitted fault). Pretty sure my truck might be totaled, but haven't even been able to get to the yard yet. Pics below. Everyone walked away fine, just a little sore(props to ARB for plowing through).
Has anyone dealt with insurance on a heavily modified truck like this, i.e. diesel conversion? Any input would be appreciated. I'm pretty limited with weekdays since I'm currently in some army courses.
Also that is part of the Tacoma on my windshield, not my wiper.

 

[krick3tt]

Very sad to see that. Good that you and others are OK. Can enough be saved to mod a newer LR?

 

[Correus]

Dang.... sorry to hear it; glad you and yours are okay.

 

[J!m]

Glad you made it!

If it is totaled, you should get the option to buy the wreck. Then you can part out what you can and then scrap the rest.

Plenty of D1’s around. Just think how much better the next one will be!

 

[Silmarillion]

That beauty is totalled very sorry to hear that and very glad y'all are safe! Fight for the real value! It's got to be a lot more than a non modded one. May need a dealer that has installed stuff like that to quote the cost of doing those mods on another. You may be able to buy the salvage back for a great price if you think it has a lot of parts that will transfer.

 

[Boss Hog]

I’m very, very sorry for your loss. I went through this twice in 2 years. I had a FZJ80 totaled due to a drunk driver and then a year later a ‘92 RRC totaled after being rear-ended by a Ram 3500.

The 80-series wasn’t even a conversation because I only had liability on it at the time of the accident. Still a point of contention with Mrs Hog. That one is in the garage awaiting repair.

The RRC barely looked damaged-it was all on the rear and in the frame. First insurance offer was for $3k. I argued, produced receipts for parts, and ads for other RRC’s for sale within 500 miles. Got a settlement for $5k. I didn’t even have permanent tags on her yet...?

Good luck...

 

[Colin Hughes]

Pull some comparison ads up for the insurance company showing what 300tdi's sell for. I had a 1997 D1 Diesel that was rear ended. They were going to write it off until I told them it was a "rare" diesel and worth more. They ended up paying out a $6700 claim. If you like it, I'd settle, buy it back, find a new donor and swap the engine.

 

[TownDiver]

Thanks for the tips all! Unfortunately I will most likely be headed overseas for rotation soon, so I don't think I'll be able to reuse a lot of parts. I'm headed over this morning to get my stuff and do an assessment. I called the local LR guru and he'll be sending me a conversion quote on Monday. I do foresee me getting it back on the cheap to get some parts off it, if anything at least the Roof Rack and part off what I can. Located Columbus, GA. I'll keep you all updated!
Also as a side note, a big thanks to the other Disco Driver who happened to be right there and called 911. Thank you for the call and good luck with your diesel conversion!

 

[RF2200]

I don't see the point in converting a D1 when you can buy a super clean original 1994 or 1995 300tdi Discovery overseas and have it shipped. In years past this was not an option but they started fitting the 300tdi in 1994 so if you could find a 1994 you could import it now. You would have to wait until 2020 to import the 1995. Where are you going overseas? You could potentially pick up a 1994 or 1995 300tdi and ship it to the US when you ship come back.

Just look at this.
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1029873

Or take a look at this. It is a 1997 so still a little bit before it is importable but it is quite excellent.
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1069511

Or this.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-Lan...h=item2aba74741e:g:BxYAAOSwKJhbQFM4:rk:2:pf:0

This one has 19k miles. It is a 1998 though.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classif...overy-300-tdi--50th-anniversary--1998/8736376

 

[ColoDisco]

Definitely don’t settle right out of the gate. Prove your case. I too went through being rear ended last June and pushed into a guard rail. First offer was a joke. They offered me 40% value on my front ARB bumper due to rust. I argued that it was still a viable bumper and was not rusted through. I also went to their recommended body shop which is who lowballed the estimate. I then got my own estimate from a Land Rover certified body shop which came in closer to double the first. We met in the middle they offered me 90% value for the front bumper. I was happy and the end result is new front and rear tactical rover bumpers and I found a exact match tailgate from a recycler in California.

 

[DieselRanger]

Thanks for the tips all! Unfortunately I will most likely be headed overseas for rotation soon, so I don't think I'll be able to reuse a lot of parts. I'm headed over this morning to get my stuff and do an assessment. I called the local LR guru and he'll be sending me a conversion quote on Monday. I do foresee me getting it back on the cheap to get some parts off it, if anything at least the Roof Rack and part off what I can. Located Columbus, GA. I'll keep you all updated!
Also as a side note, a big thanks to the other Disco Driver who happened to be right there and called 911. Thank you for the call and good luck with your diesel conversion!

First, I'm glad you're OK. Collisions are always nerve-wracking affairs. Also glad that it seems cool heads prevailed in the immediate aftermath. That's what I worry about most these days.

Since you appear to be a servicemember, if you have USAA, they're generally pretty reasonable. Document, document, document.

 

[BritKLR]

As said, do not accept the first amount offered or cash anything they may send you for "incidental expenses" to cover rental car, etc. since that can be considered an acceptance of full amount offered (Dependant of insurance company, state law, policy and small print.) Take your time and do your due diligence. If necessary, consult with an attorney if they stop negotiating or won't negotiate. Communicate only via e-mail, since anything promised verbally won't be of any value if they refuse to follow through. Check your policy and state law regarding time frame for settlement, since it could be shorter or longer then you think, resulting in pressure to close the claim or drag it out. Do not assume anything regarding your policy or claim, get it in writing or refer to the policy.
Based on the photos and description of the accident you may want to get medically checked out as a baseline.

I had to jump through all the same hoops with my restored 60 when a guy ran a stop sign and I parked it in the rear passenger door! Good luck! Oh, and thank god for ARB bumpers!

 

[TownDiver]

Just an update. Insurance process is in the works. Went and emptied everything out Saturday and the insurance has come by for an initial assessment. I'll be trying to get quotes together as well. I've been told I can remove the roof rack, which I will probably do later this week; if anyone is in the market let me know!
I decided to just see what the engine sounded like and it started right up funny enough. Seems as though there wasn't any real damage to the engine. After I get the roof rack off I'll be letting my insurance company move the truck to their location most likely to avoid the yard fees.

 

[Silmarillion]

I'm just catching this, but did the force of the wreck drive the roof rack forward a foot? Is that normal!? Wouldn't that be very dangerous with a fully loaded rack?

Great to hear it cranked up! I guess it will make a very good parts vehicle.

 

[TownDiver]

I'm just catching this, but did the force of the wreck drive the roof rack forward a foot? Is that normal!? Wouldn't that be very dangerous with a fully loaded rack?

Great to hear it cranked up! I guess it will make a very good parts vehicle.

Exactly what happened. I was a little surprised as well. Not sure if that's normal or not, but I guess most don't plan on a catching a tacoma to the grill either.