So I've driven the Jimmer into a fence post, at speed... What next?

Tragic news. On Sunday I went for some accidental off-roading. I don't know exactly how but I lost control exiting a roundabout in the wet and slid into oversteer (I think). It could have been my speed, pooling water, braking at the wrong time or all of the above (or something else entirely) but it happened.

I collided with a hedgerow / fence post at maybe 15-20 mph. My ego and heart are broken but I am otherwise physically ok. A few people stopped to help (I was the only one in the car) and it has now been recovered & sent to Copart for evaluation. No airbags deployed.

Aside from seeking sympathy, I am now wondering what to do. It was / is a 2005 automatic 55k miles in good condition because infuriatingly I just had substantial welding / rust treatment done. The insurer has written it off and is paying out £4200, less my £295 excess, but I am going to try to squeeze for more.

I've got some pics below, what do people make of the damage? Is this likely to be deemed unroadworthy i.e. category A/B? It was able to be reversed out and had no warning lights on the dash ( ) but the bonnet was too mashed to be lifted up and look properly. I could see that my washer fluid reservoir was mashed & leaking and I think coolant too from that reservoir also being crushed but that part of the bay doesn't actually house much else of importance (other than brakes at the back)... Right...? I am just in the 'bargaining' stage of grief tbh and hoping I can get her back but bleh, at least I'm not dead!!!

Thoughts?

Ouch.

Very good to hear there was no injuries.

I do doubt I would bother if it was mine. What worries me the most is the damage to the inner fender and possibly the A pillar, firewall and windscreen frame. The sum of it all like the bumper, bonnet, fender, headlight and all the bits and pieces will add up to what would be a bit too much I guess. Unless youi can find a donor with the right color or accept the difference.
But then, might be better to find a project that this one could be a donor for? either way, most likely too much work compared to price of another working car unless this one very low milage, no rust and the complete picture so to say..

Frame of the car, axles and supsension most likely could survive this but must be inspected thoroughly of course. and if there is damage too..

And there is most often more than what you see at first glance..

Depending what category you end up with it looks like it might be doable with second hand parts, depending if the chassis is straight. Hard to say from the pictures.

I think it’s more do you think it’s worth it and have the love for it to spend a lot of money on it which you won’t see back. My instant thought it is it’s probably easier to replace and start again. However if the frame work for the car is intact which from the pics I would be surprised then you might be able to get it back on the road and save the car from its fate.

Thanks all. Ultimately whether it's doable hinges on it going down as a Cat A/B or not. I think it will be a cat S (i.e. repairable but uneconomical) but I am no expert. Just looking at the parts involved it'd be at absolute minimum:

• Nearside wing
• Bonnet
• Bumper
• Windscreen
• Headlight
• Fluid reservoir(s)

That's before we worry about the chassis or anything else that could be implicated like the radiator... Add in labour and yeah, it's looking a bit grim to me. But at the same time, if I manage to squeeze them up a bit to say £4.5k it's a good chunk of cash to play with. And up here in Scotland the likelihood of me being able to find a comparable automatic is virtually nil.

First you have to buy it back from the insurers. If it is classed as a write off, it will be scrap ie cheap. Then you have lots of spares incl. an auto box so you can look for another motor with a manual and do a swop job. You will also have lots of spares to keep or sell on.
There are lots of options.

Roger