Price vary area to area, but I am throwing down a B.S. flag on the estimate your repair guy gave you. Not saying you gave us B.S., just saying the repair guy is feeding you a line. What is the estimate the insurance company got?

Back when I had my accident on the interstate (December of 2009), they did just over $4000 worth of repairs. The truck needed new front and rear bumpers, rim and tire, and a new driver's side, rear quarter panel. Insurance paid it all (minus my $250 deductible). I have my copy of the bill lying around here somewhere... if you subtract the bumpers and rim/tire, it was still around $3000. And that was just for the exterior side panel, and a used one at that. I'm assuming a long box like yours (mine is a 6.5' short box) would be more expensive, with maybe extra part cost (larger) and extra paint (and labor) cost.

Edmunds is what I find to be the best evaluator of car prices, but NADA is what insurance goes by. Edmunds states that my truck is worth about $7800 retail. NADA states $9800. And thats with only 85000 miles. How many miles are on your truck?

I also have a 4x4 (instead of your 4x2), which adds value up here, and I have the 5.9L V8 instead of your 5.2L V8 (regardless of whether you think its a better engine or a worse engine, it adds value).

If your truck has the same mileage as mine, we're talking $8000-$9000 NADA retail roughly (that may be a bit high). If the dash costs $2500, and the side panel costs you what I paid just for my side panel, we're talking $5500 roughly. And my suspension was fine, BTW, no damage to mechanical components. By the time you add an axle and other related parts, we're talking way over the estimate your repair guy gave you. Anywhere near $7000, and the insurance company will most likely try to total it, and I'm assuming you're there (or past that).

I would follow dhvaughan's advice.

 

When my blazer got rear ended....... the body shop gave me an estimate of 2200 dollars to repair it........ Considering I had only paid 1000 for the truck.... that just wasn't gonna happen.. So, I took the 500 bucks I could get from the other guys insurance company, went to the local scrapyard, grabbed all the parts I needed, which were even the correct color....... And fixed it myself. Total cost? less than 75 dollars........

 

id take the money the insurance will give you and find a 4x4 ram, you can find them for like $2000 around here all day long

 

WOW, I need to shop in Texas when I'm for a used truck. In this neck of the woods, anything running with working transfer case starts at about $4500.

Late 2nd Gens with stupid high mileage and beat to hell are usually around $7000 and early 3rd Gens still haven't come down under $10k yet unless they are needing a ton of work.

As far as the OP goes, Insurance companies would like you to think that you are pretty much at their mercy. You can often swing an adjustor one way or the other if the numbers are close, but the bottom line is they have you sign a contract when you purchase a policy that gives them the right to do whatever the hell they please.

If they force you to take a total and then low-ball you on the amount, there are still options. Every state has an insurance appeal process and has an Insurance Advocate or State Insurance Division.

You also have every right to pursue a civil claim against the driver of the vehicle who hit you, the owner (if different from the driver) or business that owns it and his/there insurance company.

 

Are you working with his/their insurance company, or is Illinois a no-fault state?

 

since the taxi hit you shouldn't his insurance be responsible for paying for the repairs if you want it fixed. i know one of my friends truck was hit in the front end by someone that ran a stop sign and he got $5000 for a S10 that only cost him $500.