Jeep fell off tow bed. What can I expect now?

A little background, info first. I'm 17 years old and this was going to be my first car that I would have all to myself. (Been driving for 2 years now)

I had finally saved up enough to get our 96 Jeep Cherokee XJ up and running (it had been sitting in the yard for about a year and a half since my dad bought a new car after it stopped running)

I was extremely phyched to get it running and had planned on joining a local off-roading club.

So the guy came to tow it this afternoon and got it up on the bed and everything. He was blocking the street and one of my neighbors was waiting to get by, so he decided he was going to move real quick to get out of her way.

It was at this point that I had a thought run by real quick along the lines of "hmmm, I hope that he secured it properly"

So he pulls into the col-de-sac next to my house to turn around and next thing you know it tips over on it's right side off the bed.

The company is insured but the boss dosn't get in until Monday and if they offer total it I'm letting them know that that is not an option. (This Jeep is really special to me and I cannot find the words to explain just how much I was looking forward to it, I'd take it over a brand new BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar or any of those anyday)

The irony of the whole thing is that 30 minutes before the tow truck got here a guy came by to ask if we were looking to fix it up and mentioned that he and his brother are retired mechanics.

In case you didn't read all that:

Tow Truck driver screwed up and my Jeep tipped off of the bed onto it's right side.

So my question to you guys is what kind of damages could I expect? I imagine it would be akin to a rollover type accident. Would I be likely to experience alot of problems with it afterwards if they fix it? I also know the XJ's have a unibody construction which could make repairs more difficult. Should I make sure that they weld new parts in rather than them trying to straighten the frame?

Your responses are greatly appreciated, and sorry for the long first post.

Unfortunately they are going to end up totaling it.


You could always buy it back from them, cut the top off and make it a buggy

A flop off a flatbed will do alot more damage than a simple trail flop. Let them total it out and buy it back. That way you can use everything you can save and use the money to buy another rig.

That seriously sucks man...

Unfortunately you've hit the nail on the head with the unibody worries. That Jeep is going to be tweaked like nobody's business; you may have to bite the bullet and look into another XJ as a daily driver. The wrecked XJ might make a good trail rig, but will never be right. Of course, this all depends on the damage done. If I were you I'd prepare for the worst... There's also the legal criteria for putting a 'salvaged' vehicle back on the road, you'll need to jump through legal hoops in order to drive it legally.

Trust me, I understand the sentimental attachment; but there is only so much you can do for a unibody vehicle before it's time to put a bullet in the old hoss and look for your next ride.

My old vw jetta fell of the back of a flatbed about 4 years ago at about 30mph going up a hill. Driver didn't secure it properly, left it in neutral with the handbrake disengaged. I was less than a 1/8 mile from my destination too. Rear 1/4 panels were folded in half but from the back doors forward the car was fine. I actually drove it home from where it happened.

Tow company gave me a check for the cars fair market value plus modifications (engine swap, recaros, tons of euro spec stuff) that I could show reciepts for. No insurance was involved and they wanted to just pay me and be done with it. It was an AAA tow job so they wanted it hushed fast.

I got to keep the car also. They ended up giving me $3000 for a 1990 jetta. I then stripped it and sold the recaro interior, engine swap, all the go fast parts and euro parts and making another $2k on top of it. I got the car for free with no drivetrain and interior and had less the $3k into to begin with. I think I ended up making out pretty well actually.

But dude, I feel your pain with sentimental attachment. I built that car from scratch and that was the first major car project I did with my father. We were both sad to see it go.

You should buy it back for parts and get a different one.
They will end up paying about you about $4000 and you can buy it back for around $200 for parts.

The parts you don't think you need can easily be sold for more than the $200 you paid.

Man, that's awful. I agree with Langer. Expect it to be totaled, get another one and keep this one for parts, unless you're really looking to become proficient at body work, and even then, you're likely to have annoying problems with panel fit and doors, etc. If it's the tow company's insurance, rather than your own, you can hope they just give you the value of the vehicle without requiring you to buy it back.

It is a total loss. You will get the KBB blue book value for it but thats about it. If it was really sentimental to you, then you could bring that up to them and see if they take a bite. Or you could sue them for emotional distress and the loss. Start with about 50,000 and they settle for around 10,000 and laywer fees.

I am with everyone else on this. BUY IT BACK, make it a trail truck, and buy a different daily driver (perhaps a V8 ZJ to tow it with!)

You may want to consider taking the towing company to court.

Obviously the driver screwed up. Unsafe practices with your vehicle - people could have been injured, etc. Maybe you can get a few thousand more this way. Consult your parents and an honest lawyer (although that's quite impossible).

Blaine B. said:

You may want to consider taking the towing company to court.

Obviously the driver screwed up. Unsafe practices with your vehicle - people could have been injured, etc. Maybe you can get a few thousand more this way. Consult your parents and an honest lawyer (although that's quite impossible).

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Then you end up putting in about a thousand for legal fees and the lawyer, and end up with a huge headache and time you will never get back. Not to mention you risk coming out even or even spending more than they give you back.

But that blows, I would have b*tched the driver out right there, then go to the manager and then give him an earful about his business and his employee.

Even if you got a few thousand more, the lawyer will get that and more.

Sometimes the company might just want to settle before you even make it to court.

Blaine B. said:

Sometimes the company might just want to settle before you even make it to court.

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They may but the Attorney still wants his 30%

F****** TOW TRUCK COMPANIES!

Just got a 94 range rover LWB, perfect in every way for 1400, but needs eng rebuild - the tow truck guy pulls the 6500 pound vehicle onto the the flatbed by the flimsy but expensive factory grille guard. Now it's mounts are bent and I can't open the hood. fantastic.

I know your situation's much worse, as I can just get a new bumper, but I'm still really pissed off.

WTF are you serious?

Aren't these drivers trained to only pull by the frame or what not?

Yes but its in San Bruno, CA - the tow truck guy was uninsured. I have NO WAY to get my money back to replace it. I'll be able to straighten it with a lot of work, but, needless to say, I'm extremely pissed. I guess he just doesn't know the difference between a winch bumper and a factory brush guard. Maybe he just needs his all 6 of his tires slashed.

The thing's just gorgeous though - the beluga black paint looks new, and it only has 125k. It has two TINY dents in the drivers side door - and guess what? The guy threw in a brand new door painted beluga black. It's perfect, bodywise, except for a tweaked bumper mount.

Eh, maybe you just need to steal......I MEAN BORROW his towstraps and chains to compensate for his pulling stupidity.

Everyone is right--they will tell you it's junk, and offer you a small amount to cover your loss. So, what's best is for you to do your home work with regard to quantizing your loss. Start with what you had (model, year, accessories, condition, etc) and use online services like Kelly, or Edmon's(?), to place a "fair market" value on it. Make a detailed list. Add incidental costs to you caused by the accident, such as towing, disposal, etc, of your now "totaled" XJ.
In my opinion, you want to be fair, but all-inclusive. It was an accident, and it's "human to err"; you're young, and it's almost guarantee you will be the cause of some one else's loss in the future. You'd like them to treat you fair, eh? But being complete with regard to your loss and their responsibility, is not unfair; it right.

Pics??