Expert: Ernie - 4/7/2007

Question
I was in an accident where my car (98 Ford Escort) spun out of control and rammed back-end-first into a pole.  The pole almost entirely crumpled the trunk.  There might have been some damage to the rear axle because one rear wheel no longer turns correctly.  The entire passenger compartment appears completely intact.  Would this kind of damage indicate severe damage to the body/unibody/frame or is this reparable?  Is it even possible to repare the entire back end of the car?  Thanks!

Answer
You can calculate how much is too much by finding the retail value of the car and if the repairs exceed this value by 80% then it is totalled.Some ins. co. will pay up to 100% but each state is different with their laws regulating this.Anything is repairable but sometimes it just deosn`t make sense.Also another option is to fix the suspension and drive it till it`s dead.