[jnj2455]

Looking for some who have experience with auto repair estimating to chime in. I've seen these kinds of threads completely devolve and that is NOT what I am seeking, so please leave your ego at the door. The insurance adjuster is going to be looking at it next week, I'm just seeking some opinions for my own edification.

An 18 wheeler evidently abruptly swerved into my fathers lane and he slammed into the edge of the box trailer + what appears to me to have been the Mansfield bar based on how the bumper/radiator was pushed back. The lorry did not stop and kept going. I don't necessarily agree w/ how he handled it, but he was able to drive it back home some 15 miles away before calling the police from our driveway and telling them what happened. I also don't necessarily think it was a hit & run per se because I'm willing to bet the lorry driver didn't even feel the collision. Thankfully, he was completely unscathed which was all that matters.

The van is in great condition for being 19 years old as it only has 90,000 miles and garage kept. They held onto it as a work horse and for sentimental reasons that I won't go into now. In short, they will try to repair this if possible. However based on my general knowledge and just eyeballing it, this is going to be pretty extensive work as the whole radiator, front frame (non-structural I believe), air intake, left HID lamp, hood/grille/bumper, are various % of damaged. There appears to be a slow coolant leak and a mild shudder at idle but air bags did not deploy. What I'm getting at is I think this will be totaled given the age/value but I'm happy to be wrong for my parents' happiness. Also if it's deemed totaled, does it automatically gain a salvage title?