My then wife and I were driving down the street, an illegal ran a stop sign, and plowed into us. He was drunk, had no licence, or insurance. The vehicle plates were for a Chevy, he hit us with a Ford. Had he not made his own vehicle undrivable, I'm sure he would have driven away.
Our insurance co. totaled out our van, even though I drove it home. I took the $2200 that they paid us, and I repaired it.
Hmmm..what state do you live in?
In Tennessee, a car that is declared "totaled" can't be insured easily..and, you are required to have insurance, so...
"If you or your insurance company decide to repair the vehicle, get it re-inspected and registered, it will be branded a salvaged or rebuilt vehicle. This does have some insurance implications. Because of the nature of salvaged vehicle titles, lots of insurance companies will flat out deny you coverage. The risk they present, even if they have been rebuilt, is deemed too much for insurance companies."