This is way off topic, and I'm so P.Od. that I need to rant some. Anyhow, My daughters rented a cottage in Corolla (Northern outer banks of N.C.). It was an "off road access" only cottage. No problem, since Both daughters drive Jeep Wranglers. This past Tuesday night, they are driving along the beach access back to their cottage, well within the posted 35 MPH speed limit (Around 20 or so), when my oldest hit a washout. It was dark and the washout hadn't been there when the left that morning. Both front tires blew out on the TJ and it nearly rolled. The suspension was driven upwards into the fenders, bending them upwards and from what the younger one tells me, much of the front suspension was bent up. Now for the rant part. The road is beach is patrolled by the local police, so it was only a few minutes before an officer stopped. He called for a Tow truck. (A1 Towing of Corolla) The truck arrived and towed the TJ off to his lot. The next day, the owner refused to talk with my daughter, saying only, "The Jeep is Totaled". The Younger of my two daughters who drives an older YJ says it doesn't look that bad and that my son who builds Jeep Wranglers for rock crawling can fix it. Finally they got in touch with the Towing lot owner. He said he couldn't release the Jeep until the insurance company came by to look at it and paid the collision claim. Then it would belong to the insurance company and my daughter could bid on buying it back from them. I called the insurance adjuster and she said that the guy is crazy, that she would rather we paid the tower and trailered the Jeep back to Virginia. It would be easier for them. She called A1's owner. Then he called my daughter, saying that the insurance company authorized him to release the Jeep and we could get it as soon as the towing and storages were paid. This, as of yesterday, amounted to $550.00 ($450 for towing the vehicle 5 miles to his lot, and $50 per day for storage) Does anyone have any experience with off road towing, and is this charge reasonable or is he trying to rip off my daughters because they are women. I suspect the latter. I think that the Jeep is probably repairable and he wants to obtain it his self, fix it with junk parts and sell it at a nice profit. My daughter did have a guy she met at the beach call A1 nd ask how much it would cost to have a damaged 4x4 towed from the same area. He was quoted $350 for towing and $35 a day for storage. I'm heading down this afternoon with a trailer to get the Jeep, and I don't see any recourse other than to pay what he says and get out of there before my son and I decide to beat the crap out of him. If I leave it there until the insurance pays the claim, it won't be long until the storage fees eat up the insurance pay off and he'll buy it from the insurance provider and either fix it or strip it for parts. Anyhow, any money I have saved for Kilts is now going to A1 towing.