He doesn't decide that. It's not as though the customer says "I want it totaled," and the insurance company says, "Oh, OK." If the insurance company totals it, I think either of those are potentially good ideas.

Now, what if they can't find quarters? If they can't fix the car for a reason like that, (as opposed to cost or damage severity), then there's a possible opening to be able to argue that since the car can't be fixed, it is a total loss.