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Auto-Insurance Question

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions: 2004 May - July: Buyers Banter (ARCHIVES): Auto-Insurance Question users admin

Author Message
Ryn
Moderator

08-11-2000

Wednesday, February 04, 2004 - 11:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Hi all - last week I was involved in an accident on a local Interstate. Luckily I was not hurt seriously - but the car was, to say the least, totaled.

toyota

The accident was not my fault (other car came across the lanes from the other direction and I T-boned it). So - I am going to get to deal with a different insurance company.

The twist is that I had no collision on my car so I was told today by my insurance company that they will not discuss the $$ I get for the loss of my car (my company IS taking care of the medical stuff though). I didn't have collision because it was frankly not worth the $$ to us being as it was a 1995 car and at the time of the accident I had 220,000 miles on it.

HOWEVER - it was a great car - in good shape - ran like a champ - I'm telling you - I know why Toyota is now #2 in the auto industry.

So, my question to anyone out there that might have experience in this area (any adjusters out there want to offer some off the record advice??) - any advice? I am NOT looking to rip anyone off, but I also have a feeling they are going to try to low-ball me.

My wife did some research today and on the Edmunds website you can calculate your car's value. The results when factoring in all the options and the mileage was $1,963 as a trade-in or $2,435 for a private-party sale.

Honestly I didn't realize it had that kinda value - but the collision part of the insurance was high on a car we have had paid off for years.

So - advice?? Thoughts?? I had planned on selling it in the spring and getting a new car but thats not an option now and so I have a new car to pay for several months ahead of schedule.

HELP!!!!! :-)

Melfie1222
Member

07-29-2002

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 12:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
advice for new car: Go for #1 this time... buy a Honda.

I can't offer any advice about the other car.



Ryn
Moderator

08-11-2000

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 6:30 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Already got the new car - and it wasn't a Honda - though I did look at the Accord - I had also checked out the Camray (thats a Corrolla (sp) above). I got a VW Passat - wanted a manual which are very hard to find anymore - and the VW had a few other things (side air-bags standard) that swayed me.

Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 7:35 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I don't know anything about insurance stuff either, but I'm glad you're okay!!!!

What is Nissan? Number 3? My Nissan has 173,000 miles and still runs great. I've had it almost seven years and have only had dto do minor maintenance stuff and replace things that just need to be replaced after that long.

Good luck, Ryn!

Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 7:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I love Passats. Very nice looking cars. The Golfs are nice too. My cousin had an Accord that she traded in for a Passat but the Passat was too rattley for her (noise irritated her). Or wait, it may have been a Jetta actually.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 7:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
One month ago today I got big-time front end damage also. I don't know what kind of advice you're looking for -- so I'll tell my story. My car was / is '97 a Honda Civic EX coupe, excellent condition (according to both adjustor and body shop) and only 17,000 miles. (I don't drive much.) For first three weeks body shop and adjustor went back and forth about repair or total. Needs a whole "new" front end. Adjustor did find a front end for it not too far away. Because a '97 is "old" for a car, the "new" front end did not cost much. After doing tear-down, body shop said "working parts" were not badly damaged. So...my car is going to be repaired. Had it been in not-so-good condition with high miles, it would not have been worth it.

If it had been totaled, I would have bought another Honda -- probably Civic again, or maybe upgraded to Accord. And for anyone in the Chicago area, I would have used this car-buying service No More Haggling, Inc. I was dreading the car-buying process myself.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 1:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Wait until they DO low-ball you and THEN worry. You have already done your research. OR, if and when they low-ball you, counter with the figures your wife found.

Have a Molson (but don't drive afterward); chill out.

Sillycalimomma
Member

11-13-2003

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 1:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
When I got into my accident last February I too totaled my car. It was a 1991 Honda Accord with 230,000 miles on it. I thought I wouldn't get a thing for it.

I looked up it's worth on the Kelly Blue Book site

Kelly Blue Book

This is what all of the car companies use when selling cars in this area I believe and also the insurance companies. I just put in all of the information as pertained to my car (before the accident). I faxed to them the sheet that gave the total for what I would get if I were to resale my vehicle and within 2 weeks I had a check for that amount!


Ryn
Moderator

08-11-2000

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 2:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thank you all for your stories and suggestions :-) Sillycali - thats kind of what I was looking for - good to know - Kelly BB says mine would have been worth around $2790 in a private party sale (which is what I would have done anyways) so now I feel a bit better 'armed' when I talk with the other party's insurance company.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 9:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Yay Sillycali!!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Saturday, February 07, 2004 - 8:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Hey Ryn! My car (my beloved '89 Nissan Pulsar) was totalled a couple of years ago. My front end looked very similar to your (kinda like an accordian!).

Although I had collision, and worked with my insurance company, here's a few pointers for you. NOTE: I live in California; insurance laws may be different in your area.

1. My insurance company calculated the replacement cost of my car not by using the Kelly Blue Book, but checking the sale prices of my car in my area. They found three cars for sale, and averaged the prices of those three cars. Because of that, I received a lot more money than I thought I would.

2. You have one year to settle a claim with the insurance company. If the other person was at fault, that person's insurance company should also pay your medical bills and any time lost from work. Be sure to save all receipts and other information so that you can prove your case.

3. I used to work in insurance years and years ago, in another lifetime. If your car is less than 10 years old, you should always ALWAYS have collision. You can get the highest deductible so that your premium will be lower. Remember, I live in San Diego. I pay pretty high premiums out here. My '89 was totalled in 2001 but I did have insurance.

4. Every insurance company will handle claims differently. It's doubtful that they will really try to "low ball" you. They will probably offer you the lower of two values of your car. But they will offer you the value (insurance companies are regulated by commission; they have to treat people fairly).

5. The fact that you "were going to sell your car in a private sale" is irrelevant. If you can prove that there are other vehicles just like yours that are for sale in your area, that will help your case. If that insurance company goes by the blue book, though, you will get something closer to the lower price.

6. You will not receive reimbursement for anything -- other than tires -- that you had done in recent months. For example, I had *just* had a brake job and some engine work done, as well as new tires put on the car. The only thing I got credit for was the new tires.

It totally SUCKED when my car was totalled (and it was not my fault, either). I had just, three months earlier, made a conscious decision to put some dollars into the car to ensure it ran well for another year. The last thing I needed to do was I was gonna give it a brand new paint job. The car ran well and really looked good for an '89. And then, in March, it got totalled. I was only a couple of blocks from home, so I limped it home slowly and pulled it into a garage. When the towing company came to take it away, I swear, I cried. I *loved* that car!

my baby

Melfie1222
Member

07-29-2002

Saturday, February 07, 2004 - 9:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
awwww, Costacat! I know how you feel... my first car was a used 1984 Nissan Pulsar and I loved it so much... I'd had it for six years or so when it was stolen. I felt so lost without it! It was recovered about a week later, it hadn't been stripped for parts or whatever but had been treated very badly, the dashboard torn apart when they hotwired it, whatever could have easily been taken (stereo, hubcaps, bra, etc.) were gone. They abandoned it back on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, and when the police brought me to it I almost cried, it looked so sad sitting there, and it was never the same after that. Isn't it funny how attached we can get to our cars...

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Sunday, February 08, 2004 - 12:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
That was the first car I'd gotten attached to, and I think it was because it so unique. I now own the sporty 2-door (well, actually 3-door) Saturn, but I don't like it nearly as much. Yeah, it's got automatic everything (except for transmission) and power everything, but it's just like every other sporty car on the road.

On the plus side, the Saturn dealer was truly awesome to work with... in and out in an hour, and could've driven the car off the lot except I hadda rental car and couldn't figure out how to drive two cars at once!

Ryn
Moderator

08-11-2000

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - 4:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Just an update - I was happily suprised today when the adjuster offered me $800 over the "blue book" price - plain fact then offered me $3,500 - wow - for a 1995 car with 220,000 miles on it - needless to say I was happy (and amazed).

Thanks for all your input and suggestions everyone - lucky for me this turned out to be a happy ending. The medical still needs to be resolved but in this case my insurance company is working with me as well so its not as stressful :-)

Costa - thanks for all your suggestions/thoughts - I too worked in Insurance waayyy back when (ok - 1990/91) - everyone has been really good about resolving this (Both companies).

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 1:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My '95 Mercury was rear-ended in '98 and I had more trouble with MY insurance company than the one who hit me. I was living in Kansas at the time and Kansas law is that your own insurance will pay doctor/hospital bills up to a certain amount [I think a thousand]then it goes to the at fault insurance. I called the at fault insurance before the other driver did and I still had a rental car in less than an hour, they gave me double the Kelly Blue book value [which was alot more than I still owed on the car], got the check 10 days after the accident, AND let me keep the rental car for an extra 2 weeks until I found a replacement. My insurance company on the other hand tried to tell me they wouldn't pay my medical bills when they found out how much money I was given for my car. This was resolved when the at fault insurance company called to make sure I was doing ok and asked if I had anymore questions. Within 5 days my medical bills were paid for by my then PREVIOUS insurance company and I had a new insurance company.