My wrecked vert Q's, dealing with insurance (state farm)

[I<3MyVert]

5/19/2008 I wrecked my vert...
The insurace got back to me today and they want to give my 3k for it... the bf was pissed. He thinks I should get more out of it. This is my first accident I have had so I am very clueless about everything... is there any way to get more out of it? I want to keep it, and am buying it back from them for 200. I was just more less wanting opinions from people who have gone through this kind of experience.

Thanks!

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1369/0519081749qz9tt7.jpg

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1043/0519081803aev1zh6.jpg

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9839/0519081803gm3ia9.jpg

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[silpena]

3 grand is not that bad. I would take it back for 200. Doesn't look that bad of a wreck. How much did u pay for this car originally? I'm sorry but insurance companys do not care about drift tax on these cars. Just buy it back and fix it and then use the rest for savings. Sometimes ppl get less for these cars.

[I<3MyVert]

I originally bought it for 2600.00

I would need a new front end, core support, rad, no damage to the strut tower, doesnt even look like any of the suspension was touched. Im hoping its an easy fix! Plus the bf has all the parts.

[flip3d]

Now you have a reason to get the silvia front end.

[LS14]

Now you have a reason to get the silvia front end.

+1.

brick headlights and aero front bumper = pure sex!

[seesquared]

$3000 is pretty good for the car. The generally give the optimal price on cars wrecked

I have used state farm for a long time now and i have never had a single problem with them. i had an old accord that got broken into, they replaced all my stereo equipment no questions asked,

I also have my s13 insured. im not sure if this policy is the same everywhere, but as long as i provide a receipt and proof of installation on the car, they cover all aftermarket parts without making the monthly payment going up

i couldnt be happier with state farm,

[projekt_s13]

3k is right, looks like the bf wants to hustle the insurance company.

[BBSilvia]

Now you have a reason to get the silvia front end.
agreed +1
i also live next to a state farm use to drift in the parking lot when i just got the 240...now its just track though

[chibo]

looks like the bf wants to hustle the insurance company.And he is right to do so.

[Pank]

3k is more than enough for a s13
be happy they're not trying to give you 1,500 like everyone else would

[xplicit240]

that should be fairly easy to fix. it doesnt look too bad. and 3k is good. buy it back for 200 spend 1500 to fix another 900 for the front end.then you actually have money left over. =) GL with the fix.

[projekt_s13]

And he is right to do so.

Yea, true. But if the insurance offered me 3k for my completely stock s13 that had that damage i would take it then buy it back.

I've seen them always try to give 1,000-1,500 for S13s.

But if he wants to make it more difficult just to get 200-300 more then so be it.

[Sidewayzzz]

Pretty sure you can get appraisals of 240's in the same condition/year/etc and if the appraisal of the cars come out to be greater than 3g, the insurance should give you around what they are appraised at. For instance, find similar 240's on craigslist and KBB the car and if it comes out more, take that information to your insurance company and see if they will give you more.

But 3 grand does sound pretty fair, imho.

[I<3MyVert]

My mom told me to call her friend who just so happend to work for them a few years ago. She said to go on autotrader, ebay, craigslist, etc.. print off "local" (if I can even find them) verts that are comparable and a little bit higher priced, take them in and show them the prices... and they will "work" with me on a price, cause I guess they are giving me their "low-ball" offer.

I guess its worth a shot...

I <3 state farm too... my insurance is only 65 bucks a mo for full coverage and its not going up... they said this one is on them. he he he. hopefully no more accidents for me. :x:

[Pank]

oh yeah, you can def work with them, you dont HAVE to take their first offer.
anything regarding cars = haggle the price

[aluminody]

Now you have a reason to get the silvia front end.
HAHA foreal... Silvia front end on a convertible coupe looks so clean.

[I<3MyVert]

oh yeah, you can def work with them, you dont HAVE to take their first offer.
anything regarding cars = haggle the price


More $$$ = More Parts!

Ha Ha Ha Ha

[Farzam]

KBB for my vert last time I checked was around 4k

[LA_phantom_240]

3k is right, looks like the bf wants to hustle the insurance company.

Really? Cause my friend totalled his s13 a while back and got $3200 for it. 91 fastback base model, no options, 180k miles, autotradgic. $3k is lowballing for a vert especially in that condition. I would take no less than $3500 for it.

[burnsauto]

thats actually not that bad of a wreck.. just as long as the frame rails are still straight, you're good to go.

[FaLKoN240]

Get comparable vehicles in your areas (the higher priced ones) modded, not modded, whatever, same mileage etc.

Then get receipts of whatever you've bought for the car in the past year together and submit those to the insurance company...

All that stuff helps.

I got $4200 for my car after it got totalled, it still wasn't enough, but it got me what I needed to get back on my feet.

[Bushido]

how the fuck can you be 22 and have such cheap insurance?

i'm paying 75 bucks a month for the BARE MINIMUM insurance, just enough to keep the tag on the car... full coverage is more than 200 per month, and my record is clean. fucked up.

as for your car 3,000 is pretty good, but it dosnt hurt to try for more. They are an insurance company so I feel that you should have no guilt in trying to get whatever you can get from the greedy insurance companies.

worst case senario, after fighting with them a bit they dont cave on the 3k price point. buy the car back, part it out, and buy another clean chassis and have some loot left over.

[I<3MyVert]

Get comparable vehicles in your areas (the higher priced ones) modded, not modded, whatever, same mileage etc.

Then get receipts of whatever you've bought for the car in the past year together and submit those to the insurance company...

All that stuff helps.

I got $4200 for my car after it got totalled, it still wasn't enough, but it got me what I needed to get back on my feet.


Thats the sad part, I havent done SHIT to it. lol. BONE-STOCK! the only thing it has aftermarket is the K&N air filter, lol.

This blows... just last week I saw a crap load of stock verts with high miles for 4k+... and now i cannot find one... ugh. Ohs wells... something is better than nothing, maybe I can find something to take in there, I just want to get this done and over with!


how the fuck can you be 22 and have such cheap insurance?

Beats me... My parents have had insurance with them for almost 20yrs now so im sure that plays a part... I do know we get discounts!

[projectRDM]

Shit, the buy back for $200 is stupid low. You're basically keeping your car and getting a check for $2800, I wouldn't complain at all. Sure you want more, but you can fix it for a third of that and keep driving it. Hell, you can drive it now, it just looks rough. If you can get them to go for more based on other cars selling then do it, but you're already in a good position.

[wickedS14]

Dang, payed $2600 and got back $3000, not a bad deal. That's more then what you payed for the car when it wasn't wrecked. Was the accident your fault? I remember when I crashed my s14, payed $2800 for it, got back $4300 and I was f'n stoked. The insurance company said it was a total lost and gave me the total value of the car that they came up with. To tell you the truth, I would of been happy with $2500! Got a hood, fender, and door for $250, prepped & primed it (came out killa) and walked away with $4050. Not a bad turn around!:bigok:

[an_orange_s2k]

your in a good position, course you always want more but 2.8k is more than enough to fix the damage and drop in a few goodies after buying it back.

[DohcKA]

3k is good... whats your bf smokin cause i think i need some of that... nontheless buy it back... my homie got about the same for his fastback and bout it back got a frontend and bam... sexyness well his car was way less damaged

[g6civcx]

I used to be a claim adjustor for a major auto insurance carrier.

is there any way to get more out of it?

Yes, get in touch with the adjustor responsible for your case and make your case. Why do you think it's worth more? Be prepared to give evidentiary support.

I don't want to get too much into this topic, but is this a collision claim or a liability claim, i.e. who caused the accident?

If it's not your fault then you have much more room to play.

With a collision claim, i.e. it was your fault, remember that when a policy is written, the premium is based on year, make, model, and mileage. You're basically insuring a stock car unless you bought additional coverage.

So when you have a total loss claim, the carrier will pay you the replacement value for an average car.


Keeping that in mind, be prepared to make your case either way. Do you have receipts? Can you get an independent appraisal? How much more money do you want?

If the accident wasn't your fault then you can make a case with the person who is at fault. Generally liablity pays for other people that a driver hits, and by definition you never know how expensive other people's cars are.


I would try that first. When you feel like you've exhausted all of your options, request to escalate your claim to State Farm's special vehicle team. They handle exotics, motorbikes, classics, etc. They will have more discretion in adjusting the value of rare cars. Just be sure you're ready to make your case on why your car is worth more than book.


Personally, if I were handling your case I would always go with the number that the computer spits out first. Most people would just accept it and take the money, but for people who want more money, I would first check with the pit boss (State Farm has agents sitting in a horseshoe with a team manager sitting in the middle so that every agent can signal the manager).

Most of the time the requested increase is so small that the manager would approve it, but if my manager says no, your next option is to escalate. I don't normally tell people this, but try the Special Vehicle Team like I said above.

If it's still no go, you need to get a lawyer and have them negotiate for you.


If you have any specific questions, lemme know. I got you.

[95Kouki]

shit any aftermarket parts,custom work? can you legitimately express the rarity and value of your vehicle? never take the first offer...EVER! when my s14 got wrecked 1st offer was approx 4850 or some stupid shit like that...it took me 6 months,2 appraisials, and 6 offers later to get to almost $20k...got to keep the car and sold 6k of parts off of it...if you can do your homework and don't feel rushed to accept. They purposely play that game to get you to accept the lower offer. Best of luck and glad to hear that you're ok!

[g6civcx]

how the fuck can you be 22 and have such cheap insurance?

i'm paying 75 bucks a month for the BARE MINIMUM insurance, just enough to keep the tag on the car... full coverage is more than 200 per month, and my record is clean. fucked up.


Did you know that insurance premiums are calculated based on millions of factors? And the algorithns used to determine the premiums are trade secrets.

How then can you compare one person's premium with another? Each person has their own profile and each profile is different. Therefore what's cheap for one person may be expensive for another person, and it varies from company to company as well.

[gregfarz78]

I wouldn't complain about getting 3k for a 14 year old car shit I'd probably get not much more than that if I wrecked my 02 sentra lol

[1five10]

You might be ablt to squeeze a little bit more from them if you do some homework. Like many have said, check locally for verts in all recent and current ads, because they do determine price according to the Kelly Blue Book and "street value" price. You know that your car will also get the "Salvage" title, right? I would take the money and part out the car.

[1five10]

Did you know that insurance premiums are calculated based on millions of factors? And the algorithns used to determine the premiums are trade secrets.

How then can you compare one person's premium with another? Each person has their own profile and each profile is different. Therefore what's cheap for one person may be expensive for another person, and it varies from company to company as well.
Location Location Location. Insurance is determined by where you live and crime rate levels. We in SoCal probably pay the most in the US for car insurance.

[g6civcx]

Location Location Location. Insurance is determined by where you live and crime rate levels. We in SoCal probably pay the most in the US for car insurance.

That's one of the factors. It's not the only factor, but it's probably one of the more important ones.

[I<3MyVert]

Well this is what im going to tell them...

I want the SAME car meaning... same year, same color, same everything... oh and good luck finding one! :2f2f:

Here is my "evidence" on rarity!

According to ASC's "EXACT" numbers of how many 240sx cars they converted.
In MY year (94) they only did 1391 and for the color there were only 224 red pearl with federal emissions. (color code AH3) and 42 red pearl with california emissions. (color code AH3)


But unfortunatly it was MY fault... ugh... so it may not get me anywhere but its worth a shot!


You might be ablt to squeeze a little bit more from them if you do some homework. Like many have said, check locally for verts in all recent and current ads, because they do determine price according to the Kelly Blue Book and "street value" price. You know that your car will also get the "Salvage" title, right? I would take the money and part out the car.

Verts around here go for 7k IF you can find one...
Not to worried about the salvaged part... it already is... lol.


I really wasnt expecting a million responses... lol.

THANKS GUYS!!!!
I<3Zilvia!

I was just hoping to get some kind of feed back being this is my first actual accident with my car being wrecked. I didnt even know that I needed to have my insurance company come out and look at it, being it was my fault. As soon after it had happend I took it to the bf's house and started tearing everything apart. I thought I had to pay for it to get fixed and I wasnt going to pay anyone to do it. lol. Now Im just trying to do what I was told to do... If I can get more $$ out of them why not... right? Im expecting its not going to be much but a little more could help buy me some more parts! he he he. I honestly thought I wouldnt get anymore from them than what they offered me until I talked to my moms friend.

Ive already got all my 5spd stuff waiting to be put in, along with a turbo set up. So with this money I get from the insurace I want to buy all my suspension stuff and paint it! :D

[ZX88]

looks like its an easy fix just take the money they give you buy it back make it look as hot as your coupe.

[projectRDM]

You might be ablt to squeeze a little bit more from them if you do some homework. Like many have said, check locally for verts in all recent and current ads, because they do determine price according to the Kelly Blue Book and "street value" price. You know that your car will also get the "Salvage" title, right? I would take the money and part out the car.

Having a salvage title is only an issue if you plan to resale the car. The current owner is free to continue ownership and operation as long as they keep the title in their name. I've seen dozens of cars at auction with duplicate salvage titles from multiple accidents, the value isn't hurt that much per wreck.

Parting it out won't yield near the same profits, at least not anymore. The current 240SX market is so flooded right now with plenty of parts cars but no one willing to pay fair market value for said parts that she'll end up sitting on it for months before making a dime back. Five years ago she'd be set, nowadays it's a gamble to even make $300 back off a complete car. We can all thank the lowballing kids for that.

[Devil Man]

kinda shocked you only got 3 grand i got like 3600 or something around there for a hatch and i would figure that a vert is worth more. But it doesnt look that bad i think that you can fix that for no more then 1 grand.

[I<3MyVert]

looks like its an easy fix just take the money they give you buy it back make it look as hot as your coupe.


Thats the plans!

[gregfarz78]

Well this is what im going to tell them...

I want the SAME car meaning... same year, same color, same everything... oh and good luck finding one! :2f2f:

I hope you are kidding b/c if not good luck with that one its a ridiculous request, if its not bad frame damage just buy it back and fix it a salvage title isnt a big deal.

[seesquared]

how the fuck can you be 22 and have such cheap insurance?

i'm paying 75 bucks a month for the BARE MINIMUM insurance, just enough to keep the tag on the car... full coverage is more than 200 per month, and my record is clean. fucked up.

as for your car 3,000 is pretty good, but it dosnt hurt to try for more. They are an insurance company so I feel that you should have no guilt in trying to get whatever you can get from the greedy insurance companies.

worst case senario, after fighting with them a bit they dont cave on the 3k price point. buy the car back, part it out, and buy another clean chassis and have some loot left over.


Im 23 and my insurance for full coverage is 85 bucks. There are a lot of factors that make insurance rates the way they are

[I<3MyVert]

So I found a listing on autotrader that is exactly like my car... only this one is 6500. I printed it off and took it in... IM STOKED! My agent doesnt know whats going on with it bc they havent finished doing what they should have done or whatever. He tried calling them but the boss man is gone for the weekend. Hes going to tell him they need to give me more for my car and work something out. Im curious to see monday what the difference is. He even thought the price they offered to give me was rediculous for my car.

[The Inflicted]

When my S14 was crashed into last Christmas I was in a bit of a bind because BOTH I and the lady that hit me carried State Farm. They wanted to offer me $3,600 for the car, which I knew was unfair based on local ads, the new paint and wheels, and the fact that I had paid $4,500 for her a year before. Most infuriating is that $3,600 was almost $800 LESS than KBB at the time; I think the insurance companies are in the practice of keeping 3 or 4 different pricing guides so they can pick-and-choose the lowest value for each vehicle as suits them. State Farm wouldn't budge, even when I offered to show the receipts I had for all this mess. What I ended up doing, besides being very persistent/assertive (I was calling the office twice a day to complain) is getting some signed/stamped statements from some two local car dealers. This proved to be more challenging than I thought because there are very few dealerships out there that know what a 240SX is, let alone know its value today. I ended up lucking out when I started calling the import/racing places- I got ahold of a dealer who had just finished tricking out an S13 and had it stolen from him and was himself screwed by his insurance. He was more than happy to fax the agent a statement that the car was worth $5,000. After that I was able to find a dealer I had worked with before who was a bit wary of the whole thing, but agreed that he would at least say to the insurance that the car was worth KBB value, which was $4,600 or so.

In the end, I was able to get State Farm to agree to average out the three prices and came up with a figure of $4,400, minus $200 for keeping the wreckage. I was very satisifed with that, and have been putting the money towards a rebuild: http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?p=2071004#post2071004

So good luck to you, but realize that getting the insurance to budge on the figure is a hard battle to fight. The key in "winning" this is just being persistent. You HAVE to convince the insurance company that you're not just going away.

[g6civcx]

I think the insurance companies are in the practice of keeping 3 or 4 different pricing guides so they can pick-and-choose the lowest value for each vehicle as suits them

So good luck to you, but realize that getting the insurance to budge on the figure is a hard battle to fight. The key in "winning" this is just being persistent. You HAVE to convince the insurance company that you're not just going away.

Best adivce. </thread>

[I<3MyVert]

I laughed at her when she told me they "found local" 240s in their area (seattle) and averaged them together.. and I told her "ya, and I bet they were not verts bc I couldnt even find ONE in my year!" The nearest one was in cali. Im going to let my agent argue with them. At first I thought I was going to have a hell of a time convincing HIM, but he completely understood and thought it was b.s.

Even if they dont do anything with the price im still up a few hundred bucks, I tried, and im still going to have my car! :love:

Im anxious for monday now, I never thought id want the weekend to fly by. lol.

[Timeattack]

I would take the money and buy another 240

[ms!3]

i think i would volunteer to get hit an receive 3k for my car.

[exodus_2]

im sure you can get more money out from the insurance company. they do try to lowball you with wholesale price on the vehicle and they always don't want to pay 100%. i deal with insurance companies all the time and if the vehicle has damage more then 70% of the vehicle value they total it. if they desided to total it and you can buy it back for 200 i think you can get more money out from them since it's rare car and it holds it's value. i remember i sold my 93 hatch to my brothers friend. he got rear ended. he bought back the car and still collect 3200 from insurance and im sure you can get more out for vert.

[I<3MyVert]

I just got off the phone with the Claim office/Adjuster in seattle. Apparently the rarity doesnt even matter... Whatever...

After arguing with him for about half an hour I got an extra 200 bucks! lol. Thanks to F*cking Ghetto Ricy car lot somewhere around seattle they were selling a vert for 2k. So that didnt help me at all. Ugh.

He said they go by dealer quotes now or whatever... Well Im just glad im keeping my car and getting 3200 after everything. Im not complaining one bit being I only bought it for 2400.

I started tearing it apart this weekend, I have all the parts now, thanks to a friend to parted out his car. I drilled out the spot welds, and yes the right way! So the core support is out and the engine is waiting to be pulled. (Im doing my 5sp swap and what not too!)

[240drifter1]

Atleast your keeping the vert.

[I<3MyVert]

Well I have slowly been working at it. I work all the damn time so, I have a feeling its going to be a while till I get to drive it again. I've worked on it for 2days now, and Im hoping to work on it tonight, if it doesnt rain...

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/848/dsc02827ab9.jpg

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/6615/dsc02828kr5.jpg

Last night I finally got to pull the engine! I figured I would go ahead and do my 5spd swap while the core support is out.

[240drifter1]

Glad to see your swaping it out.

Looking good.

[undercoverdjay]

Yeah my 92 convertible I bought for 1,000 from someone in your exact position. Car is mint, from VA. $730 I bought a silvia front, and restored it. Looks excellent and cost me next to nothing. It's one of 4 S13s I have. As seen here

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=196102

[wannabe-silvia]

dude thats nothin put silvia front end on it and call it a day.. if it was me witht he extra 2800 coils sr and front end. make the best out of the situation. sorry for your loss

[ms!3]

Is that what your supposed to do when you wreck your car? Just swap on a silvia front?