insurance total loss BS

[singlecamslam]

To make a long story short, lady backed into my car while i was parked causing minor fender bender damage to the front. She took full responsibility and now i'm working with her insurance agent.

The adjuster said the damage came up to be $1950.00 for basically a fender and a bumper which is 90% threshold of what the car is worth.

My car: Base model two tone coupe 1989, and now they want to salvage it out and i really dont want a salvage title for a few hundred $ of damage. My car is worth a lot more than 2500 but they just will not listen, i tried everything but they refuse to budge on the value. If i try hard i can dig up about 1500 worth of receipts, the rest i paid cash for. They want to give me $2,000 and a salvage title.

My question, what can i do in this situation? Anyway i can keep my car a clean title? How can i prove that my car is worth more than whatever they are pricing it as? Her insurance carrier is nationwide i believe. They obviously dont know the market for these cars and i would hate to have a salvage title for some tiny damage. Pictures of damage later, but here is what my car looks like:

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/oldskool916/IMG_1165.jpghttp://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/oldskool916/IMG_1176.jpg

[sr23det]

reciepts dont mean much since they consider it as upkeep and or maintenance. blue book is what your gonna get plus keeping the car.

dont forget you have to brake and lamp the car and vin check it to get your new salvage title. i had simular incident and got around what you was offered.

[jellis]

total it and buy the car back from the insurance company or sue her for more money to fix the car

[racepar1]

Welcome to the reality of 240 ownership. A scratch on your fender will salvage it. You only have two options:

1: Don't go through insurance. Pay out of pocket and hopefully the person who hit you will be willing to re-inburse your expense. This is not likely as that's what insurance is for and the person who hit you probably won't be willing to pay out of pocket for something their insurance will cover.

2: Let the insurance company salvage it. You can buy the car back off them for waaaayyyyyyyy less than their declared value. Use the leftover money to repair the damage and deal with having a salvage title.

This is how insurance works, you have no other options. The insurance company is not going to change their mind on what the car is worth regardless of what you say...

[Sileighty_85]

Beat Me too it ^^

You can always choose not to file the claim and pay for it out of pocket

[Laotian240]

nationwide is on her side

[singlecamslam]

^^ That made me laugh. Well its how i though it was going to play out. Another question, i know i will have to do brake and lamp inspection, but will i have to go to CHP? And if i do how can i go there with that motor?

And yea she said she doesnt want to pay me out of pocket.

[xoxide]

^Lmao



If its as minor as you make it sound I would just handle it without going through insurance. Depends what a non-salvage titled car is worth to you...

[racepar1]

^^ That made me laugh. Well its how i though it was going to play out. Another question, i know i will have to do brake and lamp inspection, but will i have to go to CHP? And if i do how can i go there with that motor?

And yea she said she doesnt want to pay me out of pocket.

There are brake and lamp inspection stations, the CHP does not do it. It costs about $100, you can get a list of stations in your area on the DMV website. Just make sure that ALL of your lighting is DOT approved, some of them are dicks and will fail your ass for any little thing they can find...

[sr23det]

just go in the dvm for the vin check so you dont have to worry about the swap assuming you vins match

[singlecamslam]

i see, its just i know some cars i buy that are salvage they send you to CHP for vin inspection and if they do that to me i'm screwed. Its too late to do anything, stupid ass insurance company already sent the paperwork to the DMV, plus 2k is not a bad amount i guess if i'm keeping the car.

[SmogSUX]

If all else fails. Take the 2k, salvage the car and if you can't get it to pass inspection for some reason, use 2k to buy another shell and some goodies.

[KendallH]

They cannot do anything to your title unless you take their money as far as I know. I would ask them to settle out for $500-1000, and get a new bumper/fender and paint (or sil front, if you're so inclined).

[FRpilot]

Seems like you want the $2,000 payout, but not the salvage title.

Are you willing to take less without having the insurance company salvage it? I'm not even sure if the insurance company will allow that.

Your shell is clean. Seems like too much work to swap stuff over including your s14 dash. Will probably make it even harder to sell with a salvage title and even worse low balls that you got the first time around.

[Slippin'eight-nine]

If her insurance company is taking care of it how could they possibly salvage title Your car?
When some dude smashed my door he wanted to settle with no insurance. I insisted on going through them.
They called me and gave me 2 options:
1. They salvage it since the damage exceed the value and give me $2356
2. Or I keep my clean title and they gave me a cash amount to the tune of $1890
I obviously took option 2 and found a door for $50
So i would fight them. Don't let them salvage it and buy it
back. Insist on a cash amount and retain your clear title

[S14DB]

Since she is at fault they have to cover everything done to the car.

What you need to do is find comps. They have to pay the replacement cost of the car. Find cars with the same major features for sale. RB swaped, silvia fronts, two tones. Show them how much it would cost for you to buy another car with the same things as yours. They don't care how much you put into it. They care about how much it would cost you to buy another one exactly like yours.

[2slow2go]

her insurance cant salvage your car.

they should just cut you a check to fix whatever it is. i think it only matters when let say u have 5000 in damages and your car only worth 2000. theyll only cut the check for 2000.

since your car is worth the same amount they just cut you it for 2000.

My dad car was hit last year. the damage was 2000 appraised at a bodyshop. they sent him a check through mail to either go to the bodyshop to fix it or pocket it.

if anything just be like i just want my 2000 in a check sent to my address now and thats it. if anything keep calling and tell them if they dont cut you a check soon youll go through a lawyer and ask for physical therapy or something. Just keep calling them and harassing them or get another agent from their firm to talk to( some will help you and some will just tell you no to get you off the line). They count on you to not do shit and accept it.

[singlecamslam]

This is what she told me "Since you're in california, its state law we notify the DMV of a total loss vehicle" so they went ahead and informed the DMV days ago without me even knowing which is what is pissing me off right now. I offered a settlement of 1000 they didnt take it. It really seems there is no way of going around it since i'm in California and its the law for insurance companies to report it. I'm going to call in tomorrow and try to talk to someone else because she felt completely incompetent over the phone with constant 30 seconds of awkward silence, plus she's from a completely different state. This system is so retarded

V C Section 11515 Total Loss Salvage Vehicles (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d05/vc11515.htm)

[fliprayzin240sx]

Since she is at fault they have to cover everything done to the car.

What you need to do is find comps. They have to pay the replacement cost of the car. Find cars with the same major features for sale. RB swaped, silvia fronts, two tones. Show them how much it would cost for you to buy another car with the same things as yours. They don't care how much you put into it. They care about how much it would cost you to buy another one exactly like yours.

^^^^This, i just went thru this crap a month ago. You should have gone thru YOUR insurance, showed them a print out of every similar mods, mileage, year, S13s atleast within 100 mile radius of where you're at. The goal is to make sure you're car doesnt hit 50% damage threshold to what the car is worth in their eyes. So you have to convince the adjuster that the car is worth more than what they think. You're insurance adjuster would be more willing to play ball since they dont care, they're not the one paying you. All they're gonna do is bill Nation wide.

The kicker is now you went thru Nation wide, its been reported and they have fodder to counter your insurance. Talk to your insurance company and talk to an adjuster ASAP. If you can convince them that the car is worth more than $5K, you shouldn't hit that 50% total loss threshold.

My insurance calculated that I have $3200 worth of damage and just played the numbers by not putting down a number of what they think the car is worth. Adjuster basically just said that she believes the car is worth more than $7K and $3200 is less than the 50% so they didnt total it.

Damage since the other driver thought redlights are optional:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/fliprayzin240sx/1113FEA3-DAE3-47B5-9849-449FB53DC5E4-3636-000005C4C0EA6691_zps9a0aed9d.jpg

$2200 later of insurance money and saving $1K in my bank account:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/fliprayzin240sx/E19C9962-A7E0-4F4F-BCD2-17AA97A905DA-836-000002270C110DEA_zps3fe1ae39.jpg

[brewster240]

other option is to not live in california.

in ny they just say, heres some money, see you later.

[singlecamslam]

I will definitely use all your guys's advice, i'm calling them first thing in the morning. The nationwide adjuster basically gave me the estimate of the cost, than sent me off to the total loss department which is who i am currently dealing with. I never been in an accident before so this shit is new to me. i have very basic coverage on my car but i'll still talk to them.

Tomorrow i'll call the total loss nazis again and report back. Thanks for the help, hopefully this shit will work out, i hate salvage cars with a passion.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Well, my best advice for you at this point is DO NOT GET THE CHECK!!! You cash that check, its game over...you pretty much accepted your own fate if you do.

[zooopreme]

other option is to not live in california.

in ny they just say, heres some money, see you later.

Yeah because that's a completely logical resolution to the OP's concerns. Let me just pack my shit up and deal with this shit in a different state.

[ghoti]

That's owning a 240 for you, Insurance doesn't value your car as much as market value.

Also, I want to see pictures of the damage.

[fliprayzin240sx]

That's owning a 240 for you, Insurance doesn't value your car as much as market value.

Also, I want to see pictures of the damage.

But thats what makes a great insurance. The ones that will give you fair market value is a life send compared to shitty give you KBB/black book value of your car insurance. Thats where printing out every similarly modded S13 within 100-150 miles of you would help show what the market value is on these cars. I printed out every 95-96 S14 in VA, MD and NC from Zilvia, autotrader, and CL to show the value of my car. Cheapest one was about $5k and the most expensive was about $14k, RB'd S14 was at $9k.

[ghoti]

But thats what makes a great insurance. The ones that will give you fair market value is a life send compared to shitty give you KBB/black book value of your car insurance. Thats where printing out every similarly modded S13 within 100-150 miles of you would help show what the market value is on these cars. I printed out every 95-96 S14 in VA, MD and NC from Zilvia, autotrader, and CL to show the value of my car. Cheapest one was about $5k and the most expensive was about $14k, RB'd S14 was at $9k.

That's good advice for OP and I'm sure that works great.
The thing is he lives in CA with an RB and said he's going to have the car inspected, so yeah.

Then again, wtf do I know.

[singlecamslam]

Alright guys i got an update, my car is staying clean title! She is going to pay me the estimate amount of $1950 and call it a day and i'm happy with that. Thanks for all the advice, heres some pics of damage, like i said very minor. Time for silvia front maybe
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/oldskool916/P7021555_zpsa5af5a45.jpghttp://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/oldskool916/P7021554_zps547e5e1e.jpg

[allenms240]

What? they paid 2k for that?!?!
I guess I'm just a nice person on the streets. Personally, I would've taken 500 at most.
But then again, who says no to cash!

[whitey240]

I went through a similar situation. I talked the other persons insurance company for giving me 1 penny below the threshold and just took that. It wasn't the value I needed to fix the car but I wasn't totally out of luck

[Initial_R90]

she did you a favor lol.

[KiLLeR2001]

Clean title two-tone lives on!

[Extreme Dimensions]

Congrats on the clean title.

My miata is clean title, but really really really shouldn't be lol because racecar.

silvia front end time?

[economix]

Just an idea, and most folks should apply this thinking at least since our vehicles (240s) are significantly under-valued given the work we put into them. Have your car appraised. Grab what receipts you have, work with the appraiser and let them know the time you have into it and anything else you can think of. You'll ultimately pay more to insure your vehicle, but it puts a greater value on your vehicle should you wreck it or you're put into this situation in the future again, you'll be compensated accordingly.

Just a thought moving forward if you don't want that sort of headache again.

[bc.]

Alright guys i got an update, my car is staying clean title! She is going to pay me the estimate amount of $1950 and call it a day and i'm happy with that. Thanks for all the advice, heres some pics of damage, like i said very minor. Time for silvia front maybe
Who the fuck appraised that damage to $1950????? Wow. I can't believe she paid you that out of pocket either, it's your lucky fucking day dude, don't spend it all in one place.

[lude4life13]

Just an idea, and most folks should apply this thinking at least since our vehicles (240s) are significantly under-valued given the work we put into them. Have your car appraised. Grab what receipts you have, work with the appraiser and let them know the time you have into it and anything else you can think of. You'll ultimately pay more to insure your vehicle, but it puts a greater value on your vehicle should you wreck it or you're put into this situation in the future again, you'll be compensated accordingly.

Just a thought moving forward if you don't want that sort of headache again.

This guy knows what he is talking about. Don't wait until an accident to address this issue. Talk about it before and get an appraisal before. I personally put together an 11 page pdf document showing parts etc etc etc for my insurance company (State Farm) and therefore if anything ever happens to the car I will get $8,000 no questions asked. Appraisal companies will put the same thing together for you for a couple hundred dollars.

[economix]

^^^ worth every bit of the extra time and cost IF/WHEN something goes awry ^^^

[singlecamslam]

Who the fuck appraised that damage to $1950????? Wow. I can't believe she paid you that out of pocket either, it's your lucky fucking day dude, don't spend it all in one place.


I agree the damage to my car is very minimal, but you have to remember when the insurance company appraises stuff they dont buy parts of CL or junkyards, plus the door and hood would have to be blended with the new paint. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS EVERYONE, this is very important, keep all your receipts they will help if this ever happens to you.

Agree with the people in this thread, have the car appraised with receipts and you should have no problem with insurance company BS.

Edit: when i say she is paying me, i meant the insurance company is cutting me a check. I would not want someone to pay that much out of pocket.

[Slippin'eight-nine]

Nice! Im glad that worked out for you! Time for some upgrades

[WristWork]

Turned out for the better, silvia front now and lose that poor pignose!

[Future240]

*Puts on Insurance Adjuster Hat*

Zilvia there is a simple way to avoid incidents like this. Find an insurance company that will allow you to insure your car and the parts that are on it. Most companies call it endorsing. Basically underwriting your car for what you paid to have in it***. If your car is worth $2000 and you endorse $5000 worth of parts if an accident happens you have a value of $7000.

Do this and choose the lowest deductible your company has. That way if something happens like it did to OP you can toss them 25-100 bucks and boom no worries about your car being totaled. Then your company will subrogate (go after the other company for your deductible and monies they paid out) the other company and all is good.

Not all companies will do this. Ask you agent/service department whether they will or not.

***Note I said what you have paid for. They won't care if your aero cost $2000 new. If you paid $1000 for it they will most likely consider it's value $1000. Though some companies will haggle it with you.

*Mod hat back on*

[Ramonesfreak2010]

I showed my insurance $10k of receipts and got $5000 back. The accident was my fault. Core support was fucked. I bought a new shell for $800, spent the rest on new parts...

Win/win.

Who cares if you get a salvaged title.

[WristWork]

The person buying your car

[wattupbaii]

Its really simple, you're getting 2k for a salvage tittle. If you decide to sell the car later on you may get a grand less because someone bitching about the tittle but you still got another grand of free money.
Take a plunger to the fender and pull it out, thats not deep. I had a dent in my rear fender that was 8 inches in and i pulled it out with a pulley and a hammer. That aint nothing, dont waste your money on a new fender thats an easy fix.

[FaLKoN240]

My friend that works in insurance/body shop field said for MOST CARS, each panel damaged is going to be roughly 1k.

Buying NEW OEM parts (is expensive, we all know that), then shipping them, paying a shop for LABOR (in Cali = $$$), time, materials, etc. Comes out to about $1k per panel.

[silviasandbeer]

Go buy a lotto ticket!
Its your lucky freaking day!

[Oakville]

nooo sil front...chuki front :D

[bc.]

nooo sil front...chuki front :D
^ this guy is drunk, don't listen to him. Sil front and keep it a two-tone.

/end thread

[rawgarage]

damn 1950 for that?

[fliprayzin240sx]

Well, I got a buddy who's about to go thru Hagerty. He said so far he's quoted roughly $680 for 6 months on a 90 Foxbody that he's trying to insure for $12K. If he wrecks, Hagerty will pay him out the $12K. Only catch is this car can't be his DD and thats for 10K miles for the year. Still don't think its bad...if he wants more mileage, he'd pay like $30-40 more/6 months.

[Corbic]

Welcome to the reality of 240 ownership. A scratch on your fender will salvage it. You only have two options:

1: Don't go through insurance. Pay out of pocket and hopefully the person who hit you will be willing to re-inburse your expense. This is not likely as that's what insurance is for and the person who hit you probably won't be willing to pay out of pocket for something their insurance will cover.

2: Let the insurance company salvage it. You can buy the car back off them for waaaayyyyyyyy less than their declared value. Use the leftover money to repair the damage and deal with having a salvage title.

This is how insurance works, you have no other options. The insurance company is not going to change their mind on what the car is worth regardless of what you say...


This is why you need specialty insurance. You can get anything insured for just about anything. They will simply have an auditor evaluate the vehicle and put together a report. However you will pay the going rate for that value.

So yes, you could insure your car at a value of $16k - but expect to pay $160 a month instead of $55.

Well, I got a buddy who's about to go thru Hagerty. He said so far he's quoted roughly $680 for 6 months on a 90 Foxbody that he's trying to insure for $12K. If he wrecks, Hagerty will pay him out the $12K. Only catch is this car can't be his DD and thats for 10K miles for the year. Still don't think its bad...if he wants more mileage, he'd pay like $30-40 more/6 months.

bingo.




msg

OP - you sure that car hasn't been wrecked before?

Headlight lids don't match and the headlight brackets are red...

[singlecamslam]

As far as i know the car has never been wrecked, i had it since 07, and i swapped headlight assemblies cause both my motors went out. I've heard of Hagerty, and 10k miles a year isnt bad at all when your cluster doesnt work.

[Moncef]

As far as i know the car has never been wrecked, i had it since 07, and i swapped headlight assemblies cause both my motors went out. I've heard of Hagerty, and 10k miles a year isnt bad at all when your cluster doesnt work.

:bigok: LOL




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