by Guest » Wed Jan 23, 2008 08:58 pm
I live in Dallas TX and drive a 1995 Grand AM SE 4 door Power doors and locks.
I paid $2000.00 for the car in 2006. I can't afford a car note at this time.
I was hit by this cowboy in an F150. He was at fault and his ins co. has accepted liability. (by the way his truck is just fine)
It will cost $2160.00 to fix my car according to his insurance company certified repair company S-King. The only damage is to the front drivers side panel, bumper head light and hub cap. My car is drivable and runs just fine. The Ins co. wants to total out my car and give me $800.00. l I cannot buy another cash car for $800.00 which means if I give them my car, how will I get to work? Pick up my kids LIVE MY LIFE! I refused and told them I want to keep my car and that they need to pay for Cowboy negligence. Do I have to give them my car and take the $800.00? Can I make them repair my car? I was minding my own business when I got hit by the cowboy and now Farmers Ins it trying to put me I the poor house.
Stressed.
I paid $2000.00 for the car in 2006. I can't afford a car note at this time.
I was hit by this cowboy in an F150. He was at fault and his ins co. has accepted liability. (by the way his truck is just fine)
It will cost $2160.00 to fix my car according to his insurance company certified repair company S-King. The only damage is to the front drivers side panel, bumper head light and hub cap. My car is drivable and runs just fine. The Ins co. wants to total out my car and give me $800.00. l I cannot buy another cash car for $800.00 which means if I give them my car, how will I get to work? Pick up my kids LIVE MY LIFE! I refused and told them I want to keep my car and that they need to pay for Cowboy negligence. Do I have to give them my car and take the $800.00? Can I make them repair my car? I was minding my own business when I got hit by the cowboy and now Farmers Ins it trying to put me I the poor house.
Stressed.
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 05:13 am Post Subject:
If you consider that you will be better off by retaining the car, you can keep it. The only thing that you need to do is to inform the insurer about your decision. They may then write you a check deducting the salvage amount. But IMO that amount would be too less as well.
You can check with few other body shops about the cost of repair. If the cost exceeds the market value of the car then you may not gain from retaining your car.
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 05:37 am Post Subject:
Hi Truth_at_38,
What is the present market value of the car? The value of the MV depreciates with time. Therefore, you may not receive the same amount that you have paid for the car in the market if you try to sell it now. If the insurance company considers that the damages are beyond repair and may exceed the cost of the car, they may consider it for totaling. And in your case the mending cost is even surpassing its purchase value.
I paid $2000.00 for the car in 2006.
It seems that there is no way you can convince the insurance company to repair the vehicle.
Thanks
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 06:18 am Post Subject:
Do I have to give them my car and take the $800.00?
Is your car still drivable without repairs? $800 is sounding too low to me as well. let's see what the experts of this community have to say in this regards. I'm sure that they will give you some valued suggestions. Good Luck
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:32 am Post Subject:
Good morning Truth_at_38, and welcome to the community, let's see if we can sort this out...
First, somethin' ain't stirrin' the kool aid here...I ran your car and got a value of 2350.00 so somethin' wrong...but more than likely is lack of information..on my part...what is the mileage? also was there ANY prior unrepaired damage to your vehicle? Including the interior....I'm guessing there must be and maybe really high miles on top of some prior damage? This is too far apart...They are valueing your vehicle as ''basic transporation'' that occurs generally when a vehicle is in really bad condition or has really really high miles...please provide this info and let me see if I can help figure that out...
I paid $2000.00 for the car in 2006
What you paid for the car is of no consequence...The only time that 'might' come into play is a brand new vehicle that is totaled within 30 days or so from driving it off the floor..Do I have to give them my car and take the $800.00?
No, you can keep it they will deduct the salvage amount which can't be more than 200 bucks or so...Can I make them repair my car?
No you can't make them...if it costs more to repair than it's worth they will total it...I was minding my own business when I got hit by the cowboy and now Farmers Ins it trying to put me I the poor house.
I understand that but they aren't ''trying'' to put you in the poor house, they just want to close the claim...and they will need to pay you the ACV (actual cash value) of your vehicle....I want to caution you about a couple of things before you decide to keep this car...
The only damage is to the front drivers side panel, bumper head light and hub cap.
This is a vague discription, but if the tire/wheel got hit, you could have some suspension or steering damage, also apparently you were hit on the front 'side' if the h/lamp and bumper need replaced we could also have gotten into the cooling...just make sure and ask the shop or someone you trust that actually knows alot about vehicles to check these things out first....k?Answer my questions and lets see if we can figure out how they came up with the value first...Also were you or any passengers injured in this accident?
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 03:51 am Post Subject:
I live in Dallas TX and drive a 1995 Grand AM SE 4 door Power doors and locks.
I paid $2000.00 for the car in 2006. I can't afford a car note at this time.
I was hit by this cowboy in an F150. He was at fault and his ins co. has accepted liability. (by the way his truck is just fine)
It will cost $2160.00 to fix my car according to his insurance company certified repair company S-King. The only damage is to the front drivers side panel, bumper head light and hub cap. My car is drivable and runs just fine. The Ins co. wants to total out my car and give me $800.00. l I cannot buy another cash car for $800.00 which means if I give them my car, how will I get to work? Pick up my kids LIVE MY LIFE! I refused and told them I want to keep my car and that they need to pay for Cowboy negligence. Do I have to give them my car and take the $800.00? Can I make them repair my car? I was minding my own business when I got hit by the cowboy and now Farmers Ins it trying to put me I the poor house.
Stressed.
Sorry your in that awful position. Have you considered buying the car back? I did that one time and it cost 10% of what they paid me. They paid me $2200 and I paid just over $200 which was a steal for buying a couple panels and painting them myself.
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 06:24 am Post Subject:
What I've always recommended was to do your own homework when dealing with claims adjusters. Know the value of your car and back it up with data.
You can go to autotrader.com and find a car on there that is as close to what you had before the accident. Mileage, options, condition, everthing. If you can find several that are similar to your vehicle, that's even better. This will give you something to negotiate with. If they continue being difficult, find the same car for sale and tell them to buy it for you since it will be the best way they can truly indemnify your loss.
When repairing or replacing your vehicle, the insurance company has an obligation to repair or replace with items of like kind and quality. When you enter the discussions with the total loss adjuster, they generally work with you once you've shown them you've done your homework.
Buying the car back from them will still mark your title as salvaged and reduce you chances of collecting much at all should you ave another claim. Also, many companies will not allow you to carry full coverage on the car at all with a salvaged title.
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