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just got rear-ended by an elderly gent in a Cadillac. my o5 LGT is being totaled by the insurance co.

i will get maybe 7k they said.

or i can buy it back for 2k

 

i have 13k in receipts for parts and install etc.

 

what would you do?

take the 7k and walk?

the car looks almost perfect the trunk got messed up but i think she will still drive. part of me want to just get it and make a rally car out of it, or part it out

Wow, this just happened to me. DO NOT accept the 7k. Tell them outright that its a lowball offer. Show them the receipts they'll add that to the estimate. How many miles on the car?

You won't get full private party sell price for your car, maybe 65%.

 

Some insurance doesn't cover aftermarket parts unless it's specified in your coverage. I remember it was an option to cover aftermarket parts when I was shopping around for insurance. But it's worth a try if you have receipts.

 

Last time my car was totalled, I also got 7500 for a car that was worth 10k private party. Sry to hear the bad news, good luck with it.

7k or buy it back?

 

Shouldn't it be 7k straight up or 5k and the car?

yep like 5k plus car, so yeah its costing me 2k sorry i worded it weird.....ugh this sucks balz, its not my fault either, so i figure my insurance co should try to get more $ from the other dudes insurance co.

5k and your car and you have 13k in mods?

 

If you're handy with tools and have a garage it's no brainer.

They won't. Your insurance will do nothing to try and help you get more money unless you want to pay a deductible and go through them, in this case they would up your rates as well. My situation was this, they offered my 8.4k for the car, a week and many emails later, they are now giving me 11.7k. I'm a much happier person

Pull as many comps as you can find that show $7k won't replace your vehicle. Present a clear case to their insurance company and stand your ground.

1. go to autotrader.com

2. print off adds for other 05 LGT's.

3. show adds to insurance adjuster, say if they don't give you this much you will get a lawyer.

 

They are lowballing you like crazy. you should easily get 11-13k for it.

thanks guys, i need all the help i can at this point . should i talk to the claims adjustor or, the insurance co itself? i sent them a bunch of receipts including an f'ing short block etc and they added 132 bucks to the estimate.

xero287, did you decide to keep the car, or just take the check and let them total it.

id like a couple things off of it

im kind of thinking it would be good to drag the car home myself on a trailer, swap for my winter rims and stuff, and then take a check for it. it would be nice to have all my mods back. the car is also 350 miles from home, so im paying for a rental out of pocket, all my medical out of pocket, and they wouldn't tow it, they told me to just keep receipts and they will work something out. honestly i should have just not payed insurance for the last 7 years, and just put that $ in an account, id be much further ahead.

would anyone suggest lawyering up at this point? i guess that could take a while but the other driver was cited for following too closely, so he is at fault . Also my neck is pretty f'ed up right now.

Wait what? You were hit and they didn't pay for your medical or rental car? Something is definitely wrong here...I ended up totaling my car btw. I think I might get a 2012 WRX

they havn't payed anything yet, id still be sitting in a gas station in a neck brace if the gas station manager hadnt called the rental co. to come pick me up 15 min after they closed. i even had to take a cab there from the hospital to try to find my wallet and keys in the car.

handlebar - sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately this seems to happen too often. GL with getting everything sorted out.

 

xero - no spec b no more?

It wasn't your fault? Obviously not. Right? You bet I'd make some waves. Did you document everything and call the cops? This all seems like the shaft. I'm no expert but one of two things needs to happen here; a) your car should be restored to before accident condition or b) they pay fair market value, no lowball bs.

 

Though I have heard, it is unlikely they will let you take anything off the car if they give you a check and they most likely will not factor in mods or "upgrades" when tallying the replacement cost.

 

Good luck. Get a smart law person on your side quick.

Also, If the other guy was completely at fault, as is obvious by being cited for following too closely, his insurance should be paying for everything. Medical, rental, and any other costs that you have incurred due to the accident. I wouldn't be paying for anything out of pocket.

^100%

:)ok last addition - From experience it isn't always who's fault it was either. I once rear ended a guy who stopped in the middle of the road for no reason and wasn't following too closely either. My GTI's hood was smashed in and his car was barely scratched. I was not cited for anything. I told the officer the guy had been slurring his words and threatened to fight me. The guy had requested an ambulance claiming his neck and back were injured. The officer went to the hospital and performed a sobriety test. He was told he was going to be arrested for a DUI when he was cleared. He took off after the officer left the room and was caught about 2 minutes later and taken to jail.

 

My insurance had to pay for nothing. His insurance covered new headlights, a new CF boser hood, badgeless grille, and other little odds and ends. (got to do my body mod plans a little early )

 

Yes I know this isn't your situation as you were the victim but my point is that if the other guy can be proven to be at fault then their insurance should be covering absolutely everything related to the accident.

 

side not: can you negotiate to get his Caddy?

If you are hurt see a doctor and a chiropractor as soon as possible. Within 24 hours of the accident is best.

 

Get a rental car. The ins company will pay for it, and the extra $30 a day will encourage them to settle.

 

Don't settle right away! Sorry to typecast, but it sounds like you are young, and inexperienced with this type of thing. Slow down and take time to think about your decisions. If you make decisions quickly you will probably miss important details.

Though I have heard, it is unlikely they will let you take anything off the car if they give you a check and they most likely will not factor in mods or "upgrades" when tallying the replacement cost.

 

If the insurance company wont pay for them, then you have the right to remove your property and replace it with parts that ARE covered under warranty.

 

Example: If you had a set of wheels on the car worth an extra $1k. The insurance company says "we won't cover the wheels", then you have the right to swap a set of stock wheels onto the car and take your $1k wheels off. They can't tell you "no", because it's not their decision what you do with things you bought that they won't cover.

 

If they offer to add $200 to your value for the wheels, you can decline and remove the wheels.

 

Don't settle. 7k is unfair.

 

And why aren't they paying for your rental and medical bills?

 

i have 13k in receipts for parts and install etc.

 

 

I dont know about your insurance, but Geico (mine) asked me to clarify if I have any mod on the car before they sell me insurance.

 

If they did not ask and still sell you insurance, show them your parts list 7K is way low..

Insurance companies are not your friend. They always lowball the offer, it's part of the job description. I've have had to have my cars appraised by an independent appraiser or a dealer a couple of times in order to get a fair value for it. A private appraisal will cost you some money, but usually under $100. I'd go to a Subaru dealer and show interest in a car on their lot, then explain the low ball offer and see if they'll give you a letter stating a retail value for your car. Either way, you have a written value to take to the insurance adjuster and they either pay you the amount or threaten legal action. I had a car totaled that I had just paid $7500 for. The other persons insurance wanted to give me $2850 for it. I went to a local dealer and was looking at a similar car they wanted $8995 for and told the dealer I was interested, but was getting screwed by insurance co. The used car sales manager wrote me a letter, saying that if my car was on his lot, it would have be priced at $9995. I got my $7500 from the insurance company after they verified the letter. In that case I bought the car back and rebuilt it, then sold it later.

Bottom line, you don't have to accept the insurance company's offer. They hit you, they are responsible for either fixing you car or replacing it with a car of equal value. Period. Anything less is because they buffaloed you. Remember, they do this every hour of every day and they are good at it.

 

xero - no spec b no more?

 

Don't think so anymore, I'm going to try and buy new since I won't have to deal with this accident crap anymore.

Sounds like they offering trade in value, I would do some research and show them what it costs to buy the car and try to get that.

 

As far as your mods, it is the normal emotional response to feel like the should pay for the car as it is, but in reality you can't expect the insurance company to pay for mods that you have not added to your policy and not paying a premium on. They insured the car in the state that you purchased it in, not how you modded it. Like someone else said, you do have the right to take your aftermarket parts and replace them with the stockers. My 07 was totaled in May, so I know how you feel.