car insurance question

[jay]

Grumble... the adjuster finally looked at my Mustang convertible after a minor fender-bender two months ago. There was a broad dent on one side, the bumper and quarter panel and hood need to be repainted... plus some interior sheet metal that is not structural, but hard to reach. They claim the car is worth $3005, while repairs are estimated at... $3011. Totaled, supposedly. They're offering to let me keep the car for a smaller amount, but I'd have to get a salvage title.

Does anyone have any suggestions for fighting this? The other guy's insurance company has accepted responsibility... but I'm getting apparently screwed over anyway, just differently. Can a car that is declared officially worthless (salvage title) be insured afterward? Should I just take the money and try to find another 15-year-old convertible? Sigh...

Comments

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

Cars with salvage titles can be insured, for a couple years I had a salvaged MR2, I don't remember any problem with that. Wish I had more info on the rest.

[airshipjones.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend getting a second opinion as well. And check the Blue book value, or look for similar cars in the Auto Trader Magazine.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

Second opinion's good.

But a car which has been totaled, you can keep, with insurance, yes.

Get not a salvage title, but an owner retained title. (Both my mother and I have been through these wars, the salvage title makes it more difficult to re-register and/or re-insure it.)

This will let you have insurance. Really.

you will probably already have investigated all this. pardon me.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

And actually, my insurance company (in Massachusetts, I admit, so rules may be different) gave me /the exact estimated amount/ that they'd, well, estimated the damages at, so I would look warily at their being willing to let you keep the car, but for a smaller amount.

Also, at least in MA, even if the estimate of the damages is within 75% of the total value of the car, the insurance company is allowed/required (not sure which) to total it, so even if you get a small reduction in the estimate on a second opinion, it may not help.

Car insurance

[suspira20.livejournal.com]

I have had this problem before, too. It occurs to me that the insurance companies have a good scam going - they total your car for next to nothing, keep the car and sell themselves for salvage, then you buy a new car with the corresponding higher premiums. I successfully fought that battle with my ranger when someone ran into me a few years ago. I argued that I can't replace my vehicle for what they were going to give me, and I had my engine rebuilt the previous year. They repaired the truck and I kept my title, but I had to do some hard (abrasive) negotiating. The salvage title would make your car more difficult to sell, but you can get insurance.

[knkdyke.livejournal.com]

Specifically ask your adjustor if you can delay some of the repairs and receive an "appearance allowance".

Here's how that worked for me:
I got in an accident - not my fault, hit and run, blah blah blah.
My insurance company (Liberty Mutual Insurance, by the way) sent me to a fabulous body shop where the manager of the body shop also acted as the insurance adjustor.
The guy said the repairs would probably total out my car.

"Do you like your car?" he asks me.
I say "YES. I REALLY like my car. It's my first car. I love my car!"
"So you don't want us to total it?" he asks.
"Not if we can avoid it," I tell him.

So he says - we can give you an "appearance allowance" instead of replacing the front bumper. We can just buff out the scratches instead of replacing it. And the hatchback (which was slightly askew because of rear end damage, but still closed just fine) can also be left alone. This brought the total repair bill to something like $5 less than totalling out my car.

The appearance allowance is taken off of the total and actually credited to your deductible (at least that's how it worked for me).

If you delay some of the repairs and take an appearance allowance, you can then go and get the minor details repaired on your own. It will cost you a little bit of your own money to repair them, as they won't be covered by insurance, but you won't have to total out your car.

**I think I might have told you this story when we met in Seattle, as I was driving the rental car (TRUCK) paid for by my insurance company for over a week while my car was being repaired. I was VERY happy with the insurance company's handling of the entire situation.