fastertransam

Hey there,


My 2001 Ram Air Trans Am w/WS6 pkg. was in an accident. Not much to it, but the air bags deployed and the insurance company [Assurance America] wants to call the car a "total loss". They are trying to say the car was only worth around $8,000.00. So that is what they want to pay, and they want to keep the car [which they will obviously "parts out" and pocket the money].

They base their low-ball offer on what they call "comparables" located by some wh*re of an appraiser they paid. However, none of the cars the appraiser uses as "comparable" are described as "WS6 cars" or "Ram Air" cars. My car has every possible option and was meticulously maintained, which does not appear to be the case with the "comparables" they are using.

Its my understanding that Pontiac offered the car with a V-8 engine both with and without the Ram Air option, and both with and without the "WS6 Performance Package. Just want to check here to verify that is correct.

I see the WS6 cars sold for $20,000.00 or so all the time on Ebay, so the $8,000.00 that Assurance is "offering" seems like B.S. to me.

The car drives and runs fine. It is not "totalled", and I am obvioulsy not going to give them my car for $8,000.00.

Any info about what configurations of the car were offered with the 5.7 liter engine would help me show that the "comparable" cars they are citing are not the same as my car just because they have 5.7 liter engines.

Thanks in advance.

TAvsGN

There were non-WS6 Trans Ams and WS6 Trans Ams, both with the 5.7 LS1.

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

Basically the WS-6 is a trans am but with the Ram-Air hood and a 32mm front sway bar instead of the 30mm, Mileage is king tho, if your high miles (over 100k) then 8 grand isn't so out there, the super clean ones on ebay going for 20k are SOM (amongst the rarest of colors) and have under 25k miles and are in show room condition, if you notice the others are in the 8-15 grand range once your are looking at non-SOM cars.

we need more info on the car, mileage, pictures of the pre-wrecked state of the car, things like that.

Wheelman916

This.

Flaring Afro

I seriously doubt yours was worth 20 grand. It would have to have been in like new condition with barely any miles. Probably a rare color too. I've seen people bid on a ws6 with 600 miles on the clock and that only went up to ~$20,000.

njsteve

How many miles on your car? One week ago I bought my black 2001 WS6 6-speed with 61,000 miles for $11,500 from its original owner. Completely stock and unmodified. Full monthly maintenance records back to the day it was delivered.

2000formulaluvr

I bought my 2000 ws6 6 SPD 3 months ago for $10,200 with 34k. For comparables sake. All dealer maintenance with crazy records. All stock. Asking was close to 14k but I made a stink about the cracked door panel. Lol

great421

iTrader: (1)

OP -

Speaking from experience, you must make a strongly documented case that your car falls in a different category than the vehicles used for comparison by your adjuster, as well as highlighting those things that make your car of a higher value than the 'average' vehicle.

I fought with my insurance company for 4.5 months and presented 30+ pages of vehicle-specific documentation, as well as ebay ads for cars similar to mine.

Ultimately, I had to "sell" my car on ebay and then present the final bid price to them as a real-world actual value. They still would not return my calls / emails - so I went over their heads; I sent the whole package of info (complete with a detailed record of my attempts to communicate with my Progressive reps) to the NC Dept of Insurance, and two days later Progressive called me and asked me how they could properly assist in repairing my vehicle!

: )

So, it can be done, but remember, the adjuster is given a bonus based on minimizing the amount of money paid out in claims.

Good luck!

JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

iTrader: (1)

The "Ram Air" factory CAI is included as part of the "WS6 Performance Package" on all '96+ Formulas & T/As so equipped, they were never offered seperately (although '97 WS6 'verts missed out on the upgraded suspension / wheels which was not included on those cars w/ the WS6 RPO).

Kevin Lee 487

iTrader: (1)

Just a FYI, the Ram Air option doesn't make a difference on these cars. The Air Box draws in air from under where the WS6 hood inlets are on 98+ models so the air intakes on the hood don't do a damn thing.

The WS6 hood from 98-02 was purely cosmetic.

There weren't many options at all on these cars either. The only real notable ones being the 12 disc CD-Changer, 2.73 or 3.23 rear end if its an Automatic non WS6, Lumbar seats and interior colors. The WS6 package was essentially just a different hood and a wheel+tire package. The rest of the changes were negligible or standard by 2001 anyway.

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

while that is true there is a slight difference in that the "Ram Air" airbox was a TALLER box, resulting in a larger opening at the front.

Kevin Lee 487

iTrader: (1)

True but does that really make a difference though?

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

not if you've cut out the bottom of the box like many of us do, even without it I doubt it would be noticeable, but it is one of the small differences between a regular T/A and a WS6.

handyandy496

iTrader: (9)

What I have done is take the money. I just ask the insurance company how much they want for the car that's totaled and they always say $500. So I just buy it back and fix it. I have done this twice with two different cars. U don't think they want to get there hands dirty (parting it out) do you. lol. They just get them towed to the nearest auction and the average they get back is $500 dollars for all the zillion cars they insure. They wouldn't want to have to start comparing values of different types of totaled cars. That would be work.

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

the guys on here that have bought theres back after wrecking are paying around $2500 for the buyback, the insurance companies aren't dumb, they know these cars pull a premium.

Kevin Lee 487

iTrader: (1)

Care to elaborate? I have a Ram Air box on my T/A.

Yea thats true considering the price of a used higher mileage LS1 can be upwards of $1000 by itself.

NC01TA

fastertransam, as others have said you must provide us the details (mileage, photos) to back you up. You just can't say your car is worth $20k off hand. I've asked a few adjusters over the years what is required for them to consider top $$ for lower mileage well maintained examples instead of their 'book'. It's always photos, photos, photos and current listings for similar mileage and condition cars. It's all in the details. You need to provide evidence of when the photos were taken too. I take photos every single year of my cars, usually at car shows or events. I document the date of the show (flyers, ads) and other evidence of the condition and time. If your car looks like hell at the time of the accident(dirty, damage from the non-accident areas, torn seats, etc...) that will speak volumes to the adjuster as well. If you do have a special sweet example of a T/A I hope you have something 'concrete' to help you out.

fastertransam

Thanks. That was my recollection.

They are trying to use non-WS6 vehicles as "comparables". F*cking weasels.

Do you happen to know whether it was possible to get the Ram Air hood option without getting the whole WS6 package?

My car was [is, actually, except for the area of impact] in beautiful shape, by the way. Pewter w/ black leather, 12-CD changer, Colorado emissions control, yada yada yada.

They have come up on the price some already. But I'm not done with them.

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

It's possible a previous owner added it, the simple way to check is to look at the RPO sticker on the driver door and see if there is a WS6 anywhere on it, if there is then it's a true WS6 car and not one where someone slapped the hood on it.

Not sure what you are asking here, but if it's about cutting out the bottom of the airbox then see here http://installuniversity.com/ls1/ins...e-ram-air.html

Sladester2

iTrader: (1)

How many miles?