osuhog

iTrader: (16)

The adjuster is looking at it right now. It was parked in the street & hit in the front. It was driven back into my daughters car, so there is damage front & rear. The Ram-Air hood is cracked, fender broken, etc. Doesn't look TERRIBLE, but they are talking about totalling it out at this very moment.

I have nearly 20k in receipts. I don't know what they will offer yet, but I'm prepared to be insulted. What recourse do I have if they offer me an insanely low amount?

I already know I will buy it back from them for chump change if they total it, but all I really want is my car back the way it was, in perfect shape. I know that's not likely.

Dang, I wish this wouldn't have happened. We'll see how it goes I guess. I'll post pics later. I'll also update this thread with their offer.

Wish me luck.

oChristiano

iTrader: (6)

Get ready for a fight. I had a 99 SS I was doing a turbo build on get hit by a drunk driver. Original offer was 8k. Couple months later, threats if sueing and not settling I got 11.5k and kept the car.. I didn't have nearly what you have into yours into though. They will not want to pay out for mods.


Show them how much you have into it and convince them it'll be easier to have it fixed. You can also source parts yourself for cheaper than list price to keep cost down. OEM WS6 hood is like $2000 list price when you can pick up a perfect one for $700 etc.

ghardester

Did an air bag go off when it was hit? That can add a couple thousand dollars to the repair bill. Insurance companies tend to total cars if the repair involves an air bag or two.

Get as much as you can from the insurance company but you are probably going to have to buy it from them as salvage and fix it yourself. I doubt that they will offer more than 10k or so. Good luck.

osuhog

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for the replies guys. Air bags did not go off. After 2 hours of messing around with my car & making phone calls/writing stuff down, the adjuster said this was a special case & he would have to get back with me in the morning with what they are going to give me for it. We shall see. I'm not holding my breath.

I gave him my spreadsheet list of mods with dates totalling just over 20k (including the purchase price of the car back in 2010) & he told me they don't generally pay any extra for mods that were done more than one year ago. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. My custom dual exhaut is suddenly not as valuable as it was when it was welded up 2 years ago. Not feeling very optimistic about this. Good news is, the car is still very drivable & the damage doesn't look terrible. Still sucks though.

I'll keep this thread updated. Any more insight from anybody, please share!

Nathan C

In my opinion, that's no where close to being totaled. It looks like all you need is a new front and rear bumper cover and a hood. I can't imagine that damage causing the car to be totaled. Good luck.

OLDSMAN

Your car does not look that badly damaged. Did you get an estimate to have it repaired? In any case, you can always hire an indepentant auto appaiser and have him or her do the negotiation. They usually advertise in car club newsletters and it might be worth it to spend a couple hundred dollars. My son hired one and got an extra 2k for a car that took a swim in a flood. Good Luck.

hardbones

That looks nowhere near totaled

The issue you are gonna have is if you do not have that car insured for "actual value" then all those receipts for mods do not mean crap to any insurance company.

osuhog

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for the suggestions & comments. The adjuster called back this morning & he has the damages at $8,836. He said he is passing it on to the insurance company & they will decide whether to fix it or total it out & get back with me.

I am going to plead with them to just pay to have it fixed. As a matter of fact, I would be compeltely ok with an $8,800 check & I could outsource my own parts & get it fixed & painted & probably pocket some extra change for my trouble. I have no idea if they will just want to write me a check or write it directly to the body shop. I should note, this is not on my insurance, this is on the guy that hit me & his insurance company, so how much I have it insured for shouldn't make any difference.

I will take it by a reputable body shop myself also & see what they have to say.

Thanks again guys, I'll update this thread when I hear something else.

hardbones

Good luck, you might come out pretty good in the end if they just cut you a check!

oChristiano

iTrader: (6)

Not true. That only applys for your own insurance. I got paid out on mods on two cars that were hit and totalled and never had stated value.

cnorton

iTrader: (1)

Several years ago, my then-seven-year-old Firehawk was hit broadside by a drunk driving a GMC dually on the freeway. The right quarter panel and rear bumper cover were obliterated, the wheel ruined and there was other incidental damage. It was a big wreck requiring three or four ambulances to haul all of us to the hospital. I was sure that they were going to total my car but I talked to my insurance company and they said that they would fix it and we would jointly deal with the offender's insurance. My car was in the shop of my choice within two days, the bill was about the same as your number but my insurance company paid it and hit up the other company for that amount. I paid only my deductible. I'm still driving it because I like it and I don't see a lot of other stuff out there that holds a candle to a 4th generation F-body Firehawk.

Good luck.

c

osuhog

iTrader: (16)

Adjuster came back with $8,900 in damage. Insurance company hasn't called me back yet with their offer. Hopefully tomorrow. That said, I drove it this weekend for the first time since it was hit. It is really slamming into gear hard & has never done that before at all. The car was pushed & skidded 10' on impact. Could something have been damaged in the transmission to cause it to slam into gear now? A little concerned about that now. Any opinions?

Carguy8888

iTrader: (1)

Good luck bro, is this car a dd?

osuhog

iTrader: (16)

Thanks man, it was at one time, but not now. It only gets pulled out on nice days.

osuhog

iTrader: (16)

Just did some research on slamming into gear. It seems that the IAT sensor could be the culprit. I forgot I had relocated it to the underneath side of the front bumper. I'm guessing it may have been damaged in the collision. I noticed I threw CEL too, so I'm gonna check codes & report back. Hopefully that's all it is, pretty easy/cheap fix.

Carguy8888

iTrader: (1)

If you are over 25 when you get yourself back together get an agreed value policy.

springer_4

iTrader: (9)

I would say agree to a higher payout, let them total it and buy it back fix it yourself and walk away with more than a couple grand in your pocket. Only thing with that is your car will have a rebuilt salvage title, My 98 WS6 Vert had the same thing happen to it. Sense I don't plan on getting rid of the car, I bought it back and pocketed the rest... Just saying

ez2cdave

From your pics, it looks to me like your hood can be repaired, rather than having to replace it . . .

Blackpanther99

iTrader: (8)

That should NOT be considered totaled. Period.