Konvinced89

iTrader: (1)

Well, I went for a drive in my 02 Trans Am Firehawk last weekend, and a sudden downpour coupled with oily roads contributed to sliding off the road into a tree at 40 mph. I walked away with a few scratches, but the car is totaled, pending final word from my insurance(USAA). My adjuster called today and said the car will be submitted to a third party for appraisal as a specialty car, and that I should look up values in my local area to compare to what they come up with. Trouble is, I daily drove the car for the 2 years I owned it, so the mileage is relatively high(120k); others on the market are in the range of 5k-65k miles, and are listed anywhere from $13,500 to $30,000.

Does anyone know where I can find local values on Firehawks that USAA will consider valid?

NC01TA

Completed transactions are tough to find for higher mileage collector type cars as the auction houses usually don't offer them. Ebay can't be relied upon either because of 'shill' bidding and the used car dealers that pay a monthly fee for their listings (they can show bogus activity and it doesn't cost them extra if a car sells or not).
My insurance guy said photos are key to show actual condition. It won't bring top dollar for a totaled car but it will increase the payout when contested, which is what you may have to do. If no photos and no 'completed' listings there isn't much you can do as these specialty cars just become used cars and the payoff will reflect that. It's a shame as I'm sure you really enjoyed your car. Good luck trying to get a decent payout. Do NOT accept an initial offer. It's all part of a game you have to play.

Konvinced89

iTrader: (1)

Well I have a youtube channel where I documented the mods to the car(channel name is my ls1tech username) which the adjustor told me will be compensated where the mod enhanced functionality, i.e. shocks, transmission upgrades, etc. So I got that goin for me, which is nice. What's also nice is the adjustor said his wife used to drive a limited run WS-6, so he knew a little bit about why the Firehawk has extra value, and also gave me credit for anything I fixed on the car recently.

So if the initial offer is garbage, what would I use as a backing for my counter offer?

PontiacFan

iTrader: (104)

Are you a Facebook user?
Look up both, the FAOA & Pontiac Firehawk pages.
Mac Logan has collected data for years & has a chart that shows some of this history that might be helpful.
If you need contact info for Mac, let me know.

NC01TA

I would imagine your YouTube channel would benefit you in this case. I didn't look at it but it's the same as photos, right? Condition is key. If it's in 'average' shape I don't see too many advantages for you except your list of mods which the adjuster indicated he would accept. He sounds positive at least. That's good to hear.

Konvinced89

iTrader: (1)

Well, the whole thing is settled. USAA agreed to grade the car as a specialty, and since the preponderance of Firehawks for sale are low-mileage gems, mine fetched a very, very generous payout. Since my wife is expecting our first little girl, and I agreed when I bought the Firehawk that she would get the next new vehicle, I'm going to start driving her Maxima, and we are getting her a 2011 Acura MDX w/Tech Pkg in Aspen White Pearl. Guess I get to learn how to maintain Honda J-series motors now. So long, wild rides of my youth.

NC01TA

Thanks for the follow-up. Very happy to hear it worked out well for you.
Best of luck with everything in your future even though those current rides don't seem too exciting. Life happens.

hawk584

iTrader: (1)

resale data sheet

RockinWs6

State Farm gave me double what my 02 Formula was worth locally. Had 120k on it in like new condition. I was very satisfied with their settlement.

flyboy129

Great news! Except for the boring family car bit.

Sell that maxima and get another bird!

In my case, Farm bureau Gave me $1000 above NADA for my 99 T/A with 201K on the clock. Granted, I had taken care of it and it showed. Also had dashcam footage of the incident. I bought the car back for $1600 since I had just gotten the T56 built with tick goodies. Parted the front clip since it had a factory Ram air hood installed by the first owner. Sold the 16" wheels easy even though they had a few cosmetic flaws. Same for the seats. Bought a 00 WS6 and swapped the transmissions. I now have a complete spare setup should I need it.