Dave951M

I can probably do that, but in NC, you can't get comp/coll on a salvage title. The first estimate was $6900. I'm getting PCA info now.

jason952

if its only surface panels, I bet you could be ok fixing it. and if you plan to keep the car forever anyway, does the salvage title matter that much?

Jim 944S

Sorry about the misfortune, Dave...

Keep a stiff upper lip, laddie... you've got a bunch of folks to help you find used panels, etc., and probably a few in the area to help you turn a wrench, as well.

Don't forget Ian down here in Pompano, he's got a lot of stuff down here and ships out promptly. Good fellow to deal with. If I was closer, I'd offer to come over and help. All I can offer is moral support.

Stay well... Oh, and I agree...I've never considered resale value to be of any concern at all. If it goes to a salvage title...most states (I think) have ways of cleaning that up and making it a regular title (Again, I think that's so, check it out). In any event good luck!

Jim 1987 944S

Porsche-O-Phile

Don't get a salvage title - the car will be worthless. If getting a salvage title is inescapable then turn it into a race car, since those typically don't have any "value" anyway beyond what other racers think it's worth - parts value. The banking / insurance industry doesn't get into assessing values for them except on a case-by-case basis for a very built-up car, and even then the premiums are insanely expensive - not worth it unless you're sponsored and running a semi-pro league IMHO. Then if it wrecks, you can still sell the good parts, and in any event, you can still have fun with the car. That's my "oh crap" scenario for my 944 - someone totals it, I go race-bound with it.

It's a problem with these cars that they're at a very vulnerable stage in their life cycle. Values are near rock-bottom (just starting to turn around and re-appreciate, but it hasn't quite happened yet), parts are expensive and labor is RIDICULOUSLY expensive in most cases. So why on earth would you carry collision / comprehensive anyway? You're just throwing your money down the toilet and making an insurance company rich. Think about it - if your deductable is $500 (and good luck finding that, in most cases they only offer $1,000 or more now) and the book value on the car is somewhere in the vicinity of $3,000 - that only leaves $2,000 in damage (including labor at $100 an hour) that someone needs to do to total your car. Add to that the pervasiveness of inattentive morons in monstrous SUVs in our "modern" culture and you see how easy it is for that to happen. Remember that insurance adjusters use the price of NEW DEALER parts to calculate this too. If someone busts your rear hatch glass alone, that's pretty close to a total loss, since the dealer replacement is around $2,000!

Don't bother with the collision / comprehensive. It's a waste of money until the cars begin to appreciate again to I'd say at least $5,000 or $6,000 in value - and this is probably a few years away. The whole way "values" are computed is partially a sham anyway (designed to keep people in newer and more expensive cars) but that's another discussion for another time.

Graufuchs

Sorry to hear about the car, glad your ok...I feel your pain about ******* drivers....one cost me my modded Jetta......Lets just say he left the scene with a pair of shiny new braclets....Best of luck with whatever you decide to do-chris( i feel your pain)

Dave951M

Well, why do I carry comp/col? If I didn't have it, think of where I'd be right now. Totally SOL. At least I should get enough out of the deal to fix it if I get a salvage title. I'm just not wild about that option. I'm trying to determine how to remove the salvage thing from the title in NC if I do have to go that route.

turbo944

Argh!!!!!! Sorry to hear about the damage. Hope all works out for you.

I'll add my thoughts to this....my brother has a 91 MR2 that got hit in the snow not too long back (somebody slid into him) and although the damage isn't too terribly much and it's still driveable, it's totalled according to the insurance company (State Farm). They looked a little on the used parts side to see if they could get it fixed for less than the estimates, but didn't look very hard to find any. So basically if he can source the parts and provide receipts for them to get them cheaper than new ones, he can get the car fixed through them and not have to get it totalled and have a salvage title and he can still have his full coverage on the car.

Just a thought!!!

Good luck!!!

turbo944

Ummmm....his 86 951 (according to his sig) is worth more than that now according to NADA book (which is what State Farm goes by). When I purchased mine 13 months ago the value there was $8000.

FWIW, State Farm offers plans with deductibles from $250 on up and maybe even still a $0 one...but I haven't checked on that and it would increase the payments enough that you'd pay that deductible in higher premiums pretty quickly.

Porsche-O-Phile

That's more than I'd have thought it was listed as; I guess it's more for the turbos (mine is barely $2,200!) But if the book is $8K and the estimate is $6.9K, how is it "totaled" then?

Still, I think comp / coll is a complete waste of money on an old car and marginal on a new one - just my $0.02. I hate insurance companies. Bunch of leeches. In my experience even if you HAVE it they'll try to weasel out of paying it - but that's another story for another time.

Dave951M

Andrew-

In NC, a vehicle is considered to be totalled if collision damage exceeds 75% of the book value of the car. In my case, NADA is $7500, estimate was $6900, well over the magic 75% mark. When I see the adjuster I'll ask him about me sourcing the parts rather than getting them from the dealer. That might be the plan. I'd really rather not be stuck with a salvage title, that's what's prompting the 931 hotrod idea.

turbo944

In a way Dave, I wish it was the same here in TN. My Saturn was ran out of the road by some woman in a blind curve last year and I managed to miss her and drive it up on a bank. Broke the driver's side quarter glass, a few scratches into the fiberglass bod and scratched up the wheels on that side as well. Damage came to an estimated $2500 and I thought I'd get it totalled, but book was like $2800 and so nope....it wasn't. Sad thing is that a few months later *I* had to put over $2000 into it to put another engine in it, a timing chain and a clutch. I had already started down the magic road with the timing chain when they found out the ever developing noise was a con rod and cost of rebuilding was more than a used engine. Although maintenace otherwise has been almost nil, the car is a money pit much worse than my Porsche at this point and I hate being behind the wheel of it.

Talk to your insurance company about you finding the used parts. This opens up them letting you fix your car without a salvage title for 2 big reasons. 1) they don't have to spend time looking for used parts for your car if you asked to find them to fix it and 2) it saves them money. Even 1 comes down to number 2 when you look closely. If you could find a way to get it fixed for $5000 with used parts, I'll just about bet that they jump on it like you wouldn't believe. Especially if you have a list of parts prices from someone on here who is parting out a car with the panels you need.

And Porsche-O-Phile, lol...insurance has been a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse for me. I've actually pocketed about $2000 from mine from a couple of incidents during area wide disasters when they just cut checks and sent people on their way. I got my car fixed for $100 (paintless dent removal) instead of fill hailstone damage with spots of bondo and painting over it (geez that would have been ugly later on). It's also what enabled me to get back on my feet more than once after having something happen. Until I make enough that I have enough money in the bank to purchase another car I want should something happen to the one I have, I would definitely keep the coverage on my car (well, by law you have to have a minimum of inusurance anyway), but I'd rather pay the slightly higher premiums.

turbo944

In a way Dave, I wish it was the same here in TN. My Saturn was ran out of the road by some woman in a blind curve last year and I managed to miss her and drive it up on a bank. Broke the driver's side quarter glass, a few scratches into the fiberglass bod and scratched up the wheels on that side as well. Damage came to an estimated $2500 and I thought I'd get it totalled, but book was like $2800 and so nope....it wasn't. Sad thing is that a few months later *I* had to put over $2000 into it to put another engine in it, a timing chain and a clutch. I had already started down the magic road with the timing chain when they found out the ever developing noise was a con rod and cost of rebuilding was more than a used engine. Although maintenace otherwise has been almost nil, the car is a money pit much worse than my Porsche at this point and I hate being behind the wheel of it.

Talk to your insurance company about you finding the used parts. This opens up them letting you fix your car without a salvage title for 2 big reasons. 1) they don't have to spend time looking for used parts for your car if you asked to find them to fix it and 2) it saves them money. Even 1 comes down to number 2 when you look closely. If you could find a way to get it fixed for $5000 with used parts, I'll just about bet that they jump on it like you wouldn't believe. Especially if you have a list of parts prices from someone on here who is parting out a car with the panels you need.

And Porsche-O-Phile, lol...insurance has been a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse for me. I've actually pocketed about $2000 from mine from a couple of incidents during area wide disasters when they just cut checks and sent people on their way. I got my car fixed for $100 (paintless dent removal) instead of fill hailstone damage with spots of bondo and painting over it (geez that would have been ugly later on). It's also what enabled me to get back on my feet more than once after having something happen. Until I make enough that I have enough money in the bank to purchase another car I want should something happen to the one I have, I would definitely keep the coverage on my car (well, by law you have to have a minimum of inusurance anyway), but I'd rather pay the slightly higher premiums.

Dave951M

I'm getting my act together for the ins adjuster and I'll see what they have to say. Last time my son was in an bump up, we just took the check from comp/coll coverage and fixed it ourselves. We had to show proof to the agent when finished but managed to pocket several hundred that way. That total was nowhere near this one, but I'll see what he has to say. I still would rather not have the salvage title problem to deal with. If it has to go that route, a 250+hp 931 sounds pretty attractive.

Matt O.

Dave,

Sorry to hear about that. I'm glad you're OK though. Whatever you do, let me know when you will be working on it.

I'm going to be doing some more work on my 944 in 2 weeks (spring break). Interested?

-Matt