Tom R.

exactly!

thats why i am not allowing them to take a POS and tell me that it is "substantially similar" (not my term, but NY insurance law term).

i basically showed them that it would take another 12K+ to make the car they used subastantially similar to mine.

given the choice of buying your car the way it was when you bought it, or paying a bit more for what you have now, you would buy what you have now. thats what i am showing the insurance co.

they cant hand me a car with a blown motor and say here is a car just like the one you had. so it goes they cant take a car on its deathbed and say go drive this till it dies then do all the work over again - out of your pocket. there has to be a happy median.

OriginalSterm

Take that car, set it on fire, claim the insurance again telling them it was a lemon they bought for you and they have to replace it again with another "substantially similar" car. In the end, they can either continue to buy you lemons that add up to way more than what you are looking for, or give in to you. (if they don't drop you before then...)

Keep fighting to you get a "reasonable" $ amount out of them.

Tom R.

Sterm,
That is brilliant!

from the description the wholesaler that had it told me, i wouldn't have to wait long for it to set itself on fire. I didnt ask about the condition of the fuel rails.

I showed my spreadsheet/appraisal to a co-worker. He also analyzes valuations a lot, and came back busting my chops about the fact that the cars i took from the classifieds came in about $1000 higher than the cars I took from actual sales. the actual sales came in with a 10% range, which is statistically fair, and the car that came in the highest - about 20% higher than the others was the dog the wholesaler had that was used as a comparable. That confirms the age old saying that it is always cheaper to buy a good car than a rat and fix it up.

He then reviewed the prices i used for adjustments, and how i pro rated things. he was sure i made up the numbers until i showed him my receipts. Damned if my appraisal isnt an accurate computation. I will post it here when all is done along with the letter in case anyone else needs it in the future.

AndyK

With all the lame 944s for sale out there, don't you wanna RUN right out and buy one!?

Tom R.

yeah, especially the POS that ended up at a wholesaler in great neck. im surprised the guy answered the phone on saturday. then again i shouldnt have been calling on saturday either.

AndyK

With most other cars, you can buy a beat up car, fix it up, and get it running great. With a 944--you buy a beat up car, you may get a car that has over-heated, been abused, etc. THEN you are in for some serious money out-flows!!

Your Camaro engine is bullet-proof! Timing belt, shmyming-belt! Our cars are expensive sports cars hidden in an older car shell!

I realize I'm preachin to the choir here...

Tom R.

it doesnt matter what brand it is, it is cheaper in the long run to pay more up front for the car that was maintained and not abused. thats why i overpaid a good 1500 or more for the camaro.

but then again where am i gonna find a mint car with 32k miles for under 10k. forget about the suspension mods and chip crap. just find the low mileage mint car. so maybe i didnt overpay that much - until it gets stolen or wrecked. but at least i cant loose more than i paid for it.

Tom R.

correction to what i posted earlier. just looked at my numbers.

the actual sales (andy, pete, and noah) are in a $500 range. the classifieds are in a $1500 range.

thats a less than 10% range for the classifieds, and about a 3% range for the actual sales. lets see how they respond to those #s

AndyK

Any idea how long it will take them for a counter offer??

Tom R.

i faxed it to the adjuster first thing monday morning. she told me she is off thursday - tuesday. i wished her a happy holiday and agreed wait till she gets back! whats my rush? i bought the camaro with my home equity, currently 4% a year, tax deductible, and less than their first offer. so if they take a year it should cost me about $250 in interest!

Ben Z.

Tom, sorry about the S2. Here's a slightly OT question: My little brother goes to school near Great Neck (king's point) and we were recently talking and I was pumped when he told me that he was thinking about buying an S2 cab (not for a year or so) and keeping it at school with him. Question is how bad is crime around there anyways? Wouldn't want him to end up in the same situation as you.

Thanks!

Tom R.

the kings point academy is next door to million dollar plus homes. i work with the deans wife. crime is low. my car was parked at a train station next to new lexus, bmw, and cherokees.