Jessa

No human injuries, but my poor car isn't as lucky. The front impacted the other vehicle's side almost square on. However, this vehicle was moving at the time, so although the superficial damage looks like a minor head-on, the frame has twisted to one side a small amount. My car is on its way to a shop who can say just how bad this is, and if its possible to make things right again.

Insurance felt that even the superficial body damage was going to cost $$$ to fix, and now they know its worse, my claim has been sent to the totalling dept. They low-balled on the initial offer, big time!

Now, I know blue book or whatever is low on 928s, but my car really is going to cost far more to replace with something comparable. The paint/exterior looked almost new. I had replaced many major mechanical parts and had a car that was very reliable and looking forward to many more years of little more than routine maintainence. The interior wasn't perfect, but it certainly wasn't trashed, either. Its a 5-speed.

I took a quick look at ads on craig's and autotrader to see what's out there. There were some rough cars from $3k to $5k that I'd have to dump at least $10k into to get them where my baby was. And most of them were autos. I don't want an automatic, it is not that same to me at all. Then, there are those late-model pristine S4s and GTSs going for $20k+. I can't see possibly being "made whole" for anywhere near what was offered.

sublimate

That sucks!

Shane

So sorry to hear this!!

Izzy

Was it your fault? If the other parties insurance company is taking care of it, there are laws in a few states that state that if you want the car repaired, they have to pay for that bill instead of totalling it. What happens if you have a '67 mustang bought for $100 but fully restored? The car still has a value of nothing, the insurance company HAS to pay for repairs if you specify.

Jessa

Its not my fault. I'm dealing w/ the other guy's insurance. Anyone know if CA is one of those states? That sounds like a damn good law.

Jim M.

Hi Jessa,

I feel for you because I've BTDT! I had an 89 GT that got totaled. The insurance company immediatly totaled it (and I couldn't disagree). Fortunatly I had reciepts for every penny I had put into the car. Because it was a GT and considered rare I got what I felt was a very fair amount for it. Don't settle for their first offer. Send them copies of all of your reciepts, documentation on how rare the car is and how much work you put into it. Hard copies of similiar cars selling on E-Bay and other areas. Don't just send links, because they go away over time. Tell the agent that you want to talk to his/her supervisor. I got good results when the agent screwed up and tried to deduct value because it had a CD player instead of a cassette and because it was a 5 speed instead of an automatic. That's when I (actually my wife) got mad and told the dumb SOB that he didn't know what he was talking about and insisted on talking to his supervisor's supervisor! Also, most insurance companies don't use the Bluebook; they subscribe to a service (CCC) that’s often lower! This site provides info on common insurance company practices and offers suggestions about what to do. URL:http://www.insure.com/auto/collision/totalloss.html The whole process took over 60 days so don't get discouraged or give up. Be reasonable but persistant.

Jim Mayzurk
Now with a 93 GTS 5-spd

Good Luck

Big Dave

Sorry to hear about your loss.

If there's anything we can do to help, let us know.

perrys4

Might be a good wake up call for the rest of us to try and insure our cars for a set value. My buddy has his mustangs insured for a replacement value. Makes perfect sense with the books being so low and costs for good cars being high.

SharkSkin

Wow Jessa... that sucks! If there is a clear finding of fault on the part of the other driver, then AFAIK the burden on them/their ins. is to make it as if the accident never happened. Be very careful what you say, and even more careful what you sign!

BC

That is a good suggestion Perry, but you have to remember that in most of these situations, the 928 owner's insurance has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CLAIM. They can fight for you if you ask, but thats a claim on YOUR record (Not at fault). The other insurance company does as they see fit within the parameters of the state law. Agree upon value will do nothing for you.

1981 Shark

Ditto on all previous responses; that really stinks.

Since it wasn't your fault, keep mentioning the word "indemnify" to the other guy's insurance representative. Worst case, it'll increase his "pucker factor" and best case, along with your documentation, it'll make him realize you're not going to accept his first offer; or any offer for that matter, until it's reasonable. As I'm sure you're aware, there are other areas in which insurance companies have some latitude on your indemnification and this may get you close(er) to what it will accept. Good luck!
David

P.S. I'm with you on the 5-speed...

docmirror

The website ref in post #6 is an excellent source of info on how to win with the insurance companies. Win is a relative term, but it will tell you what they are trying to do to minimize their exposure. No hard feelings, but to an insurance company it is just all numbers. How little can we pay out, and still not get sued. They truely don't care if it's a perfect condition 1934 Duesenburg SJ, it's just a claim to them.

Your job, should you choose to accept it is to make them feel the financial pain of not doing the right thing. I wouldn't give them a bunch of sob about your 928-this, and 928-that, it's gonna be white noise. Although to us this is a major catastophe, it's not even on the insurance company radar.

Use written estimates of the actual cash value, and redeemable cash value of repairs and improvements. Ex: If you put on new motor mounts, it doesn't show on the vehicle, but the comparable cost of doing that to a replacement car is $1200. Your's is a 5 speed, so make sure that they understand the financial differences in that rare and desirable option. It might be useful to find some comps, and then the parts+labor to make a purchased car an actual 'comparable' value to what you lost.

This is going to take time. Insurance companies are always quick to settle for a minimal amount, and many claimants just get so frustrated that they grab the check and get it over with. fighting them takes man-hours, emotional stress, and probably some outside costs from a professional appraiser. I wish your car could be saved, but if the frame is tweaked, getting it fixed perfect - and I mean absolutely perfect is costly as well. I had a frame straightened years ago in San Diego and the shop took two tries, and it was still about 1/16" out of square when they were done. Nowadays, they have CNC and laser measuring to get things dead-on.

Good luck,

Doc

Mark

Jessa - That really sucks.

If the ins. co gives youu any crap- I am sure there are a couple of Attorney types on here that would be HAPPY to send a letter or two to the insurance folks. They do NOT want to get into a legal battle. It also show that you are serious and not going to 'settle' or get pushed around!

PS - Isn't your neck starting to hurt some? That could be worth another $10-20k! LOL

bigs

Please say the accident didn't happen today. Not on 9-28!

Nicole

I'm shocked and have set my 928 flag to half mast on this September 28. I'm glad you ware unhurt in the accident - as Heinrich would say, the car gave its life to protect yours. But it's sad to see your car go. Hope you can sort things out with the insurance, and won't become a stranger to our community.

Do you have any pictures of how bad the damage is? You might be able to buy the car back from the insurance and sell the parts to help finance a successor. The vultures will soon be circling over your compound...