Dinsdale Piranha

A few hours ago, my wife Debbie was in a car accident. Her 86.5 928 with 49K miles was totaled. We need to establish a value in preparation for a battle with the ticketed drivers insurance company and we need to start shopping for a new 928 for her as this was her baby and her daily driver. My V-12 car is not an option for her as it tends to wiggle too much, that's what she said. Any help is appreciated, we are grateful . Here are pics of her car.

James Bailey

Please edit your post....she SEEMS OK. You want to keep the medical part open !!! also DEMAND a suitable rental car at the expense of the other guys insurance... by keeping both options open you have far more leverage. Every day they delay and argue it costs them money and the potential for medical issues will make them wish to settle more quickly. Have your wife see her doctor because she will be sore and you want to establish that fact...

and most important is that the 928 saved her from more serious injury.

77tony

Dins, As long as Deb is AOK the rest is inconsequential. The insurance companies will make contact with one another regarding claim. Best to Deb. T&T

SteveG

Glad no one was hurt seriously.

"Pirahana Bros Garage" and you need advise from us?

86.5 low mileage is worth saving, if frame is straight. But you seem to indicate time is of the essence so I'm not sure what we can offer. Lots of insurance threads here with people that work in the business.

Get a lawyer, buy her a cheap DD and buy this car from the insurance company and fix it, esp. if you have a garage with Pirahanas in it. Don't let them wear you down -- Easy for me to say.

And good luck.

Richard S

That should buff right out....

Ok, now that that is out of the way, sorry to hear about her accident and hope she can have a speedy physical recovery.

And good luck with the insurance fight to come.

Rich

The Forgotten On

It's great news that your wife wasn't seriously injured.

But do have her looked over at the hospital in case of any unseen injury were to occur, her welfare comes first and foremost.

Also have her checked so you have it on record with the insurance company as stated above.

Now for her baby

Porsche has procedures outlined in the shop manuals I believe for replacing parts of the frame that are damaged. Which in your case is practically the whole front clip.

I'm sure you could get the parts used, take it to a frame straightening expert with one of those frame straightening racks and have the car back on the road at some point. It was done with the coke racer.

Whatever the outcome, I'm glad Debbie is safe.

Mrmerlin

wow its good that your wife is not hurt,
the machine can be replaced.
Good luck on your settlement.

GregBBRD

That's a serious amount of damage for a 928....happy that your wife is fine!

The Deputy

Glad your wife was okay.

Good luck, with the rest of the ordeal.

Brian.

NoVector

I’m sure right now your wife feels like her upper body and neck have been beaten with a bat. But definitely make sure she’s checked out. I was in wreck many years ago and just a routine x-ray after the accident showed two cracked vertebrae in my neck. Had that not been discovered, I could easily be in a wheel chair now… or worse. Not trying to fear monger, just saying don’t take trauma like that for granted.

FredR

Indeed that is quite a severe hit, so do focus lot s of attention on nearest and dearest to ensure no deeper trauma is lurking and not yet felt.

On the mechanical side repairs of this nature sad to say tend to be very labour intensive [i.e. costly] and as you intimate, a write off is the most likely outcome given residual values unless you can make a strong case for collectability value[low mileage?].

Losing a cherished car like this in this manner is a gut wrenching experience and I still lament the loss of my S4 albeit the motor lives on in my current GTS chassis.

Best wishes to your better half - doubtless plenty of good advice available on the list as to how best to optimise your compensation for this sad loss.

Rgds

Fred R

linderpat

Dins, thank goodness it was not worse than it APPEARS TO BE right now (Mr. Bailey knows more than just cars; just sayin')

As to the value question, here is what I think. I looked at 3 sources. A general perusal of things like ebay, craigslist, etc, for the "ask". Next, two credible appraisal sources - the Sports Car Market (SCM) Pocket Price Guide, and the Hagerty valuation tool. The 2 valuation tools tend to lag the actual market however, so I would add a % bump to their estimates.

Under the SCM guide for 2015, the low value is $9000 and the high is $12,000; for 2016 (1st Q) the high jumped to $19,000, but shows a negative adjustment factor; the low remained the same. Even with the negative adjustment factor, SCM is still showing a significant bump up in value from the prior year for the 85/86 models. In their magazine, they are becoming bullish on the 928.

As to Hagerty, a #1 condition car (Concours) is showing a $38,300 value. A #2 is at $22,000; and a "good" condition is at $12,700. Hagerty shows a slight bump in value over the past 9 to 12 months for the #1 and #2 cars. Your wife's car may be at a #2- level? Hard to say without knowing more about options, interior condition, etc. I assume the service was well up on it considering who her husband is

In addition to the above, the asks are all over the place, as some folks are starting to realize that the value is now, finally catching on for the 928. "Ask" is very condition dependent too.

A couple of other things to toss into the "black box" of value. First, color matters, and yes, red is one of the more desirable ones for a Porsche of any model. Also, I would add a premium for an 86.5 - I think they are more valuable - old body style, with S4 suspension and brake upgrades. Last, clearly add a premium for 5 speed as well, since by the mid-80s, most were Roger boxes.

I'd say a good condition, lower miles auto box car like your wife's (without seeing interior shots or knowing options) would be a solid $16K to $22K car for insurance purposes (higher if good interior, extra options, etc).

hlee96

Sorry for the accident. It must have been quite an impact for your wife and hopefully, she will recover both physically and mentally from the ordeal.

Being a newbie, I cannot give any helpful advice to insurance and car's mechanical adjustments; however, as with others, I would recommend her to go to the ER if any aches and pain begin to occur (probably now ~12 hrs after accident). Being on the other side seeing those patients, I always tend to get xrays for painful injuries following MVCs due to knowing insurance companies and/or lawyers would want everything on records, even if examinations rule out broken bones.

Anyhow, good luck through the red tape of insurance companies and best wishes to Debbie's health.

Adk46

I think it's helpful to remember that the driver of the other car is the party liable for damages. Do not hesitate to involve him personally in whatever negotiations are required. If you make the driver feel anxious about the way his company is handling matters, there will be two parties making a stink with them, since he's hired them to shield him from liability. If his coverage was inadequate, he is on the hook for the uncovered loss - you need to find out if this is the case.

You can hire an attorney, but I believe there are less expensive people - "a claims representative", or something like that. I vaguely recall my father (an attorney himself) hiring one long ago, with a result so good he was a little embarrassed about it. You can also involve your own insurance company, who is on the hook (if you have comprehensive coverage) for a loss not fully covered otherwise. In fact, your policy probably requires that you involve them immediately. You'd then have three parties pressuring the driver's insurance company to make a fair settlement.

This is a layman's advice, so the usual caveats apply. Good luck. Everything will probably go well.

Daniel5691

So sorry to see this, but I join everyone in being so relieved that your wife is OK.
It does truly happen so fast...

Dan