docwyte

I hope I'm wrong...

azbanks

What matters is the condition, miles, equipment, and options of my car and my ability to get back into a comparable car.

I am in absolutely no rush. I will not accept an offer that does not get me back into a comparable car(that is exactly what I told the Nationwide rep on the phone this after noon).

The only comparable car I can find now is listed at $15,800. If they want me to settle, I need a check for $15,800 plus shipping, etc.

If they dick around and this car is gone, I may need a bigger check to cover a different comparable car.

ramius665

Exactly! Our 951 sat for 2 months while the insurance dicked around with whether or not to declare the car a total loss. I'd highly recommend buying your old car back and attempting to salvage whatever you can or at least helping it move to another lister than can use it. My buyback was ridiculously low ($1500 IIRC) so getting her back home was a no-brainer. I haven't talked to anyone that has/had classic car insurance on their car at the time of a wreck but I would assume it's an easier process.

azbanks

They've set my buy back at $830 so I'd be a fool not to buy it back.



If I can't make more than $830 for the parts I don't swap into a new 951, I should be put in a home for the mentally incompetent.

kevincnc

I hope so too. I also hope that insurance adjusters aren't smart enough to search the Internet, find threads like this, and be influenced by (other) owners who downgrade the value. In case any insurance adjusters do come across this thread, Porsches with Corvette engines are pretty much worthless

azbanks

RL is really going down hill. You guys are getting sloppy in your old age. Several days and several pages and not one of you posted the obligatory,

"that will buff right out".

What is wrong with you guys. Get it together.

azbanks

I faxed them over 6000 dollars in receipts.

This is what they responded with:


Nationwide Retained

ACV = $9,541.00
Additional Considerations +
UPD Amount =
UPD Applied -
Subtotal ACV = $9,541.00
Sales Tax 9.30% + $887.31
Tag/Title Fee + $13.50
Total Tax/Title Fee = $900.81
Subtotal = $10,441.81
Deductible - $0.00
Net Settlement = $10,441.81

Owner Retain

ACV = $9,541.00
Additional Considerations + $0.00
UPD Amount = $0.00
UPD Applied - $0.00
Subtotal ACV = $9,541.00
Sales Tax 9.30% + $887.31
Tag/Title Fee + $13.50
Subtotal = $10,441.81
Deductible - $0.00
Salvage - $830.00
Net Settlement = $9,611.81


A $1400 bump?!?!?!?!?!?!? If I did drugs, I'd want some of what they are smoking.

If you melt sand, it essentially turns to glass. I bet if you pound glass long enough with a hard object it will turn back into sand. I'm trying to find a way to politely tell them to go find a big box of broken glass and go pound it right up their own rectal cavity as possible

azbanks

Here is my response:

Hi Scumbag(Ok, I used his real name here but I was thinking "scumbag"),

This offer is still not even close to the amount it will take to get me into a vehicle that is anywhere close to being comparable to the car I have. In addition, I faxed you receipts for over $6000 dollars in parts that were installed on my car less than a month before your insured destroyed it and you raise your offer by around $1500. LOL!
I haven't even sent you the receipts for the block, head, crank, pistons, and transmission yet.


One point where we could be off is your opinion of the miles you are attributing to my car. The miles listed on the dash do not tell an accurate story about the vehicle's true condition. The dash is correct for the overall vehicle but does not reflect the nature of the entire drive train.

There are no original parts in the drive train. Everything from the air filter to the tail pipe is replaced, new, and upgraded. The engine, intake, and exhaust, it all has less than 2000 miles on it. Here is a list of the things that have less than 2000 miles on them.

The fuel filter is new.
The air metering system is new, upgraded and custom painted.
The engine control computer is replaced, upgraded, and has a new, upgraded chip. This is a new technology upgrade that didn't even exist 12 months ago. 2011 technology in my 1986 car.
The Turbo is replaced, upgraded, and rebuilt.
The turbo boost controller is new and upgraded.
An air/fuel meter and gauge has been added. This is a new upgrade that did not exist from the factory and allows for better monitoring of the engine combustion.
The intercooler pipes are new, upgraded and custom painted.
The throttlebody is replaced and rebuilt.
The intake manifold is rebuilt and custom painted.
The intake manifold bolts are new.
The fuel injectors are new and upgraded.
The cylinder head is replaced and rebuilt.
The cylinder head gasket is new and upgraded.
The cylinder head nuts and washers are new.
The cam is replaced.
The valve lifters are replaced.
The cam tower box is replaced, rebuilt and custom painted.
The cam gear cover is replaced and custom painted.
The pistons are new and high performance coated.
The piston rings are new and upgraded.
The piston connecting rods are replaced and resized.
The piston connecting rod bolts are new and upgraded.
The crank shaft is replaced and custom polished.
The engine block is replaced and the cylinder bores are specially honed by a specialty shop in Washington state. There are about a half dozen shops in the whole country who have the correct equipment to properly hone 944 turbo engine blocks. None are in Phoenix
All engine crank and rod bearings are new.
The crank bolts are new.
All of the engine seals and gaskets are new. (there are a lot of them)
The oil pickup and drain tubes are new.
The oil pan is replaced.
The oil pan gasket is new and has gasket retaining brackets that were never on the factory cars and is a big upgrade.
The oil pump is replaced and rebuilt.
The water pump is new.
The timing and balance shaft belts are new and upgraded to kevlar.
All belt rollers are new.
The alternator is new and upgraded.
The alternator belt is new.
All of the coolant hoses are new and upgraded.(there are a lot of them)
All of the vacuum lines are new and upgraded.(there are a lot of them)
All of the bolts holding the engine together are new and most are upgraded.(there are a lot of them)
The exhaust headers are new, upgraded, and ceramic coated.
The turbo downpipe is replaced and upgraded.
The diverter valve is new.
The entire exhaust system is replaced and upgraded.
The catalytic converter is new and upgraded.
The muffler is replaced and upgraded.
The exhaust tip is new and upgraded.
The clamps for all the hoses and intercooler pipes are new and upgraded.
A new coolant vent system was added to the cylinder head. This is an upgrade that never existed from the factory.
The crankcase vent hoses are new and upgraded.
The battery cables are new and upgraded.
The headlights are new and upgraded. They are so advanced that a whole new wiring harness and relay assembly was created and installed just to support the power requirements of the new headlights.
A new additional, upgraded oil cooler was installed to protect the engine in the Arizona heat.
The air conditioning hard lines were replaced.
The engine mounts are new and upgraded.
The steering rack is replaced and upgraded.
The tie rod ends are new.
The front sway bar bushings are new.
The camber blocks(front suspension mounts) are new and upgraded.
The clutch and pressure plate are new and upgraded.
The flywheel is resurfaced.
All clutch hardware is new including all bolts(there are a lot of them) and the pilot bearing.
The transmission is replaced and upgraded(and now broken due to the accident. It will take a major and expensive repair to make it usable again)
The CV joints and axles are new.
The CV bolts are new.
The transmission mount is new and upgraded.
The rear seat belts are replaced and upgraded.
The outer doorhandles are new and upgraded.
The steering wheel is new and upgraded.


I'm sure I am forgetting a few things that should be on this list.

Everything on this list was installed in September and October of this year. The car was finished and running for less than a month when your insured collided with my car.

Find me ANY other 944 Turbo anywhere in the country that has less than 2000 miles on a brand new, upgraded drive train. You won't be able to find one.
My car is mechanically a brand new car and I have the documentation and receipts to prove it.

The numbers you are providing need to be adjusted to reflect the true replacement costs of my car. We are dealing with a sub-2000 mile, highly upgraded, specialty automobile. You won't be able to find a truly comparable vehicle unless you have it specially built at huge expense by very specialized craftsmen.

I understand that there is no way I can get back what I lost. I may be able to get somewhat close but I will still have to reinvest some of the hundreds of hours I spent getting my car to the place it was before it was destroyed by your insured.

My car sat for several months as I collected all the parts to build it up correctly. In September, I worked with one of the most experienced 944 Turbo engine builders on earth to put my engine together and put it in the car. I then spent most of the first two weeks in October putting all other parts on and the finishing touches on my car. There were multiple nights in those two weeks where I was up until 3 or 4 in the morning working on my car.

My car did not run for months as the parts and project came together. I waited months for my car to be right then and I can wait months for it to be right now. You need to understand that I will NEVER accept a settlement that does not get me back as close to what I lost as possible.

I have a close friend who got the run around from an insurance company on his specialty automobile. They kept trying to avoid their responsibility to get him a settlement that would put him back in a comparable automobile. After seven months he finally got exactly what he had been demanding all along.
I hope this does not take seven months or longer but I will go as long as it takes to get a proper settlement.


Best Regards,

Eric

333pg333

I really hope this works out for you Eric but I'd be surprised if that impressive list means jack **** to these guys. I assume they just work off a market valuers book price. I sincerely hope I'm wrong. Life just needs to be fairer sometimes. Best of luck.

azbanks

I'm emotionally invested in the car but not in this process. It's all business and I know that. the biggest thing is that I know that I don't have to accept any offer. Got me a Porsha had to fight for seven months to get a proper settlement for his car. I hope it doesn't take that long but I am sincere when I say I will fight it out that long or longer if I have too. They can pay me now or pay me later with a huge rental car bill to go with it. If we reach a point where they will not go any higher and the number is still not acceptable to me, I will take them to court.

They may not care about that list but I bet I can get a jury to care about it especially when I bring in my whole neighborhood and put them on the stand one by one to explain how many hours I put into this thing. I've got great neighbors and they saw the time I put into this and spent many hours talking to me and helping me while I worked. It was almost a group project. Some of them are almost as emotionally invested in my car as I am.

An insurance company may not give much value to thousands of dollars of receipts but I'm betting most normal people would and would not mind sticking it to an insurance company that tries to be a dick about not covering the real value of a car.

I'm not trying to get rich or make a killing on this, I just want to be back in a comparable car. I bet I could get a jury to see that if I had too.

I'll start breaking out the Rennsport Reunion pics of my kids if I have too to show the jury the significance of this car and what it means to my boys and I.

They can pay me now or pay me later with rental car costs and court fees but the WILL pay me!

racerxrick

I guess I've had blinders on and just read about your loss....it saddens me to hear this AZ. My condolences! Now..fight the good fight!

reno808

And this is why you get your car insured from a vintage auto insurance ex Hagerty.

Sorry to hear this

ramius665

I've heard of folks having issues with classic car insurance too, but it's generally a much easier process.

racerxrick

I have a stated value policy with them...

docwyte

Kevincnc, LOL! Don't be a hater because my car makes reliable, huge hp/torque numbers on street gas and doesn't blow apart into a million pieces during a track day.

AZ, I really hope you're able to beat these guys up, but they're most likely going off book value. That's why I'm about to insure my car with Hagerty. Your best bet is showing them the prices of other 951's on the market. Check out Panorama as well.