The Total Loss Experience
01-14-2008, 09:21 PM
#1
Instructor
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Amelia Island, Florida
Posts: 202
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The Total Loss Experience
Well, my 993 was totaled last month. December 20th to be exact, around 2 o’clock, on the way to visit Andreas. A young lady, 23, decided that she was “in a hurry” (that’s from the police report) and decided that the STOP SIGN was just a suggestion. So, the slow motion, hood into her door, explosion of air bags, smoke and stink from the air bags, sitting in the car on the side of the road, death grip on the steering wheel, wondering what’s broken, thing happened. Was I pissed!
Keep in mind I had driven home from a Mark Nadler top end, 461 miles of New England Interstate, 6 days prior.
Next day I get the call from State Farm, the Body Shop estimate exceeds $28,000 and that does not include mechanical repair. We are prepared to offer you $26,850 plus Maryland sales tax. And so the game begins! Have you heard of Low-Ball?
I faxed 21 pages of receipts, and prepared a spreadsheet of comparable cars located on the east coast. Finally, we arrived at what I believed to be a fair price. Then I decided to repeat the process with the Porsche Killer’s insurance company, USAA. They were great! A far more realistic view of 993 values. I have since settled for the Total Loss with USAA.
Meanwhile, I jumped on Rennlist and PCA to see what was available. The Florida Crown Region lists a 97 993 in white. YES! I contact the owner and he can’t believe it- just traded it to BRUMOS the day before. He gives me a forthright and detailed accounting of the car, exactly what I was looking for, and the salesman’s name. Now remember, I am one of those guys who wouldn’t consider purchasing from a dealer in a million years so… I call BRUMOS and speak with Roger Edmondson. I cannot say enough about Roger. He did everything humanly possible to help me know all I could about this car. Faxes of all the service invoices, photos from every angle, emails answering all my crazy questions, and this is the best part, he worked with me on the price. I feel I got an excellent deal. My wife and I fly down to Jacksonville early morning New Years Eve. Stan from Brumos picks us up in a Cayenne. Next thing you know the 993 is up on the lift, with Roger and a mechanic patiently helping me go through my checklist - - took forever. The Parts Dept. Manager comes out to help with little odds and ends. Test drive all over the place! Meet with Ray Shaffer, sales manager who reviews the service they did to make it BRUMOS-worthy. It is. And then it’s off to Amelia Island for the evening. Did I mention they gave me a full tank of gas? Hurley Haywood test-drove my car - at least that’s what the sticker said. BRUMOS PORSCHE is really something!
Just ordered a ROW 030 suspension from Bob. Second one in 2 years. I know a lot of us go Sunset but Bob and his knowledge base are hard to beat. Doing the bushes from Chris as well. Not completely sure but I may even have the thumbs up from Andreas.
That’s my story. Be prepared to go the distance with the insurance if this happens to you. Save all of those receipts. Remember that in most states you should be reimbursed for sales tax and titling fees. You have the right to go to arbitration. And get another one as soon as you find it!
Neil
Keep in mind I had driven home from a Mark Nadler top end, 461 miles of New England Interstate, 6 days prior.
Next day I get the call from State Farm, the Body Shop estimate exceeds $28,000 and that does not include mechanical repair. We are prepared to offer you $26,850 plus Maryland sales tax. And so the game begins! Have you heard of Low-Ball?
I faxed 21 pages of receipts, and prepared a spreadsheet of comparable cars located on the east coast. Finally, we arrived at what I believed to be a fair price. Then I decided to repeat the process with the Porsche Killer’s insurance company, USAA. They were great! A far more realistic view of 993 values. I have since settled for the Total Loss with USAA.
Meanwhile, I jumped on Rennlist and PCA to see what was available. The Florida Crown Region lists a 97 993 in white. YES! I contact the owner and he can’t believe it- just traded it to BRUMOS the day before. He gives me a forthright and detailed accounting of the car, exactly what I was looking for, and the salesman’s name. Now remember, I am one of those guys who wouldn’t consider purchasing from a dealer in a million years so… I call BRUMOS and speak with Roger Edmondson. I cannot say enough about Roger. He did everything humanly possible to help me know all I could about this car. Faxes of all the service invoices, photos from every angle, emails answering all my crazy questions, and this is the best part, he worked with me on the price. I feel I got an excellent deal. My wife and I fly down to Jacksonville early morning New Years Eve. Stan from Brumos picks us up in a Cayenne. Next thing you know the 993 is up on the lift, with Roger and a mechanic patiently helping me go through my checklist - - took forever. The Parts Dept. Manager comes out to help with little odds and ends. Test drive all over the place! Meet with Ray Shaffer, sales manager who reviews the service they did to make it BRUMOS-worthy. It is. And then it’s off to Amelia Island for the evening. Did I mention they gave me a full tank of gas? Hurley Haywood test-drove my car - at least that’s what the sticker said. BRUMOS PORSCHE is really something!
Just ordered a ROW 030 suspension from Bob. Second one in 2 years. I know a lot of us go Sunset but Bob and his knowledge base are hard to beat. Doing the bushes from Chris as well. Not completely sure but I may even have the thumbs up from Andreas.
That’s my story. Be prepared to go the distance with the insurance if this happens to you. Save all of those receipts. Remember that in most states you should be reimbursed for sales tax and titling fees. You have the right to go to arbitration. And get another one as soon as you find it!
Neil
01-14-2008, 09:32 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Well, my 993 was totaled last month. December 20th to be exact, around 2 o’clock, on the way to visit Andreas. A young lady, 23, decided that she was “in a hurry” (that’s from the police report) and decided that the STOP SIGN was just a suggestion. So, the slow motion, hood into her door, explosion of air bags, smoke and stink from the air bags, sitting in the car on the side of the road, death grip on the steering wheel, wondering what’s broken, thing happened. Was I pissed!
Keep in mind I had driven home from a Mark Nadler top end, 461 miles of New England Interstate, 6 days prior.
Next day I get the call from State Farm, the Body Shop estimate exceeds $28,000 and that does not include mechanical repair. We are prepared to offer you $26,850 plus Maryland sales tax. And so the game begins! Have you heard of Low-Ball?
I faxed 21 pages of receipts, and prepared a spreadsheet of comparable cars located on the east coast. Finally, we arrived at what I believed to be a fair price. Then I decided to repeat the process with the Porsche Killer’s insurance company, USAA. They were great! A far more realistic view of 993 values. I have since settled for the Total Loss with USAA.
Meanwhile, I jumped on Rennlist and PCA to see what was available. The Florida Crown Region lists a 97 993 in white. YES! I contact the owner and he can’t believe it- just traded it to BRUMOS the day before. He gives me a forthright and detailed accounting of the car, exactly what I was looking for, and the salesman’s name. Now remember, I am one of those guys who wouldn’t consider purchasing from a dealer in a million years so… I call BRUMOS and speak with Roger Edmondson. I cannot say enough about Roger. He did everything humanly possible to help me know all I could about this car. Faxes of all the service invoices, photos from every angle, emails answering all my crazy questions, and this is the best part, he worked with me on the price. I feel I got an excellent deal. My wife and I fly down to Jacksonville early morning New Years Eve. Stan from Brumos picks us up in a Cayenne. Next thing you know the 993 is up on the lift, with Roger and a mechanic patiently helping me go through my checklist - - took forever. The Parts Dept. Manager comes out to help with little odds and ends. Test drive all over the place! Meet with Ray Shaffer, sales manager who reviews the service they did to make it BRUMOS-worthy. It is. And then it’s off to Amelia Island for the evening. Did I mention they gave me a full tank of gas? Hurley Haywood test-drove my car - at least that’s what the sticker said. BRUMOS PORSCHE is really something!
Just ordered a ROW 030 suspension from Bob. Second one in 2 years. I know a lot of us go Sunset but Bob and his knowledge base are hard to beat. Doing the bushes from Chris as well. Not completely sure but I may even have the thumbs up from Andreas.
That’s my story. Be prepared to go the distance with the insurance if this happens to you. Save all of those receipts. Remember that in most states you should be reimbursed for sales tax and titling fees. You have the right to go to arbitration. And get another one as soon as you find it!
Neil
Keep in mind I had driven home from a Mark Nadler top end, 461 miles of New England Interstate, 6 days prior.
Next day I get the call from State Farm, the Body Shop estimate exceeds $28,000 and that does not include mechanical repair. We are prepared to offer you $26,850 plus Maryland sales tax. And so the game begins! Have you heard of Low-Ball?
I faxed 21 pages of receipts, and prepared a spreadsheet of comparable cars located on the east coast. Finally, we arrived at what I believed to be a fair price. Then I decided to repeat the process with the Porsche Killer’s insurance company, USAA. They were great! A far more realistic view of 993 values. I have since settled for the Total Loss with USAA.
Meanwhile, I jumped on Rennlist and PCA to see what was available. The Florida Crown Region lists a 97 993 in white. YES! I contact the owner and he can’t believe it- just traded it to BRUMOS the day before. He gives me a forthright and detailed accounting of the car, exactly what I was looking for, and the salesman’s name. Now remember, I am one of those guys who wouldn’t consider purchasing from a dealer in a million years so… I call BRUMOS and speak with Roger Edmondson. I cannot say enough about Roger. He did everything humanly possible to help me know all I could about this car. Faxes of all the service invoices, photos from every angle, emails answering all my crazy questions, and this is the best part, he worked with me on the price. I feel I got an excellent deal. My wife and I fly down to Jacksonville early morning New Years Eve. Stan from Brumos picks us up in a Cayenne. Next thing you know the 993 is up on the lift, with Roger and a mechanic patiently helping me go through my checklist - - took forever. The Parts Dept. Manager comes out to help with little odds and ends. Test drive all over the place! Meet with Ray Shaffer, sales manager who reviews the service they did to make it BRUMOS-worthy. It is. And then it’s off to Amelia Island for the evening. Did I mention they gave me a full tank of gas? Hurley Haywood test-drove my car - at least that’s what the sticker said. BRUMOS PORSCHE is really something!
Just ordered a ROW 030 suspension from Bob. Second one in 2 years. I know a lot of us go Sunset but Bob and his knowledge base are hard to beat. Doing the bushes from Chris as well. Not completely sure but I may even have the thumbs up from Andreas.
That’s my story. Be prepared to go the distance with the insurance if this happens to you. Save all of those receipts. Remember that in most states you should be reimbursed for sales tax and titling fees. You have the right to go to arbitration. And get another one as soon as you find it!
Neil
01-14-2008, 09:41 PM
#3
Instructor
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Livin' in Austin
Posts: 208
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I dealt with State Farm a couple of years ago on my totaled 964. They initially low-balled me, but quickly agreed to have an independent appraiser come out and appraise the car. I was satisfied with the result. State Farm was very easy to deal with. The claims adjuster told me that the initial quote was not realistic for Porsches, because they are exotic vehicles. The quote was from a service that works better for non-modified, run of the mill type vehicles (i.e., Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc.).
01-14-2008, 09:55 PM
#5
Burning Brakes
Hard to believe that is totaled. Just doesn't look like much from the photo. Must have been a very scary experience. Good that you are unhurt and congrats on the new 993
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01-14-2008, 10:11 PM
#8
Glad you didn't get hurt and congrats on the new ride.
01-14-2008, 10:58 PM
#9
Drifting
Sorry to hear of your incident! That's hardly totalled!
I just looked at a Silver/Black C4S here at a local repair shop that is being rebuilt that has damage at each quarter section as well as the roof, and both fenders replaced. This car should have most definitely been totalled but shockingly wasn't.
I just looked at a Silver/Black C4S here at a local repair shop that is being rebuilt that has damage at each quarter section as well as the roof, and both fenders replaced. This car should have most definitely been totalled but shockingly wasn't.
01-14-2008, 11:39 PM
#11
Seared
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
In this case, I think it's in the details. When I met Neil at The Scene, it was apparent that the car had sustained far more damage than just a pushed-in nose. The sunroof was popped out of its cavity, the doors were misaligned, the plastic panels under the front of the tub were buckled, etc. It was a very sad sight to see, considering the amount of work Neil put into the car.
The replacement 993 is very nice though!
Andreas
The replacement 993 is very nice though!
Andreas
01-14-2008, 11:43 PM
#12
Three Wheelin'
Sucks to read about the accident but you walked away from it and thats the most important part. I've had USAA for years and have had nothing but good experiences when I've needed them. I even got a check from them for an annual dividend/refund just a couple weeks ago. No affiliation yadda yadda! Best of luck with the new ride!
