wross996tt

that s*cks! what a beautiful TT cab....sorry to hear this. Best of luck getting it back to new.

Craig911

Thanks everybody for your info on the body shops, etc. but I think it may be a moot point, the insurance adjuster told me today that by the description of the damage I gave her, the car is probably totalled It still needs to be inspected carefully by them to make sure, and I won't know for several more days.

I'm divided on what I want to happen here. The practical, money part of me wants to just get a payout for the totaled car since I will never be able to sell it for what it's worth with a major accident on the Carfax--- I know I would never look at a crashed Porsche for sale no matter how perfect it was repaired. On the other hand, the Porsche nut in me is devastated over the destruction of a nearly perfect, beautiful car. Sort of like dating a supermodel for a couple of weeks, falling in love then having her disappear! (Don't tell my wife I wrote that )

Macster: Thanks for all the detail on getting it repaired, if USAA decides it can be repaired, I wlll probably take it to Amato's in San Diego, I looked at the Porsche website and they are the only certified Porsche repair center in San Diego. I also drive by it every day on the way to work, I used to think it was a fancy restaurant with all the Ferrraris, Porsches and Lambos parked our front! It also has a 99% 5 star rate on Yelp and other review sites.

It's funny someone mentioned the nice HREs, my wife wants me to see if we can get these off the car for a future Turbo if USAA declares it totaled. These are 19" wheels on a a car that comes standard with 18". My other Porsches--996 GT3 and a Carrera (that was to be replaced by the Turbo) both have 18' wheels. Can I swap an 18" Turbo Twist set of wheels from my Carrera to the Turbo without modifying anything on the Turbo? Doubt the insurance company will let me do it but it's worth a try if it's a simple swap.

Dock

Go with the practical part of yourself.

Craig911

Yup, but i probably don't have much choice in the matter unless i am willing to thow more money in.

Dan87951

You should have no problem swamping the wheels. Sorry to hear about the car!

uschoice

If given the choice, start with a clean plate and take the payout.

Macster

Let the car be totaled. This is best.

Sometimes a car just ends up crusher fodder. It happens. Be thankful you have someone ready to hand you a check for the car.

However, this may not be as straightforward as you assume.

You want to gather info that shows you took exceptional care of the car, that you "loved" it and it was in spectacular condition.

Believe me the insurance company will mark the car down for dirty floor mats. (On a related note when the report came through for my new Cayman S everything and there were pages of things were marked up because the car was well new. Carpets, paint, tires, trim, glass, everything was better than average which helped raise the payout amount.)

So take pics of everything.

Gather service/work invoices together -- make copies -- to show you gave that car TLC and can use this to negotiate for a higher offer than what will probably be a low ball offer for your car.

On a related note search similar used cars in your area. Do not limit yourself to just your car's MY, but a MY or or two newer too. Have these numbers on hand to bolster your argument your car's worth more than the insurance company offers.

Also, IIRC you are entitled to $50/day for loss of use of your car. At least this is true in CA. Do your homework to confirm what you are entitled ot and if this is right, then, remember to remind the insurance company adjuster this *after* you have agreed upon an amount for your car.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Howdy993

Craig -

If they total the car, you are entitled to all sales / registration taxes you paid.
You want to be made as close to whole as possible.
Good luck.

fdorn

Absolutely $ucks. I feel your pain. I was hit June 2011 in my 01 Turbo. PM if you want any details or specifics. I had just dumped about 20K into the car for exhaust, suspension, UMW clutch, and more. 30K in damage then they discovered a bent plug to my amp - Porsche said the entire wiring harness would have to be replaced (another 8K) - insurance company totaled it after that - and then the struggle began...turned out OK in the end - but it was a battle.

Let me know if you want any horrific details...

Macster

That was some impact. Glad you came out of it ok.

Sincerely,

Macster.

adam_

Good point. Here is a tip for EVFERYONE: negotiate the value of the car with the insurer, and then ONLY WHEN YOU REACH A FINAL NUMBER, add in the sales tax and registration fees.

They all will say "oh that's included", but all the comps and values they run (and if you are doing your job, the ads you find) will NOT have an 8% tax on them! (Calif)

Friend totaled a Jag worth 70k, that little trick netted him $5k more

In terms of this wreck and total v. no-total- do you really cares? I will own and drive my car for long enough that some paint and body work will be immaterial on the value. Unless you are going to be a short term owner or you want a collector, just make sure it is done perfectly. AND get your DV claim.

GL

A

Craig911

Thanks for the info everybody!

I only bought this car from the dealer about a week before the crash! I figure if USAA low ***** me, I will pull out the sales sheet and show them how much I paid for it plus tax and registration. I would think they would have to meet that, how much can a car depreciate in a week--other than a crash! I also have all the recent comps for the car since I have been shopping for a couple of months and this one was a good deal considering it's perfect condition, which I have documented photographically in detail before the crash.

It's hard to believe they will total it, the crash looks terrible in the photo, but in reality it's mostly the plastic bumper, side radiator, and fender that got nailed. The metal bumper and frame did not have a scratch on it--probably why the airbag did not deploy? The door and hood were slightly creased but not terribly damaged. Hitting that biker barely felt like any impact at all, I've felt bigger impacts hitting speed bumps at a little too high a speed in other cars.

If they don't total it, I probably will drive it for many years like I do most of my cars so the accident depreciation may not be so bad, I will also try to claim diminished value from insurance company of the driver at fault.

Keep all those tips and ideas coming--I need all the help I can get!

fdorn: I sent you a pm

jumper5836

The biker paying for everything. Should be treating you like gold now. What a **** head and to think he could have passed a fellow biker with out even crossing the divider.

Simi_911

I always tell my friends that borrow my car...no scratches, dings or dents. If you get it in an accident, it better be TOTALED. I rather get paid out than deal with accident gremlins. Also, I remember with AAA, they have a replacement guarantee...so after you negotiate your payout, if you end up spending more to replace it, they will cover your difference. I think with Allstate, they will pay you out enough to buy a model one year newer. So if you are looking to replace, all this concern about value might be a moot point if your insurance co have these provisions.

Macster

The other insurance company probably already has all the details. When I sat down to negotiate for settlement for my new Cayman S the other driver's insurance company rep knew to a penny what I had paid for the car, in fact he knew as much about the car as I did.

My advice is to be sure you push for recognition what a proper repair of this car requires.

My fear is that the estimate is a low one and the repair will be sub-par as the insurance company refuses to allow for any legitimate additional charges as more damage is found. In my Turbo's case additional charges increased the most up to date estimate by over $5K. That's a big jump from around $20K to $25K.

The insurance adjusters always seem to come in with a low estimate while by way of an example my body shop friend had the estimate nailed in no time. It took several adjusters, finally an exotic car adjuster, to come up with numbers close to the initial estimate my body shop friend arrived at and then the car was declared a total loss. IIRC the last adjuster stopped counting at around $45K in damages for a car that listed for $62.6K and for which I paid $50.6K.

In your car's case the impact probably bent the tub. Where the suspension/steering attaches these points probably got pushed in.

They probably got pushed in at an angle which makes pulling them out harder.

Also, any damage to side riails or the A pillar area, the door frame area, is particularly hard to repair and repair right.

Remember in CA you are entitled to have the car repaired as close to its pre-collision condition as humanly possible and this works to have cars totaled that in other areas might be repaired. But this is good for us in CA for as I touched upon sometimes a car through no fault of its own or its owner gets totaled.

My advice is to let nature run its course and focus on getting a fair settlement all you are entitled to and then go out and find another car.

Sincerely,

Macster.