Rear ended, totalled?

[shanebro]

Was rear ended yesterday by an old fogie in a dodge caravan. Already took it up to one body shop and they said it was totaled. Car still drives fine, no dog tracking etc. Car blue books for 3600 dealer. Eagle Talon TSi AWD lsd in the rear, all options. Not even a check engine light.

This is what i've fixed on it so far.
Clutch.
Pressure plate.
Throwout bearing.
Driver wheel bearings.
Driver tie rod.
Pads and rotors.
Air filter.
Starter.
Intermediate shaft to transmission seal.
Tires 16 inch premium all weather.
Plug Wires
Fuel Pressure Regulator.

We both have state farm insurance. I'm kind of lost at this point and don't have much of a game plan. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.

 

[96ETT]

I also agree, insurance companies don't have to do anything. I was hit in an intersection by a 71 year old lady who ran a red light and my insurance company told me it was my fault because I should not have went at the green light if someone was coming. So yes i should just assume that anyone that is approaching a light is going to run it and not stop. It BS but its a business. You think everyone can just get in a wreck and get whatevever they want back because .000001% of drivers are dsm enthusiasts?

 

[gusu]

You got rear ended, the odds they will not give you extra money so you don't end up suing the guy for pain and suffering or whatever else that may end up complicating things for them is pretty low.

My friend got a civic hatch that wasn't worth anywhere near the 3 grand they gave him, because there was 3 people in the car (I was in the car and so was my GF). It blue booked a lot lower than that as well. It didn't even have anywhere near that for market value at the time either.



@96ETT. I do exactly that, if I see someone hasn't stopped and has no one else to run into I do NOT go. I don't really give a shit if it pisses off people behind me.

 

[jcart953]

I also agree, insurance companies don't have to do anything. I was hit in an intersection by a 71 year old lady who ran a red light and my insurance company told me it was my fault because I should not have went at the green light if someone was coming. ?

^^Whoa if that really happened the way you said then they totally butt raped you.

 

[nickk90]

I also agree, insurance companies don't have to do anything. I was hit in an intersection by a 71 year old lady who ran a red light and my insurance company told me it was my fault because I should not have went at the green light if someone was coming. So yes i should just assume that anyone that is approaching a light is going to run it and not stop. It BS but its a business. You think everyone can just get in a wreck and get whatevever they want back because .000001% of drivers are dsm enthusiasts?

Did you have your insurance company fight that for you? They should have in order to prevent them from paying out anything. In my state your at fault as soon as you make a moving violation. Was she giving a ticket for running the light?

 

[silicosys4]

I also agree, insurance companies don't have to do anything. I was hit in an intersection by a 71 year old lady who ran a red light and my insurance company told me it was my fault because I should not have went at the green light if someone was coming. So yes i should just assume that anyone that is approaching a light is going to run it and not stop. It BS but its a business. You think everyone can just get in a wreck and get whatevever they want back because .000001% of drivers are dsm enthusiasts?

Your insurance company scammed you, pure and simple, and this is a reason why you call the police when you have an accident, no matter if nobody was hurt, or you need to get to work, etc...If you know you weren't at fault you NEED the police to write the other person a citation so you can prove it. Do not say anything that indicates you might have been even a little at fault, even to the other driver...no polite "I should have seen you coming" or "this was partly my fault" comments. In your case, she should have been given a citation, and the citation would have been used by your insurance company to provide proof of her fault, and in an ideal world your insurance company would have gone after her insurance company, waving that citation....this is of course after paying you for your troubles.....More people should be putting the heat on insurance companies to make good on their policies, sucks that they have so many people by the balls that just need cash for another car so they can get to work....

 

[shanebro]

Thank you all for your help, keep the discussion going just keep it clean. Don't want my thread junked.

 

[nickk90]

Thank you all for your help, keep the discussion going just keep it clean. Don't want my thread junked.

I would also like to add, You can buy the car back from the insurance company and then part it out their self. You might pay a $500-$1000 for it but you can double that in a part out and help to DSM scene out by giving them a chance to get some parts for their cars.

 

[thomcasey]

They will total it, because the repair costs will surely exceed $2500 (had the same thing happen 6 hours after my son bought his GST. It was a 1990, the insurance paid us $2899 (value, plus tax and registration). We bought it back for 850 and drove it for the next year (just replaced the bumper, lived with the fender wrinkle and loose hatch) until the Oil Pump sprocket nut backed off and took the TB and all 16 valves with it.

State Farm here, BTW. They paid higher than Blue Book. They automatically looked at FMV of the car to be replaced (1990, stock, 133k miles)

 

[bryanwheat]

I'm sure that it all depends on the company. Some will pay you what it cost to buy an equal replacement. Some won't. They will nickel and dime you for rust and mileage and things like that on the car also. About 10 year ago my dad had a 95 jeep Cherokee (7 years old at the time). Some woman came across the center line and hit him head on and totaled his vehicle. The blue book value was around 5-7k on it, BUT it had 240k miles on it and a little rust on the rear quarter. They only paid out around 2500 because of the mileage and rust. This was after absolutely the most that they were going to pay. He ended up having to fork out an extra 3k just to buy something of equal value.

As stated earlier, the insurance companies are a business, they are there to make money, not to hold your hand and make sure that you get what you think you should. A 20 year old car is a 20 year old car to them, they don't care about the fact that there is a small market where people sell these cars for 2 to 3 times what they are worth.

 

[2slow4now]

Something to try is some insurance companies you can negotiate with about what has been done to the car recently and pay you accordingly. An example is if you just put new tires on it, brakes, or something that you can prove makes it more valuable. I know this because my mom hit a deer in her car and completely obliterated the front end. Totaled. My dad had receipts for a new brake booster, tires, brake lines, and brakes that he showed to the insurance company and they bumped up the estimated value. No lawyers or legal battle just a face to face "Hey look at what all I have done to the car recently. Isn't it worth more because of that?" I'm sure it depends on your insurance company and whether or not they value you as a customer to keep you happy. Worth a try.

 

[96ETT]

Look I don't need a lesson, I'm past that. I'm giving my experience with insurance companies. I didn't admit any fault and we had an officer write up the whole thing. The simple thing is that the lady said she had a green light and no traffic cams to prove it. That's how insurance companies work.

To the OP do like others have mentioned and get your totalled check, buy it back and part it out or get a new one.

 

[silicosys4]

As stated earlier, the insurance companies are a business, they are there to make money, not to hold your hand and make sure that you get what you think you should. A 20 year old car is a 20 year old car to them, they don't care about the fact that there is a small market where people sell these cars for 2 to 3 times what they are worth.

Is there a "small market" that will pay more? Or are these cars getting harder to find in clean condition, and therefore are generally selling for more than book value? There are enough threads started on here about how hard it is to find a clean 1g, and how much more they are now then they were a couple of years ago when you can find them, that I suspect the platform has been beat on and thrashed enough that people know what a clean one is worth, "dsm" enthusiast or not, and price them accordingly. Its an AWD turbocharged sportscar. Those tend to hold and exceed book value more than your average aerostar or cavalier, as its not as much a necessity daily-driver type of vehicle, its a rarer type of platform, and considered more of a toy. Nobody is saying that we expect an insurance company to pay "2-3x what the car is worth". We are talking a small premium over standard book value, that reflects the actual cost associated with replacing the vehicle.

 

[nickk90]

Is there a "small market" that will pay more? Or are these cars getting harder to find in clean condition, and therefore are generally selling for more than book value? There are enough threads started on here about how hard it is to find a clean 1g, and how much more they are now then they were a couple of years ago when you can find them, that I suspect the platform has been beat on and thrashed enough that people know what a clean one is worth, "dsm" enthusiast or not, and price them accordingly.

They are getting way harder to find. 1 reason why I hate seeing clean DSMs parted out. Leave the part outs to cars that have been wrecked or have UN-repairable damage.

 

[bryanwheat]

Is there a "small market" that will pay more? Or are these cars getting harder to find in clean condition, and therefore are generally selling for more than book value? There are enough threads started on here about how hard it is to find a clean 1g, and how much more they are now then they were a couple of years ago when you can find them, that I suspect the platform has been beat on and thrashed enough that people know what a clean one is worth, "dsm" enthusiast or not, and price them accordingly. Its an AWD turbocharged sportscar. Those tend to hold and exceed book value more than your average civic or accord, as its not as much a necessity daily-driver type of vehicle, and more of a toy.

I guess i don't have such a hard time finding them. There are about 5-10 clean turbo cars for 3k or less within 100 miles of where i live at any give time.

 

[jcart953]

. I didn't admit any fault and we had an officer write up the whole thing. The simple thing is that the lady said she had a green light and no traffic cams to prove it. That's how insurance companies work.

Sadly that has nothing to do with just how insurance work, thats life in general when it comes to business, law, etc. Its not about what you know its about what you can prove.

 

[goodbuds]

IMO, you should let them total it, buy it back and strip it down, then move on.

This is right on the money, do this you will win..

 

[silicosys4]

I guess i don't have such a hard time finding them. There are about 5-10 clean turbo cars for 3k or less within 100 miles of where i live at any give time.

Links, please? Since you are only 4 hours from the OP maybe you can help him out with finding his new car from the plethora of super clean, cheap turbo dsm's in your area. Hell, I'll take one myself, I'll fly over and drive back for what you are telling me you've got plenty of.

 

[GSLENK]

IKD if it was mentioned, but if its not too late, get a super greedy lawyer. Sure the person for damages in small claims court. (you can try to sue the insurance co. but they have better lawyers...)

If they wont budge then your back better start hurting because either they pay 5k for your car alone, or they pay 10k (2k for car, 8k for physical therapy, xrays...)

Im serious. MY friend T-boned a lady who was on her phone and darted into an intersection and he could not avoid her. He drove a 1987 ish (5th gen) chevy nova. HArdly worth shit (<1.7k BB if i had to guess ) And it was super immaculate. He asked 3k for the car, the lady refused so he ended up getting almost over 10k in missed work compensation, physical therapy, lawyer fees... etc. Anyway he had no real injury and came out way ahead (not much after you consider all the expenses that the 10k paid for)

But he had a really good lawyer and that lawyer raped someone (IDK if it was insurance co, or the lady, but someone got it good, no Vaseline.)

I know it has been mentioned before that Insurance companies wont cover shit, You are right, they don't want to. And they are slimy sneaky crooked bastards. they will get you 99% of the time if you let them.

I had a 1985 corvette with 2k in body damage. they could never fix it right and they ruined the area that they tried to fix. it ended up costing them 5k in repairs (went back to the shop 3 times) I should have just sued the rich snob driving his BMW that hit me. So I agree yes insureance will always try to follow the cheapest route.

But theres nothing the right lawyer cant accomplish. I hope you find the right one. I really wish I did in hindsight.

 

[bryanwheat]

Links, please? Since you are only 4 hours from the OP maybe you can help him out with finding his new car from the plethora of super clean, cheap turbo dsm's in your area. Hell, I'll take one myself, I'll fly over and drive back for what you are telling me you've got plenty of.

There are currently 11 1g turbo cars for sale on gatewaydsm.org. I can't post the separate links because you have to log into view them. There are probably another 3 to 5 that people i know are selling that don't have ad's online. I can probably find at least 5 of them on craigslist also.

 

[silicosys4]

There are currently 11 1g turbo cars for sale on gatewaydsm.org. I can't post the separate links because you have to log into view them. There are probably another 3 to 5 that people i know are selling that don't have ad's online. I can probably find at least 5 of them on craigslist also.

Dude, before you go making stuff up, remember, anyone can register at that website... I did, and you are wrong. There's NO clean unmolested 1g's for sale on that website, only A FEW ratty 1g's that have lots of aftermarket work done,and rest have either been sold or are all 2g's. I checked craigslist for your area, and again, NO clean 1g's available, in fact, the only dsm I saw there that was worth anything was a decent 2g for $6k. I didn't bother looking at anything N/A. Again, a clean 1g dsm is hard to find.

 

[bryanwheat]

Not to get into a pissing contest, but you are wrong, There's NO clean unmolested 1g's for sale on that website, only A FEW ratty 1g's that have lots of aftermarket work done,and rest have either been sold or are all 2g's. I checked craigslist for your area, and again, NO clean 1g's available, in fact, the only dsm I saw there that was worth anything was a decent 2g for $6k. Again, a clean 1g dsm is hard to find.

IT depends on what you consider clean. You seem to be more picky than others. I didn't make shit up, there are a ton of cars on that site that would be real nice with a little work. If you are in the market to buy a car for 6k+ for a car with 80k or less miles than those are not for you. I on the other hand prefer to pay 1k for one that needs a little work and save a ton of money. I've got about 1500 total in my 96 spyder that is very clean for what it is.

 

[silicosys4]

IT depends on what you consider clean. You seem to be more picky than others.

Look at the Op's car, before he was smashed in the ass. That's how picky I'm being, and that's how picky I hope he's going to be when he deals with his insurance company. He had a pretty damn clean car, from what I can see, and I'd insist on being paid what it would cost to replace that car with one identically clean. Can you find a 1g as clean as the OP's in your area, low mileage, decently unmolested? And if so, how much?

 

[nickk90]

IT depends on what you consider clean. You seem to be more picky than others.

I wouldnt consider any of the AWDs clean. The 35k race car was pretty nice though

Its not gonna be easy to find a clean close to stock 1g. I wouldnt want to jump into something someone else started to be honest. Who knows how good the work they did was or what corners were cut.

 

[bryanwheat]

Look at the Op's car, before he was smashed in the ass. That's how picky I'm being, and that's how picky I hope he's going to be when he deals with his insurance company. He had a pretty damn clean car, from what I can see.

I don't consider that car super clean. It's got what looks to be a cheap paint job on it. It is in good shape, but i wouldn't call it damn clean.

Here are a few cars that i've owned that i've got pics of. All 3 of them were in good condition, not perfect. But i paid 100 for the gold one, 500 for the white one and 200 for the blue one. Don't mind the lip handing off the gold gst.

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[silicosys4]

IT depends on what you consider clean. You seem to be more picky than others. I didn't make shit up, there are a ton of cars on that site that would be real nice with a little work. If you are in the market to buy a car for 6k+ for a car with 80k or less miles than those are not for you. I on the other hand prefer to pay 1k for one that needs a little work and save a ton of money. I've got about 1500 total in my 96 spyder that is very clean for what it is.

Now you are moving completely off the topic to defend yourself. The OP might be in the market now to buy a project car, but we are talking about equivalent replacement cars as an example to the insurance company to provide proof of adequate payout. A $1K "project car", no matter how much you prefer over the OP's car, is not an equivalent comparison to the OP's clean 1g dsm. Golf clap to you for providing pictures of cars that don't compare to the OP's, and the irrelevant price you paid for them.