SWEETSOUND2001

iTrader: (30)

Well, as some of you may know, my mom got in an accident a few days ago in my old Maxima. She rear ended an SUV getting on the freeway on-ramp. The insurance company just declared the car a total and they took it. Has anyone dealt with this type of situation before? What are the likely actions of the insurance company? How much will they probably offer us? (KBB $13.5k) We want to get full market value for the car. What needs to be done?

Thanks a lot. Here is the Accident thread if you missed it.

dmontzsta

iTrader: (8)

They will give you a check for blue book value, then they will offer you the car at a certain price.

Maxima:Driven

What yr is your Max? And what's the model? And how many miles you got on it?

dmbmaxima2k2

iTrader: (1)

wow they totalled that out, i would try and get it from them for a couple grand or so and then part it out. 90% of the car is good. that's like 4k damgea i cant believe they totaled out a 13k car.

synapse

My insurance company did NOT give me BB value. They insisted it was @ their discretion since it was MY insurance policy I was claiming against. Shorted me over 1200 off KBB value on my car. Went closer to NADA Trade in value if you want to be honest. but to challenge them required getting my own appraiser, etc.

KBB is RETAIL value. You aren't giving them a retail quality car. You gave them a car that was most likely not freshly detailed, etc.

Get your receipts together if you get lowballed and get ready for a fight. Insurance companies will fight tooth and nail to pay as little as possible. ESPECIALLY when it's YOUR fault for the accident, they'll use that guilt and the subtle threat of jacking up your rates for questioning their "generosity".

unrealii

iTrader: (8)

My insurance company actually had some company which compared my car to other which were on sale, with similar options, and condition and gave me a price from there. It was at least $1.3k below kbb.

meccanoble

iTrader: (22)

what to do?

Inform us all that its a 5 speed 4th gen and ask me if i want to buy your transmission with a few other parts

Nick97SE

iTrader: (14)

I recommend trying to get the car back Anton. I don't know much about how insurance works or anything, but I do know that you had a lot of money put into it with the interior swap.

Good Luck.
-Nick

Frank Fontaine

I've never been in such a situation and hope I never will, but I'm curious. If they give you book value, haven't they washed their hands with you? Why would they attempt to sell you the car? I always see ads of auto yards saying "new arrivals daily," meaning these wrecked cars. Wouldn't insur. cos. sell to them? Why sell to the person who had the accident. The worst thing is to have the neighborhood be full of junk vehicles, makes the property value go down hehehe

zboy

iTrader: (2)

When my 96 SE got totaled last year (5-speed loaded), it seemed like the blue-book value (and edmonds) was between $7K and $9K, and I had paid about $10.5 for the car about 5 months earlier. Anyway, they ended up valuing the car at $11K or $12K, so after deductions and what not, I still got more than $10K for the car, which completely covered the loaded 5-speed 96 SE I'm driving now

Hopefully you get more than you expect. I"m not sure what state you're in, but in MA, if you don't agree with the appraisal value, you can do some thing and get the car re-appraised by someong you choose, and whatever they appraise the car at goes (even if it's less).

-zach