so i was drving on a 2 lane rode and got to an intersection i am almost throught and some car pulles out from the cross street to turn right the direction i'm goin and pulles over 2 lanes right into my lane i didn't even have anytime to react and bang next thing i know i hit him ... so we drive and pull into a parking lot and this old man gets on proclaiming that it is my fault i give him my information and he can't even read it. then the cops come and he gets the ticket... the damage wasen't too bad but when i took it into the shop i got some bad news.... soo my fender was messed up my hood bend a little bit my bumper cracked and shifted a little and my headlight housing cracked and ...my frame rail was bent... next thing i know i get a call from insureance telling me that they are goin to total it.. moral of the story old ppl shouldn't drive

 

damn man, that sucks, i didnt think that would contitute a totaled car. are u gonna get another max or go with another car? keep us posted...oh yeah, how much did u get for the total?

 

Sounds fishy. Is the shop one you can trust? If it's totalled who gets the car afterwards?

I would personally talk to the insurance co. about buying the totalled car from them. I don't know how that all works since I've never done it, maybe someone here knows.

Considering the uncommon nature of maxima's and the high prices that can be had for used parts off of them, I wouldn't put it past repair shops to increase damage assesments hoping for a "total" they could then buy from the ins. co. and part out.

But maybe I'm being cynical....

 

That sounds about right. Most of your front parts would've needed replacement and I'm pretty sure those aren't the only ones that were bent and damaged. Looking at your profile, your 98 maxima gxe would be much less in (insurance value) than to fix it.

I would definitely ask about the totaled car though.. If you can keep it or how much it would be etc... keep us updated, I like to know this information as well.

 

dude that really sucks...something like that almost happene to my car...but i wouldnt let them total it..i told them to fix it..good thing i knew the guy pretty well who was at the shop..he helped me out too...try to talk to the guy at the garage to not total your car..and to fix it....then talk to the insurance...if everything else fails...go obver there to salvage as many parts as you can...dont let them do that to your car.

 

A bit confuse here, what happened after the old man got a ticket from the cops? Wasn't it his fault then? Whose insurance called you? That sucks. Is there anyway you can take it to another shop?

 

let me tell yall how it works...caz i jus did it a couple days ago...my car was totalled and all because the frame in the front got a lil bent...once they see that they will total the car....now i spoke to the insurance company about buying the car back and they told me all i would have to pay is 200 for salvage fees and i could keep the car and i did...the only bad thing is you cant put full insurance on your vehicle anymore caz it now has a salvage title....dats my .02..

 

what about adjuster? did he checked ur car?

 

well the motor has about 137,000 miles on it so it really wouldn't b that practical to fix it and the insurance company i think we got about 3500-4000 they ****in ripped us off that car was valued at like 7 or 8 and they gave me ****... we had um look at it again and they said the same thing.. thats the thanks i get for paying full coverage insurance thats shady... but i ended up gettin a 97 jeep wrangler... until i save some money up over the summer and get another car i'm lookin at either a 2000 maxima or a lexus is 300 i miss my max

 

and i would only get like 2000 if i kept the car and i know for a fact that it is worth more than that cuz everything is in good condition i work on it myself

 

It's always a shame to hear about a broken maxima....I totalled my '89 Honda Prelude after an 87 year old lady pulled out in front of me. Fun car but look what I was able to get out of it. max 4 life!

 

"we had um look at it again and they said the same thing." - drew

If the blue book retail is $7k then no way can they only give you $3.5-4k. You need to raise some hell, I know I would. Insurance is supposed to reimburse you at the price it would cost you to replace the car in it's condition before the accident.

No way would I take that sh** from an insurance company. I'd be telling them I'll talk to a lawyer about it and get back to them. I would tell them I am not accepting $4k for my car when I can prove it will cost more to replace it.

 

How many points on the NADA list did you get out of 100?

Blue book has nothing to do with insurance payouts. It isn't even a really good guide to base off of.

Is your policy an Actual Cash Value or Replacement Value policy?

I'm guessing it's an Actual Cash Value policy. Which means they'll take a number somewhere between blue book and black book, then hit it for mileage, and then hit for how many points you get on the NADA, and then compare the totals to similar cars in your local market. They'll also low-ball you with their first number, so never accept the first number they give you, talk them up. Also, talk them down on the salvage value, because they'll high ball you on that too.

My car was a 98 GXE with 200+K miles and it was totalled two weeks ago. It got 94 points out of 100 on the NADA list, which - according to the guy that did the inspection - is unreal on a car with that many miles. I got 5100 for my car and my policy was an Actual Cash Value policy. I paid 700 to get my car back.

 

a totaled car is condsidered totaled if the damge meest or exceeds 75% of the car's book value...whether it be NADA or KBB i dunno which ones they use...i would assume NADA cause thats what banks use to determine loan amounts....and u can buy the car back...my sister did that once...but i dont know the details

 

they said that they don't use blue book they use another guide i forgot wut and my dad tryed to argue with them but they like were short and almost mean about it i don't understand that pisses the **** out of me and they wanted like half of the value they were giving me to keep it wow ...like the deal is done like they have my car and i got the money but is there anyway i can like look into this and see if i can't get a lawyer or is it too late

 

Have you given them the title yet? I assume you have?

Lawyers aren't always as effective as calling the state insurance board.

What insurance company are we talking about here?

 

Yo i crashed like that before yoooo.....sounds exactly like my story except it was a RAV - 4.....and had 2 lil gurls in the back seat....he ****in crossed infront of me and i had like a slit second to brake....and i t boned the car.....they ****in totaled my car....but we sold it to a body shop and got it back for 7,000....and it runs so good...engine never had problems....insurance totaled it for no reason it was fixable as u can see.....

 

lol but then i crashed again like in ****in September of 04 and got a Diff color bumper for like 75 bucks and new Impact Bar....all for 75 bucks....but i plan on gettin a paint job this summer so i dont care atleast its not like and obvious diff color....

 

Sorry to hear the max is totaled. Sad story and if the frame is bent forget it trash it and find something else you'll only get more trouble and headache down the line.

but if its still drivable get a second opinion about the frame being bent.

 

It won't hurt to call a lawyer and explore your options. Most good lawyers will at least talk to you a bit over the phone about your situation. Ask a lawyer how much he'd charge to write a letter to the ins company on your behalf.

I don't care what book they use. I would have researched what buying a 98 GXE with 137,000 miles is costing on the market in my area. If five 98 Maxima GXE's were for sale within a 50 mile radius and they all were asking between 5k and 8k for them, I would be showing that to the ins. co.

It's not too late unless cashing the check automatically binds you to it in some way. I would still call a lawyer and ask his/her opinion.

Unfortunately for you, I think Michigan is a no fault state. Typical of wolverines to have their head up their butt.

 

Here in Maine, if you total your car and have gap insurance the bank sends you the title and you keep the car automatically BUT you don't get any cash from it, but you don't have to pay anything either.