A very nice 82-year-old woman (she offered to make me dinner ) ran into me going 55 MPH on an off-ramp. The bumper is toast, the gas tank is dented, the trunk is dented and out of alignment, the muffler is bent and I think the front is a bit pushed in (i ran into the car in front of me, but just kissed her). The woman's Prius went right under my bumper and lifted me up off the ground. Glad it wasn't a F250

With the book value so low I wonder if they will fix it or cut me a check. I love this car so hopefully, they will be able to fix it, if not I may have some work on my hands.

BTW, no one was hurt, just some aches and pains.

 

Glad no one was injured. Expect the car to be totaled. Given the relatively low value of these cars nowadays combined with the difficulty of obtaining reasonably-priced replacement parts, it does not take much damage for the insurance companies to declare them totaled.

 

I can't tell you how many hours i have in on this car. Wish they would pay for that. rebuilt trans, suspension, new interior, new tires and a million other things.

 

That's why I have classic car insurance with agreed value.

 

This is the only way you may be made whole after an accident.
wj

 

I would love have classic car agreed value on my 2002 XKR, but it is my daily driver. Which is a deal killer from the insurance companies viewpoint.

Z

 

Scott,
I'm sorry to hear the bad news, fortunately no serious injuries.

I suspect the insurance company's position will be as Jon states, and you will end up with a payout and, possibly, a buy-back option.

I would gather all the documentation you have of the work done to use as ammunition to get the best deal you can. Definitely don't accept the first (or second) offer.

 

Sorry for your loss, I feel your pain. I was recently T-boned at a 4 way stop in my daily driver, 20 year old Acura. Also no one hurt but the car is toast. It broke the right front suspension and mashed 2 doors and doorframe. No fixing it. It wasn't cosmetically great but ran perfect and drove very nicely on new/used wheels and brand new tires. Just put them on Saturday, got hit on Monday. I could have driven that car until they take my license away.
This doesn't answer any of your questions but I feel better, LOL. I'm afraid they will total your car. They won't put much effort into fixing a car these days. TM

 

As a former Insurance adjuster, I fear your car is toast, a total loss. Depending on what state you live in, getting your vehicle back on the road after repairs can range from very simple to impossible. Your first step in all states is to REFUSE to sell it to the insurance company. If you elect to go down that road, I can help. My 2003 XK8 is a recovered total loss out of Georgia and re-registered with some difficulty in Florida.

Paul O. (Paul1940)

 

Hey Paul, I live in GA.

The car is really not in bad shape, but just a few parts cost so much that I fear that you are correct. If it does go to a total loss I will reach out to you. This is the car that hit me on I85. I put the top down to get a good pic . Check out that great water beading.

 

Sorry about the accident. You'll of course have to have a certified estimate from a certified shop, so pick the shop carefully. Not the best known one in your town. They all will want to know the name of your insurance company when you give them the name, the estimate automatically increases. So pick the shop as I said, carefully. If you can get the estimate without giving them your insurance company name---much better
Once the insurance Co gets the estimate FROM YOU, they will make the decision based on the value of a like car and how much they could buy it for. Based on your estimate, they will then make their decision.
In my case I did what I just told you not to do. My estimate was in excess of the value of the car, even though it is a special edition CarbonFiber car. I then decided to buy the car back and they then sent me a check for the difference. The car is almost perfect but now has a Rebuild title.
Good luck...

 

This value issue is a huge problem for guys with twenty year old cars that they like and maintain in good condition. It doesn't take much damage to total out a twenty year old car, Even minor vandalism, just cosmetic stuff like a broken window or being keyed will often total the car. That's why I only carry liability on my hobby cars. They are daily drivers though they don't accumulate a lot of miles since I switch out between them. If they get damaged I want to be the one who decides what happens to them. If it's another driver's fault, they can pay me for the damage. If it's my fault then I decide if I want to fix them or not. Most minor collisions don't render the car unsafe or undrivable. So I either fix it or just drive it as is. Either way my car doesn't end up with a salvage title. You might buy another and transfer the good parts of your car into it's replacement. Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

Its like chuck said . In UK you can usually get a payout for the vehicle and then buy it back . so you get the car and some money, Local body shop tells me most people make money on the deal.You get a note on your registration document that its been re built.
Like another post of mine I am sure a lot of photos showing condition will help and a good insurance company rather than the tinpot brokers who are everywhere.

 

Sorry to hear about the mishap but glad all are ok. Keep us posted on what insurance does for you

 

Mine was totaled way over insurance with a much less 30 mph rear end and no front damage. My damage was not readily noticeable from a small distance. It's toast. Sorry to say.

 

I went though this 20 years ago. On my regular daily driver insurance, 75% of the value is where it can trigger total loss. I don't know if that's universal everywhere, but I had some cosmetic damage on a 17 year old, $4,500 car that was going to cost $3,800 to repair. Because it was only cosmetic, my insurance offered to just write me a check for $3,350, calling it "diminished value" or something like that. They would drop the comprehensive and I could keep driving it as-is. I decided to retire it from daily driving, put another $1,900 with the insurance payout, had the whole car repainted and then put it on an agreed value policy with my other classic car. I sold it just a few years later for $11,500 so that worked out well for me. But from the photo and your story, sounds like you're going to have way more than 75% and not just cosmetic.

I hope it works out as well for you. Some things that could help. Keep the car in your possession, not racking up storage fees or accumulating even more damage while sitting outside in a yard somewhere that the attendants assume its going to be written off anyway. And if you don't like the pre-accident value, you can insist on an independent appraiser, provide documentation of extraordinary maintenance, JCNA concours history, etc. anything that will prove that its not just a 23 year old beater. Best of luck.

 

All good information. I know that the "Rebuilt Title" draws some concern. I own 3 cars and all have rebuilt titles, The 2001 Z3 needed a new bumper cover, AC fan, AC condenser, radiator, radiator fan and a few plastic pieces for headlight mounting. The car cost me $300 and I spent another $600 for used parts. Repairs were done in my driveway. I have used it as my daily driver for over six years. My 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid needed a right front fender and a windshield washer tank (never was able to locate one). Again repairs, bolting on a used fender, were done in my driveway. I had it painted for $350. This is my wife's daily driver. With six grankids, she wanted something that all the kids could fit into. The 2003 XK8 was a strange case. I found it at Copart, a total loss insurance disposal service, It had a few pieces, left headlight assy gas filler door, missing and some dent damage to the left front fender and only 50K miles. When I got it home, I found all the missing parts in the trunk. Replaced the fender with a used one (luckily the same black color) and drove the car for two or three months before it acted up. Love that car ! Sat in my driveway for three and a half years as I grew older and less inclined to raise the hood. As the Z3 approaches 200K miles, I've decided to switch to the XK8 for what little driving I do now. So need to get it going. "Rebuilt titles", who cares ! I love that XK8.