I was in a BIG accident and now have to buy another truck. Ever had this happen to you?

[dud]

I was in a MAJOR 3-vehicle accident yesterday with two cars (I drive a small pickup). The driver of one of the cars was at fault and their insurance company has admitted liability. I got a rental to put around in while my truck is repaired. I received a call today telling me that they totalled my truck! I have babied this truck since I bought it and now the IC wants to give me some $$$ to replace it.

Yesterday I had a finely-tuned truck with low miles that I planned on keeping for a number of years and had no plans to buy a new one. Today I have no truck and less then half of the $$$ that I would need to buy a new, comaparable one. This truck was in such good condition that I may have to pay around $8K just to get into something comparable.

Has anyone ever received an offer from an insurance company and did you accept or reject it? If you rejected it how did you counter-offer and what techniques did you use? All advice is appreciated.

 

[maziwanka]

if it was fairly new it sounds like you might need to fight a little with the insurance company. i believe that the amount they give you should allow you to purchase a comparable vehicle (8k less sounds a little ridiculous)....

 

[Fingolfin269]

Are you giving it a value based on what you feel it is worth or based on what something like the blue book says its worth?

 

[conjur]

I think a little, "Oh...damn....my neck....ow!"


"Oh, my back! I can't stand up....ow!"

 

[brxndxn]

I rejected the first offer to pay for my 97' Thunderbird a year and a half ago that got totalled. They offered me $6750 at first. I told them to go fvck themselves. They tried to not cover my stereo and they didn't include half the options in the price. They also didn't adjust for the low mileage my car had. I spent about 2 months arguing with them (all the while without a car) until they finally gave me the $9700 that I deserved (Blue book + invoice on stereo parts).

Insurance companies are full of dicks. They will screw you around as much as they think you can tolerate. They will cut off medical right when you need it most - or they'll force you to see their 'doctors' so their doctors can declare you 100% better even though you have headaches, your neck is hurting, and your shoulders are tight..

They deserve all the lawsuits they get. I didn't think the lawsuits had any merit until I was forced to deal with the insurance companies (and I'm still dealing with them) for an accident that wasn't my fault.

 

[angrymaxx]

My advice is that you look around in classifieds and web ads for the same truck that you had with similar miles and accessories. Compile a list of the higher (but still legit) ads. If they are lowballing you, this will give you evidence that justifies them giving you more money. Also if you did any modifications to you truck, receipts would help add value to this as well. I've done this in that past and received fair market value for my totalled vehicle.

 

[RagingBITCH]

What brxndxn said - look at the KBB or blue book value of your car - with your miles, options, etc

 

[Kelemvor]

You could try contacting your own insurance company (hopefully won't affect you if the other one admitted fault) and see what they can recommend. But the Market Value is what they'll give you which pretty much sucks.

 

[dmurray14]

Originally posted by: conjur
I think a little, "Oh...damn....my neck....ow!"


"Oh, my back! I can't stand up....ow!"

As my insurance rate gets higher and higher...

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Would you mind telling us what kind of truck it was? And i bet insurance companies go by the infamous black book that car dealers use, which is always way lower than KBB or Edmunds. The only way to truely price a vehicle is to find ones that are for sale or have sold on ebay to judge what they are going for. Insurance companies are here for one reason, to make money and increase their share value.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowskiInsurance companies are here for one reason, to make money and increase their share value.

Isn't that two?

 

[spacejamz]

this brings to mind another question...if you are still making payments on the vehicle and the check the ins co writes you is less than what you owe, are you just SOL (would you have to come up with the difference as well as more $$ for a down payment on a new car)??

 

[halik]

What are you basing your value on?
If you give me the specs on the truck, i can give you the expected market value

 

[DeadByDawn]

I had to fight with a small insurance company over the value of my car once. They lowballed me. I got them to admit they were offering me wholesale value on my car. Well guess what, the public can't buy at wholesale or "tradein" when you walk on the lot. Also I told them I wanted NADA mid value for the car, they said that there was no such thing as NADA guides LOL. When I faxed them a copy of the cover and the page my car was on they were like "oh, ok. Well mail you check out today". Idiots.

 

[Broadkipa]

look thought the ads and see if you can find one of similar condition,and check out the prices, then send them to the insurance company. dont take there first offer as final, you need to haggle but if you have evidance that there offer is low with ads then that gives you a good position to argue from.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: dmurray14

Originally posted by: conjur
I think a little, "Oh...damn....my neck....ow!"


"Oh, my back! I can't stand up....ow!"

As my insurance rate gets higher and higher...

Oh...I wasn't serious.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: spacejamz
this brings to mind another question...if you are still making payments on the vehicle and the check the ins co writes you is less than what you owe, are you just SOL (would you have to come up with the difference as well as more $$ for a down payment on a new car)??

Yah, that's why you get suckered into buying Gap insurance.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: dmurray14

Originally posted by: conjur
I think a little, "Oh...damn....my neck....ow!"


"Oh, my back! I can't stand up....ow!"

As my insurance rate gets higher and higher...

IMO, less people would file frivilous injury claims if insurance companies weren't so bent on lowballing not-at-fault collision victims (there are no "accidents") for their property damages.

dud, you don't have to take the insurance company's first offer. Get your own company involved even, that's what they're there for. Do and submit market research on your car, like book values, etc. You are entitled to retail book prices btw, not wholesale -- it is not like the insurance company is a dealer taking your trade-in (which they may try to tell you), they are required to restore you to pre-loss condition (i.e. help you replace your exact vehicle at retail cost).
I went through this fight once myself. Several years ago, another driver hit and totalled my (then) 3 month-old brand new car (the paramedics on the scene said it was a miracle I survived, much less walked away, as the car was literally destroyed). Their insurance company thought they could force-and-fool me to take less than half of the below-MSRP that I had just paid for the car. I sued. They lost.
And dmurray14's premiums went up because they had to pay my court costs for a battle they could have avoided in the first place by simply paying me a fair value to replace my car.

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: dmurray14

Originally posted by: conjur
I think a little, "Oh...damn....my neck....ow!"


"Oh, my back! I can't stand up....ow!"

As my insurance rate gets higher and higher...

IMO, less people would file frivilous injury claims if insurance companies weren't so bent on lowballing not-at-fault collision victims (there are no "accidents") for their property damages.

dud, you don't have to take the insurance company's first offer. Get your own company involved even, that's what they're there for. Do and submit market research on your car, like book values, etc. You are entitled to retail book prices btw, not wholesale -- it is not like the insurance company is a dealer taking your trade-in (which they may try to tell you), they are required to restore you to pre-loss condition (i.e. help you replace your exact vehicle at retail cost).
I went through this fight once myself. Several years ago, another driver hit and totalled my (then) 3 month-old brand new car (the paramedics on the scene said it was a miracle I survived, much less walked away, as the car was literally destroyed). Their insurance company thought they could force-and-fool me to take less than half of the below-MSRP that I had just paid for the car. I sued. They lost.
And dmurray14's premiums went up because they had to pay my court costs for a battle they could have avoided in the first place by simply paying me a fair value to replace my car.

Haha, they got owned. If you total, at someone else's fault within your car's model year, you get sticker... period happened to my dad on an 86 ford escort.