Insurance Company Totaled My Car; What to Keep in Mind?

[Aikouka]

So, I'll put some backstory in here:

This past Thursday, I ended my 14-year streak of being an accident virgin. I was driving along a 65 MPH road with the plan to take an upcoming exit. While in the right lane, I noticed that there was one of those lighted merge arrows up ahead in the exit lane that I needed. I figured that I would just take the next exit and double back -- inconvenient, but oh well. When I got up to the original exit, I noticed that it was just a painting crew that was painting some arrows, and I don't think I was the only one that noticed this. All of a sudden, the car in front of me braked, which wasn't an issue as I had enough distance to slow down. At this point, I have no idea of speeds anymore as I was almost entirely focused on the car in front of me, but I did take a quick gander in my rear-view mirror, and I saw the car behind me coming in hot!

WHAM! The car behind me slams into my rear, and my only thought was, "Oh crap... I'm going to hit the car in front of me now!!" This is a 65 MPH road, so I was also quite worried that this could spill into the other lane of traffic, and cause a rather serious multi-car accident. Based upon the damages that I suffered in the front, I must've tried to avoid the front vehicle as the driver in front of me had a chunk torn out of her rear bumper on the right side, and I lost a good bit of my left front section.

My assumption as to what happened was that someone else wanted to take that exit, and upon seeing that the painting crew did not close off the entire exit, they braked in the thru lane. You may think, "No way! What idiot would do that!?" I've seen people come to a dead stop on a 45 MPH road with their turn signal on just because they can't move over. I've also seen people brake prior to merging into a turn lane or an exit lane, so it's not like this would be a first for me. People do some dumb things on the road around here.

I assume you'll want to see pictures:
Rear End
Front End

The most important thing to note is that everyone is fine, but I found out today that they're totaling my car. In some ways, that might be a good thing as any modest accident will lower the value of the car regardless of repairs. Although, now I have to attempt to find a new(-to-me) car that's at least comparable to my old one.

So, as the thread title implies, I've been wondering about what sort of things should I watch out for? What sort of information should I have at-hand when discussing payout quotes with Nationwide? I've looked up Kelley Blue Book and NADA numbers as well as looked at Ford's used car database for comparable vehicles. Unfortunately, I wonder if I'm going to run into issues, because KBB and NADA are saying around $25k and Ford is charging nearly $28k for a used car similar to mine!

 

[michal1980]

I would look at actual listings in your area, and dont forget to get paid for taxes.

 

[mvbighead]

Strange. That doesn't look like $20k+ worth of damage to me. I've been hit three times in my Impala, and only on the hail damage that got every panel did it get totaled (and it's only an $8k or so car). Must be frame damage or something.

I'd look for estimates from TrueCar as to your actual value. My insurance company was pretty much on the nose with mine, so I didn't fight them on anything.

 

[Aikouka]

I would look at actual listings in your area, and dont forget to get paid for taxes.

To note, when I said that Ford was charging $28k for a similar car, I had to raise the search radius to 250 miles. I couldn't find a 2013 Fusion Titanium in my area on their search much less one with the same options. The area difference might be part of the reason why the pricing is so different.

As for taxes, we don't pay sales taxes on cars in Alabama. However, we do pay significantly higher renewal rates on our tags. For example, my renewal, which is annoying due at the end of the month, is ~$260. It's listed as a $25 tag renewal, taxes, and a small processing fee.

Strange. That doesn't look like $20k+ worth of damage to me. I've been hit three times in my Impala, and only on the hail damage that got every panel did it get totaled (and it's only an $8k or so car). Must be frame damage or something.

Yeah, it seemed strange to me, but there is some other damage that may not be completely visible in those photos. A friend of mine used to work for a dealer, and he told me that they'd need to repair the entire rear end as both quarter panels have dents. Also, the driver's side fender is damaged.

When I spoke with my agent earlier, he told me that the current estimate was over $16,000 in repairs.

I'd look for estimates from TrueCar as to your actual value. My insurance company was pretty much on the nose with mine, so I didn't fight them on anything.

Ah, I forgot about TrueCar. Thanks!

 

[Imported]

My insurance company paid what a local Lexus dealership was selling a near identical IS250 for when ours got totaled.

 

[MiataNC]

Looks can be deceiving. All modern cars have crumple zones and transfer impact through the entire frame. I have seen rear end impacts that twist and bend the front end of the car. Imagine what gets bent in between.

Be thankful they are totalling it. You wouldn't want to drive a car that has already done its job protecting you from a heavy impact. The car will never be the same, and it likely won't protect as well if they did repair it.

 

[Imported]

Looks can be deceiving. All modern cars have crumple zones and transfer impact through the entire frame. I have seen rear end impacts that twist and bend the front end of the car. Imagine what gets bent in between.

Be thankful they are totalling it. You wouldn't want to drive a car that has already done its job protecting you from a heavy impact. The car will never be the same, and it likely won't protect as well if they did repair it.

Yup. I even had a "Guess the damage" thread on my IS250.. the actual number came out quite a bit more than what many thought IIRC.

 

[NutBucket]

As for taxes, we don't pay sales taxes on cars in Alabama. However, we do pay significantly higher renewal rates on our tags. For example, my renewal, which is annoying due at the end of the month, is ~$260. It's listed as a $25 tag renewal, taxes, and a small processing fee.

Significantly higher than who? CA renewal on a car of the same vintage/value is at least $300 plus we pay sales tax...even when you transfer ownership of a used car.

No sympathy here for taxes. But, I agree that you should consider yourself lucky your vehicle is being written off.

 

[Wingznut]

My wife's 2014 Mazda 6 was recently totaled. I was prepared to battle State Farm, just knowing in my gut that they would try and lowball us. But they offered us a very fair settlement (a few hundred over KBB), so I was very thrilled about that. We had a check within five business days of the accident.

Hope your endeavor goes as smoothly.

 

[Wingznut]

However, we do pay significantly higher renewal rates on our tags. For example, my renewal, which is annoying due at the end of the month, is ~$260. It's listed as a $25 tag renewal, taxes, and a small processing fee.

Significantly higher than who? CA renewal on a car of the same vintage/value is at least $300 plus we pay sales tax...even when you transfer ownership of a used car.

No sympathy here for taxes. But, I agree that you should consider yourself lucky your vehicle is being written off.

Oregon, for one... In OR, we pay ~$100 for renewal, which includes the smog check. And no sales tax either.

 

[someone16]

My wife's 2014 Mazda 6 was recently totaled. I was prepared to battle State Farm, just knowing in my gut that they would try and lowball us. But they offered us a very fair settlement (a few hundred over KBB), so I was very thrilled about that. We had a check within five business days of the accident.

Hope your endeavor goes as smoothly.

I think its cuz insurance companies know we can just search online for comparable cars so easily they don't bother trying to lowball.

When my car was totalled, my insurance company just averaged out the dealer asking price of a similiar car (2006 BMW 325i) and gave us that.

 

[Zorba]

As for taxes, we don't pay sales taxes on cars in Alabama.

How about excise tax? In Oklahoma there is no sales tax, but there is a much lower excise tax (I think it is 3.25% here).

I had a friend who last year got Geico to go a little above NADA and pay him for his time off work to search for a new car. I think it was only like 4hrs @ $50/hr, but still an extra $200.

 

[master_shake_]

Looks can be deceiving. All modern cars have crumple zones and transfer impact through the entire frame. I have seen rear end impacts that twist and bend the front end of the car. Imagine what gets bent in between.

Be thankful they are totalling it. You wouldn't want to drive a car that has already done its job protecting you from a heavy impact. The car will never be the same, and it likely won't protect as well if they did repair it.

this

it's never the damage that you can see its the damage you can't see that costs.

 

[Aikouka]

Significantly higher than who? CA renewal on a car of the same vintage/value is at least $300 plus we pay sales tax...even when you transfer ownership of a used car.

I used to live in New York and Pennsylvania. Unless my memory fails me, in those states, you just pay sales tax and a fairly low renewal rate for your tag. Although, I believe New York's appears higher, but that's because it's for two years.

That seems pretty crazy about California though.

Looks can be deceiving. All modern cars have crumple zones and transfer impact through the entire frame. I have seen rear end impacts that twist and bend the front end of the car. Imagine what gets bent in between.

That's a good point. I was mostly just looking at the exterior to try and assess what was affected. I'll see if they'll give me the estimate to help appease my curiosity as to what they wanted to replace.

Be thankful they are totalling it. You wouldn't want to drive a car that has already done its job protecting you from a heavy impact. The car will never be the same, and it likely won't protect as well if they did repair it.

I also figure that totaling it will have a far quicker turn-around time than having to wait for the car to be repaired. Well... as long as I can find a replacement car. Speaking of that, I did actually find one that's fairly comparable. The only negatives are that it's white instead of black, which isn't the worst thing in sunny Alabama, and it's in Tennessee.

My wife's 2014 Mazda 6 was recently totaled. I was prepared to battle State Farm, just knowing in my gut that they would try and lowball us. But they offered us a very fair settlement (a few hundred over KBB), so I was very thrilled about that. We had a check within five business days of the accident.

Hope your endeavor goes as smoothly.

Thanks! I'm glad to hear that yours went well.

How about excise tax? In Oklahoma there is no sales tax, but there is a much lower excise tax (I think it is 3.25% here).

To be honest, I'm not really sure what that is!

I had a friend who last year got Geico to go a little above NADA and pay him for his time off work to search for a new car. I think it was only like 4hrs @ $50/hr, but still an extra $200.

There are some other factors that I might be able to get them to pay for. I'll need to go grab my bill of sale and such, as I'm sure I was one of those silly people that bought the extended warranty. They gave me free oil changes, so I wasn't complaining too much. Speaking of that, those oil changes constitute pre-purchased services. While they threw them in as a deal on my car, nothing's truly free.

 

[Wreckem]

I used to live in New York and Pennsylvania. Unless my memory fails me, in those states, you just pay sales tax and a fairly low renewal rate for your tag. Although, I believe New York's appears higher, but that's because it's for two years.

That seems pretty crazy about California though.



That's a good point. I was mostly just looking at the exterior to try and assess what was affected. I'll see if they'll give me the estimate to help appease my curiosity as to what they wanted to replace.



I also figure that totaling it will have a far quicker turn-around time than having to wait for the car to be repaired. Well... as long as I can find a replacement car. Speaking of that, I did actually find one that's fairly comparable. The only negatives are that it's white instead of black, which isn't the worst thing in sunny Alabama, and it's in Tennessee.



Thanks! I'm glad to hear that yours went well.



To be honest, I'm not really sure what that is!



There are some other factors that I might be able to get them to pay for. I'll need to go grab my bill of sale and such, as I'm sure I was one of those silly people that bought the extended warranty. They gave me free oil changes, so I wasn't complaining too much. Speaking of that, those oil changes constitute pre-purchased services. While they threw them in as a deal on my car, nothing's truly free.

The insurance isn't going to cover the extended warranty cost because you will(should) get back a prorated refund of that from the warranty company.

 

[bruceb]

They did the right thing by totaling the car. Especially with the rear quarter panels being buckled. Can't even tell how much under hood damage there is. Did your air bags also deploy ? Surprised the damage is not worse.

 

[Kaido]

That stinks! Glad to hear you're okay :thumbsup:

If you're looking for a replacement, I hear AE86's are nice this time of year :sneaky:

 

[smackababy]

As for taxes, we don't pay sales taxes on cars in Alabama. However, we do pay significantly higher renewal rates on our tags. For example, my renewal, which is annoying due at the end of the month, is ~$260. It's listed as a $25 tag renewal, taxes, and a small processing fee.

Ha! I only had to pay $25 per year on my car in Alabama. They give a steep military discount. =)

But, I did have to pay sales tax when registering it.

 

[Aikouka]

I found a rather interesting replacement car, but it has me a bit wary. :hmm: It's a 2013 Ford Taurus, which I like better than the Fusion, but I've always thought they were a bit too expensive for a Ford Taurus. My idea of a Taurus is that station wagon that my dad had when I was younger. Anyway, this car has an original factory invoice of $47.5k and its asking price is... $28.9k with 30k miles. Call me cynical, but that seems a bit too good to be true. Kelley Blue Book has that car with the same options (albeit, KBB is missing an option or two in the list) for $31.1k to $33.6k. Although, it is a Ford Certified Pre-Owned vehicle, and the CARFAX comes back clean. It says the car was a leased vehicle if that makes a difference.

They did the right thing by totaling the car. Especially with the rear quarter panels being buckled. Can't even tell how much under hood damage there is. Did your air bags also deploy ? Surprised the damage is not worse.

Nope. The air bags didn't deploy. One amusing thing is that Ford's touted 911 auto-dial system didn't work either. After the accident, it just sat there playing music, and I shut the car off. I can't remember for sure, but I believe the car shut the engine off and I just turned off all the electronics. Anyway, at one point, a cop asked if he could try to move my car, and I gave him the keys. I noticed him sort of fidgeting inside with it, so I poked my head in. He seemed to be starting it correctly, and I affirmed that he was doing it correctly; however, I looked at my infotainment screen to see the 911 prompt up. It said that it would dial 911 in 15 seconds. I said, "Pretty sure you guys are already here!", as I hit the cancel button.

Yeah... pretty sure that was supposed to occur after the accident... not the next time the car was started. Go, go MyFord Touch!

That stinks! Glad to hear you're okay :thumbsup:

If you're looking for a replacement, I hear AE86's are nice this time of year :sneaky:

Thanks! It's a bit of a hassle, but I try not to be too worried about it. I went and grabbed everything out of my car, but I'm still waiting on the Nationwide Total Loss guy to call me back. :\

Haha... are you trying to sell yours?

Ha! I only had to pay $25 per year on my car in Alabama. They give a steep military discount. =)

But, I did have to pay sales tax when registering it.

I wonder if that's just a military thing or something weird like that? I'm pretty sure I also pay a bit more than a friend of mine even though his car is worth more because he lives outside the city limits.

 

[MiataNC]

I found a rather interesting replacement car, but it has me a bit wary. :hmm: It's a 2013 Ford Taurus, which I like better than the Fusion, but I've always thought they were a bit too expensive for a Ford Taurus. My idea of a Taurus is that station wagon that my dad had when I was younger. Anyway, this car has an original factory invoice of $47.5k and its asking price is... $28.9k with 30k miles. Call me cynical, but that seems a bit too good to be true. Kelley Blue Book has that car with the same options (albeit, KBB is missing an option or two in the list) for $31.1k to $33.6k. Although, it is a Ford Certified Pre-Owned vehicle, and the CARFAX comes back clean. It says the car was a leased vehicle if that makes a difference.

I bet there is nothing wrong with that Taurus. The depreciation is insane. Partly because they original sticker is so high, and partly because they are not a popular make/model. People aren't going to jump when they see a lease return Taurus, and prices reflect that.

Another example is the 2011/2012 fully loaded Fusion. Lease returns with hardly any miles on them go for low $20s, because of the 2013 model refresh and people still not convinced they are as good or better than a Camry or Accord.

 

[smackababy]

I wonder if that's just a military thing or something weird like that? I'm pretty sure I also pay a bit more than a friend of mine even though his car is worth more because he lives outside the city limits.

I think it goes by county. But the $25 thing is for military stationed in AL. They don't require the full taxed payments, as you aren't a permanent resident. However, they don't actually require any proof. You just have to sign a slip stating you are claiming residence in another state, but registering your car in AL.

 

[SearchMaster]

I bet there is nothing wrong with that Taurus. The depreciation is insane. Partly because they original sticker is so high, and partly because they are not a popular make/model. People aren't going to jump when they see a lease return Taurus, and prices reflect that.

Another example is the 2011/2012 fully loaded Fusion. Lease returns with hardly any miles on them go for low $20s, because of the 2013 model refresh and people still not convinced they are as good or better than a Camry or Accord.

And I doubt it was originally purchased for anywhere near $47K. Truecar is showing savings of >$7K for a Taurus, so it was probably much closer to $39-40K than $47.5.

Is it a SHO? If not, Truecar is showing the low end Taurus as low as $20.9K - insane.

 

[Aikouka]

I bet there is nothing wrong with that Taurus. The depreciation is insane. Partly because they original sticker is so high, and partly because they are not a popular make/model. People aren't going to jump when they see a lease return Taurus, and prices reflect that.

Another example is the 2011/2012 fully loaded Fusion. Lease returns with hardly any miles on them go for low $20s, because of the 2013 model refresh and people still not convinced they are as good or better than a Camry or Accord.

I think what threw me for a bit of a loop is that there's another 2013 Taurus SHO for $36.9k, which had an original invoice of $45.2k. Although, that one has two things going for it: it's white and has ~10k less miles (21.5k miles vs. 30k miles). Personally, I like black cars, but there's no use denying that a white car is a hell of a lot less hotter in the sun, and we've got a lot of sun down here. My rental Maxima is white, and it's definitely a lot nicer to get into after work. That other car is also at a different dealer in a different state. So, it's not a great apples to apples comparison.

Overall, I'm tempted by the SHO since I miss the V6 power from my Altima as the I4T in the Fusion always felt a little anemic. It also has all the same technology that my Fusion had and then some.

And I doubt it was originally purchased for anywhere near $47K. Truecar is showing savings of >$7K for a Taurus, so it was probably much closer to $39-40K than $47.5.

Is it a SHO? If not, Truecar is showing the low end Taurus as low as $20.9K - insane.

Yep, it's a nearly fully-loaded SHO model.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Aside from a larger trunk - the Taurus is smaller inside than the Fusion.


- - - - - - - -Taurus- -Fusion
Front legroom 41.9 " 44.3 "
Rear legroom 38.1 " 38.3 "
Front headroom 39.0 " 39.2 "
Rear headroom 37.8 " 37.8 "
Front hiproom 56.3 " 55.0 "
Rear hiproom 55.8 " 54.4 "
Front shoulder room 57.9 " 57.8 "
Rear shoulder room 56.9 " 56.9 "
Passenger volume 102 cu.ft. 103 cu.ft.
Luggage volume 20.1 cu.ft. 16.0 cu.ft.

Taurus weighs 600lbs more as well.

And I'd buy a MKS over a Taurus - even worse depreciation and a tad bit more luxury. The Chrysler 300 is the superior vehicle in this class and since your down south, RWD is fine for you. The 3.6L & 8spd trans in the completely refreshed 2015's is really nice.

http://www.caranddriver.com/compari...-hyundai-genesis-lexus-es350-comparison-tests

 

[Aikouka]

And I'd buy a MKS over a Taurus - even worse depreciation and a tad bit more luxury. The Chrysler 300 is the superior vehicle in this class and since your down south, RWD is fine for you. The 3.6L & 8spd trans in the completely refreshed 2015's is really nice.

Hm, you certainly make a good point. Although, I do want to note that I am pretty much a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to change. It may be surprising given how many negative things you hear about it, but I like the way MyFord Touch works, and I really have no interest in the tech that other manufacturers have in their older cars (I'm not planning on buying new). Given that the tech is just about the same between the cars, I know that the Fusion and the Taurus will do exactly what I want. Although, the one thing that I know the Taurus doesn't have that the Fusion does is a mute button on the steering wheel. It's pretty handy since I have to go through gates often, and I prefer not blasting music at the poor attendants! The cool part is that it just pauses digital music rather than just muting it.

Now, to be fair... so will the MKZ since it should just have MyLincoln Touch... or whatever it's called. I'll look into the MKZ, but I can tell you from a cursory glance that I don't care much for MKZ's looks.