another one bites the dust

No insurance company in their right mind would ever authorize a repair to this vehicle. The replacement of those damaged panels would be labor prohibitive, not to mention the integrity of the uni-body construction being severely compromised. The car would have to be literally deconstructed to replace all those panels. Nope... It ain't going to happen.

 

It really depends on what state you're in as to what constitutes the amount for a total loss. My 2000 Contour was between my husband's 1995 Passport and a newer 4Runner. This happened in 2004, so the Contour was 4 years old. The damage wasn't much, it was driveable but because of state law with no headlights I couldn't drive it. My dad's friend has a shop doing auto body repair and has been doing it for many years (I think he's in his 60's) and is known in the area for top quality work. He repaired the car but insurance totaled it, we bought it back for $500 and had it repaired because the money we got from insurance was more than it'd cost to repair it. I still have the car and it is still in working order.

But any reputable insurance company is going to say that's a total loss. The costs to repair it after being hit by a tree are too great. Modern cars are built on a unibody frame and to repair them from such damage would be costly.

Also, in North Carolina if the costs to repair a damaged vehicle exceed 20% of the value they total it by law. I don't think insurance companies look at total value from KBB's private sales value either, they probably look at wholesale or trade in value.

 

It is 75% of the "actual cash value" but it never defines what they consider cash value. So they may want to repair it then.

LIS > Code of Virginia > 46.2-1602.1

 

About 25 or so years ago, I had a Celica GT totaled out by the insurance company for hail damage of all things. The damage was way less severe than shown in the OP. Sometimes it's weird how they do things.

Glad you're safe, and best wishes it's all resolved soon.

 

You and me, both.

 

Sorry. See how much you could buy it back for. It won't be much, like $500 or so. Then take the battery out and sell it for extra $ and then sell the car to a junk yard for even more money. You'll get your $500 back and then some. That's what I'd do.

I should mention for those not familiar with insurance buy backs like this they will still give you the 18297 - 500 for the car if you buy it back. So you won't be losing money doing this.

 

Never been lucky enough to buy back a totaled for the price of scrap. My '10 Mazda was totaled with 24K miles and the insurance offered it to me for $2500, I'd have jumped on a $500 offer as I'd put $900 worth of tires on it 4 days before the total.

 

Wow. My dad has been able to buy back our totaled cars for $500 twice. I wonder if it depends on the insurance company. In our cases it was totaled by fault of another driver so I think their insurance company had to pay out for our cars. Both times it was State Farm. Of course this was back in 2002 and 2004 so the price of scrap metal has probably gone up since but I can't imagine it going up that much that your insurance company offered $2500.

 

I got exactly $500 from the insurance company for my totaled out Celica GT, which basically meant I accepted a check for $500 less and just kept the car (all it needed was a windshield to be drivable; the rest was just aesthetic hail damage), but that was 25ish years ago. It would surprise me to pay only that much now for a nicer/newer car.

 

Nowadays insurance companies sell totaled cars to people that part them out....and they usually get several thousand bucks for them.
I'd leap at the chance to buy Marc's car for 2500!!

......so would thousands of others, which is why you can get a motor, battery, CVT, and the zillion other parts off of eBay for 10% of the dealer price. If the ACV is 18-ish I wouldn't be surprised if they try to get 7-8 thou for the hulk....and somebody with a body shop might just buy it and try to get it back on the street with a salvage title.

Let us know.
Poision Ivy?
You lucked out. I'm recovering from poison oak as I tap this.

You got the better deal!


Keep us posted!

 

I don't know. We bought back the Contour for $500 after the accident that totaled it, it was only 4 years old at the time.

 

Check this out Marc
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Are they really nitpicking that much over it? That sucks.

 

Hmm.. is it against board policy to ask who your insurance company is?

 

I didn't mean to sound like I was doubting you. Insurance companies are weird. Like I've never had this experience like the OP of the insurance company nitpicking everything. That car was the only car I've ever had totaled on a full coverage policy, and they barely walked around it (seriously, less than 5 minutes looking at it) before declaring it totaled and offering a better-than-I-expected check even minus the $500 difference for me keeping it. It was a dang nice car for its time, not trashed or anything.

I feel like maybe my day is coming, and knocking on wood, but I have had fabulous customer service with my insurance company then and since then. I hadn't filed a claim in the 25ish years since then until last year when I had had two, one just for a windshield ding. The other was more serious and involved a rental car and all that. Both times were seriously headache free. They took care of everything and did not let up until I was satisfied. That's what I'm used to. I know so many people who have been screwed over by car insurance, but (knocking on wood, throwing salt over my shoulder, rubbing a box of Lucky Charms), I have always had better-than-expected and even downright spectacular service.

OP, I'm sorry they're giving you a hard time. I would be livid. Can you throw the original mats and some cheap wiper blades at them? And what's up with knocking off for dirt in a car that had a tree fall on it?

 

Never got the impression you did. I didn't mean to sound like I had.