car totaled... insurance claims negotiation?

[RoundGuy]

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geez, the first picture didn't seem so bad...then the 2nd and 3rd pics looks like the first car got into another accident.

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And gee, isn't it funny that the first car is black, and the 2nd/3rd is BLUE!!! That was some freakin' accident to actually change the car's color.

punkass needs to work on his comprehension skills.... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[punkass]

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geez, the first picture didn't seem so bad...then the 2nd and 3rd pics looks like the first car got into another accident.

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And gee, isn't it funny that the first car is black, and the 2nd/3rd is BLUE!!! That was some freakin' accident to actually change the car's color.

punkass needs to work on his comprehension skills.... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I = stupid.

[JMAnon]

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A quick question-

My car was totaled, and the insurance company offered me a settlement.

How negotiable is this figure? What points can I typically argue on?

I did some googling, but didn't come up with much.

My car:


His car:



I think I won [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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Initial offers are very negotiable, because the insurance company won't want to pay a lawyer to fight you in court. I got a pro bono client more than double KBB for his car. Your car looks old enough that you could sue in small claims court without the need for a lawyer. Start off with a high demand, and gradually come down as they go up. Hold out until just before your case is scheduled for trial and take the last offer.

[z28dreams]

Any suggestions for other replacement cars to beat on for a while? (~10k)

I'm leaning towards an 02 maxima right now, just because I like the torquey 3.5L VQ engine.

I'm not sure if I could bring myself to drive another 4cyl, even though gas is killing me.

[z28dreams]

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Initial offers are very negotiable, because the insurance company won't want to pay a lawyer to fight you in court. I got a pro bono client more than double KBB for his car. Your car looks old enough that you could sue in small claims court without the need for a lawyer. Start off with a high demand, and gradually come down as they go up. Hold out until just before your case is scheduled for trial and take the last offer.

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Wow, this seems ridiculously high? How were you able that they should pay more than double the car was worth?

Was this including bodily injury too, or just the negotiation for the vehicle?

[DaffyDuck]

I got my insurance company to almost double what they orignally offered. It was a 96 Saturn (totaled in 2006) They offered 2200 which was approximately KBB, I ended up getting 4k by citing adverts online and in the paper showing all the local avaliable were for at least 4k (private owner) vs some over 5k from dealer.

I had debated for a couple years dropping the collision coverage on it but it was only like $220 a year so I kept it.

WTF KBB?

Bob

[Twistofsin]

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Any suggestions for other replacement cars to beat on for a while? (~10k)

I'm leaning towards an 02 maxima right now, just because I like the torquey 3.5L VQ engine.

I'm not sure if I could bring myself to drive another 4cyl, even though gas is killing me.

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Get a frigging manual transmission and having a 4cyl won't matter in regards to acceleration. I had a Prelude SI and now have a Sentra, both stick and there's no comparing them to a 4cyl automatic.

[cpitt398]

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Initial offers are very negotiable, because the insurance company won't want to pay a lawyer to fight you in court. I got a pro bono client more than double KBB for his car. Your car looks old enough that you could sue in small claims court without the need for a lawyer. Start off with a high demand, and gradually come down as they go up. Hold out until just before your case is scheduled for trial and take the last offer.

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sweet, Im sure we are all glad we can pay higher rates so people can get double what their car is worth.

I had a Civic stolen a few years ago and the insurance company gave me 13K i believe. I payed 15K for it 3 years earlier and it had been in an accident and repaired, so I believe (at least mine) they are pretty fair about the value.

[ToTheFelt]

I work for an insurance company in claims for bodily injury and total losses.

The value is complied, not by KBB or Edmunds, but by a 3rd party that has huge databases that search all cars for sale that are like kind and quality to what you have. Increasing the value is miles, condition and additions to your car like sunroof, wheels, engine, etc. The database search companies give a current "market value" based on the info I stated above and where you live and that market area.

The offers they make you are really "fair," but you can have increases based on some engine mods you recently did, or maybe you replaced all the tires and they are still new... stuff like that that is recent and verifiable through docs from your mechanic or similar.

[jaydub]

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Any suggestions for other replacement cars to beat on for a while? (~10k)

I'm leaning towards an 02 maxima right now, just because I like the torquey 3.5L VQ engine.

I'm not sure if I could bring myself to drive another 4cyl, even though gas is killing me.

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Get a frigging manual transmission and having a 4cyl won't matter in regards to acceleration. I had a Prelude SI and now have a Sentra, both stick and there's no comparing them to a 4cyl automatic.

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Z,

That VQ is a beauty though I doubt you can get it in the 10K range. Drawback to the Maxima is of course the FWD.

Twist,

I'm glad you've enjoyed your 4 cylinders but you basically have no clue what you are talking about. Yes the manual is more responsive but no it does not magically double torque. Drive a 350Z with any transmission and then reconsider your position.

J