My 240Z has possibly been killed

[Inf]

I feel for you brother. Fight with them' date=' buy it back from them and repair it best you can. It's worth saving.

[/quote']

Thanks, I'm hoping the guys at the body shop make it all right. They have done great work for me in the past, and did all of the dealing with the insurance companies once I handed my car over to them last time. I hope this experience is similarly positive.

If it's repairable, hopefully I won't have to do anything, but if not, I will need to get involved and try to establish value...

[cygnusx1]

Sorry to see this. This is all too common. I hope they make it right for you. Even if you have to shell some cash out of pocket yourself, get her fixed. Almost anything can be fixed. Then, get classic insurance with an agreed value policy. Make sure the agreed value is accurate and has some wiggle room. I went through this last Summer. My damage was much less than yours. Still, it became very close to a total, and I lost nights of sleep over it. Even with $8,000 agreed value with Hagerty I was looking at a total loss because I chose an expensive restoration shop. I have since upped it to $15,000 agreed value.

Hagerty haggled with the restoration shop for me to get the repair cost down below the totaling threshold, which was around $6000 for my $8000 agreed value. Now that is service!

Edited January 5, 2011 by cygnusx1

[chaztg]

I work for an insurance company and I'm mildly amused by certain comments by fellow posters, but depite the popular misconceptions people may have about insurance processes I want to let you know that you'll be well taken care of if you do have the appropriate coverage; if you don't then that's your problem for not buying the right coverage. Plus, everything an insurer does is regulated according to the state you live in and anyway it's right there in the policy--which is a contract that cannot be deviated from. This is not the wild west where anything goes and please don't pin all your hopes on yer rootin' tootin' law-yah, because if you're not injured he's not making money with your case (attorneys don't make much if anything at all on property damage cases). So please, calm yourself, make sensible choices, mitigate and minimize your losses, speak with your claim rep and insurance agent if necessary and there's always your state's department of insurance regulation there for you if you feel you've been somehow ripped off or wrongly denied.

[cygnusx1]

I work for an insurance company and I'm mildly amused by certain comments by fellow posters, but depite the popular misconceptions people may have about insurance processes I want to let you know that you'll be well taken care of if you do have the appropriate coverage; if you don't then that's your problem for not buying the right coverage. Plus, everything an insurer does is regulated according to the state you live in and anyway it's right there in the policy--which is a contract that cannot be deviated from. This is not the wild west where anything goes and please don't pin all your hopes on yer rootin' tootin' law-yah, because if you're not injured he's not making money with your case (attorneys don't make much if anything at all on property damage cases). So please, calm yourself, make sensible choices, mitigate and minimize your losses, speak with your claim rep and insurance agent if necessary and there's always your state's department of insurance regulation there for you if you feel you've been somehow ripped off or wrongly denied.

Yes, it's all contracted EXCEPT for the fuzzy logic surrounding the value of the car. In a classic car that is not widely popular, it's a major piece of the equation that can be used by the insurance company to "make" the equations work.

[Inf]

I work for an insurance company and I'm mildly amused by certain comments by fellow posters, but depite the popular misconceptions people may have about insurance processes I want to let you know that you'll be well taken care of if you do have the appropriate coverage; if you don't then that's your problem for not buying the right coverage. Plus, everything an insurer does is regulated according to the state you live in and anyway it's right there in the policy--which is a contract that cannot be deviated from. This is not the wild west where anything goes and please don't pin all your hopes on yer rootin' tootin' law-yah, because if you're not injured he's not making money with your case (attorneys don't make much if anything at all on property damage cases). So please, calm yourself, make sensible choices, mitigate and minimize your losses, speak with your claim rep and insurance agent if necessary and there's always your state's department of insurance regulation there for you if you feel you've been somehow ripped off or wrongly denied.

Yeah, I am sincerely hoping things work out for the best. If the car is not totaled, I think things may be OK because I am confident my body shop will come through for me.

I admit that most of my negative conceptions about what insurance companies will and will not do are based on hearsay where I don't know the whole story. Luckily, I've only had to deal with this sort of problem once before, and it was for relatively minor damage.

I'm most worried about the car being totaled and not getting a settlement good enough for me to get a replacement vehicle that isn't a complete lemon/beater. I'm a poor self-supporting graduate student, so I really have zero margin aside from what the insurance company would give me. I'm hoping that the fact that it was the other guy's fault, and he has liability insurance (req. in Texas) will work in my favor. I've always been so careful with my car, it's such a shame to have it end like this.

If they total it, it will definitely not be my last Z. I should have a "real" job in a few years, and a new Z and complete restoration would definitely be priorities. Having worked my way through grad school so far, I haven't accumulated much debt, thank goodness.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Inf

[FastWoman]

Andrew, that's awful. At least you and your passenger were not injured. Hopefully the same was true of the other driver too. Good luck, because traffic accidents and insurance claims ARE the Wild, Wild West. The other driver might miraculously produce a friend/witness who just happened to be driving along behind him and saw the whole thing -- and saw unambiguously that YOU proceeded through the intersection when the minivan had a green arrow. And because the accident was YOUR fault (according to them), you would be liable for the pain and suffering from the horrible neck and back injuries the guy received and for loss of income as the guy had to quit his job. This scenario played out for a neighbor of mine. Unfortunately I think many, and perhaps even MOST, people will trump up a personal injury case if they are able.

In any collision situation, you need to round up witnesses, and you need to scan the area of the intersection for any surveillance cameras, so that you'll know whether you're able to subpoena surveillance tapes in your defense. Oddly, the car might be the least of your worries.

And yes, when dealing with claims agents, you WILL be low-balled. Most of us in antique car circles know this is the norm, as there is no blue book value to establish the worth of our cars. You really need an appraisal (which has just landed on my new year's resolution list). FAIW, I think some appraisers will do after-the-accident, forensic sorts of appraisals.

Good luck!

Edited January 5, 2011 by FastWoman

[geezer]

I'm glad you and your girlfriend and the other party escaped physical injury. I found this news very disturbing, knowing how you feel about your Z. You will know more after the damage has been fully assessed but from my first impressions from looking at the pic and your initial observations of the damage, I would say it can be fixed. If it was me, I would at least explore the possibility of a "buyback", if a write off and cash settlement can be reached. Maybe chaztg can offer some guideance but I would think it would also be in the best interest of the insurance companies involved, to reach a quick cash settlement thus eliminating costly rental cars and the increased case load.

Just thinking out loud. Good luck Andrew.

[EScanlon]

Chaztg:

While your post may be accurate as to insurance companies purported behavior, your bedside manner is deplorable.

Don't be conned by your self-interest, if an insurance company can find a way to mitigate it's loses, it will employ a batallion of lawyers to ensure it.

E

[Patcon]

Andrew,

If you need parts, headlight buckets, etc, let me know I have most of what you need if you get to repair your car (mutiple cars parted out). Let me know if you need something. If I have it, I will work something out for you for the cost of the freight only. I also have the heavier pieces (engines and trannies laying) around if you need something.

As for insurance companies, I have dealt with my fair share. They like to pay as little as possible. That helps with their profits. It might be all spelled out in the fine print of your contract, but it takes a legal degree to decipher it. I took two semesters of business law in college, and a contract is only good if both sides play by the rules. I have threatened legal action aginst insurance companies before. The other option is going up the food chain. One time my wife got all the way to a VP at Allstate before we got an acceptable settlement for a totaled vehicle. Kee us in the loop.

Charles

[pwd]

Chaztg,

One thing I learned from my recent "total" is that insurance companies are compartmentalized and the guy processing the claim initially has no clue about what goes on in the appraisal, or total department. I got handed off to at least 4 different people during the process, including an independent insurance investigator who had to get audio testimony from my wife and the other driver in the event the other driver were to file a lawsuit up to 2 years later, claiming injury or financial loss (yes, in Texas that's the law, even if the other party got the citation!).

So while I appreciate that you work in the insurance business, I have no problem offering my recent personal experience to Inf, who resides in the same State as myself, and is under the same policy umbrella.

[ArnieTX]

Whatever you do don't let them keep your car. Keep it yourself, there is still a lot u can recover and reuse.

[ajmcforester]

The insurance company would go after people if they found out you did this, if people put their cars up for sale at a higher price in the area than normal they would find him a higher price for his car.