r3v'd

[s0urce]

If you're not concerned about resale value, let them total the car. Take your settlement check, and make sure you get to keep the car.

Put the cash into the car to fix it and drive that sucker with a salvage title.

[BeirBrennerE30]

Best advice I can give is to not get talked into anything. They will tell you your car was shit and worth nothing. Dont take anything less than what you think its worth. Back it up with sale adds. Be prepared to argue.

Think of it as the opposite of buying the car. The insurance company is essentially buying the car from you. Negotiate it as if you were selling the car undamaged to somebody that basically knows nothing about it. Your in the drivers seat.

Sorry about this loss... this shit always sucks

[FredK]

i feel like rigmaster now only a lot better looking

bahahahahaha

[accident]

when my ETA got totalled it took them like 3 months to make me an offer of 1200. I told them to fuck themselves and sent in a shitton of craigslist ads as well as maintainence receipts. I eventually settled for $2500 because it wasnt that amazing of a car, but if I'd wanted to fight it out I could have probably got $4000. fight them until they make you an offer you're happy with.

[chadthestampede]

ok good advice so far. ive never had this happen so im ignorant/ do i just keep saying "no"
or do i have to threaten that my can tuck eee lawyer will come a knockin?
i assume i just say, no not good enough.

Basically, but don't hesitate to threaten them with a lawyer if anything seems sketchy. For me they took two dealer estimates from shady ford dealers 60 miles away when there is a BMW dealer not 15 minutes away. I threatened with a lawyer and they got a bit more responsive.

Also, it's probably better to do most of the contact through email, as stupid as it may sound. That way you get everything they say in writing, and they can't deny things like they kept doing with me over the phone.

[tim88325is]

You might to want to get a professional opinion on even mentioning a lawyer to the insurance company. Here in PA, someone turned into me and when talking to my friend/body guy, he told me that once the word "lawyer" or "lawsuit" has entered the conversation, the negotiations have to change.

I forget the details because this was a few years ago but it seemed like once a lawsuit or similar was threatened, the insurance company would stop the communicating with you and hand over their end to the lawyers to fight it out.

Not sure if this is the case everywhere or even in PA, but just thought I would throw that info out...

[BimmerTom]

When my Supra got wrecked, I was getting the runaround and lowball offers from the insurance company. Here's what I learned...

1) Mentioning a lawyer does make things happen a little quicker and they want to just settle.

2) Mentioning "all the new maintenance parts you just installed" won't get you very far. I just (less than a week before) installed all new struts. They could care less. It's the breaks of owning a car in their minds.




Best of all - Good luck. Be upfront and the better person and hopefully you'll come out on top.

Tom

[myinfernalbmw]

When I cashed in on my civic I was offered like $1500. I told them to fuck themselves, and they said fine show us proof it is worth more. I showed them NADA and KBB prices as well as local listings of similar rust-free cars. Well they came back with an offer of $4k, which I promptly took. Same shit happened when I was nearly murdered in my purples truck. Basically just start looking up values of similar cars, and print KBB and NADA values. Know what the car is worth, and how much you are going to take for it. Generally the insurance company will still try to fuck you, and threatening them with a lawyer is always a good decision.

[Maluco]

my 92 vert was tboned and considered totaled by the insurance company. I compiled a couple of invoices showing all the work that had been done to the car and ending up having the settlement raised by about 1500. I then negotiated with them and bought the car back for 400. Went from ~ 4500 to ~6000 with a few records and negotiating.

Furthermore, it seems there are two types of "total". The insurance can consider a car totaled and yet it not end up totaled as far as the state is concerned. You'd only be concerned with this if you were planning on selling the car though, as it would then have a salvaged title.

[z31maniac]

and threatening them with a lawyer is always a good decision.

Just so you fags know, an insurance company (especially a large one like State Farm/Allstate/Farmers) is NOT SCARED BY YOUR THREAT OF A LAWSUIT.

You realize State Farm has something like 650-700 in house lawyers on the payroll, right? In fact, most claim reps would rather talk to your lawyer then you're idiotic/hateful ranting.

And unless you were injured/surgery/hospital stay or something, all a lawyer is going to do is take a chunk of your settlement, not get you 500% more.

[Jonny Cash]

You'd be suprised. Some of these adjusters are car guys. Almost every time Ive been in this situation, Ive gotten more than a fair slice, granted I could buy the car back.

And every time the adjuster said basically the same thing. " Well it appears that you took very good care of this car and put alot of money into it, so I gave you max value" They gave me 4k for a Taurus SHO that on its best day was a 2500$ car.

Clean it up best you can, put your best set of wheels on it, and they should take care of you. Being that its an antique BMW, that should help your argument also.

[Jables]

Contribute something to the effing conversation or keep your mouse off the reply button.

Maybe you didnt realise, but post count is directly proportionate to the size of your penis.
OT - If you can't get them to pay out, buy it back and do the reps yourself?

[BustaRhymes325i]

first, i would have caved in his anus with my manplow, then I would drive to the insurance agency and drive through their atrium with a diesel truck.

[Rigmaster]

first, i would have caved in his anus with my manplow, then I would drive to the insurance agency and drive through their atrium with a diesel truck..........but, I don't even have my license yet, and Chad, my boss at Del Taco is such a DICKWEED, he wouldn't let me switch shifts with anyone so I had to go to work instead...........GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Fixed that for you to better reflect reality.

[myinfernalbmw]

Just so you fags know, an insurance company (especially a large one like State Farm/Allstate/Farmers) is NOT SCARED BY YOUR THREAT OF A LAWSUIT.

You realize State Farm has something like 650-700 in house lawyers on the payroll, right? In fact, most claim reps would rather talk to your lawyer then you're idiotic/hateful ranting.

And unless you were injured/surgery/hospital stay or something, all a lawyer is going to do is take a chunk of your settlement, not get you 500% more.

I always assumed that was the case, that they didn't give a shit about a legal threat. That was until my claims adjuster told me that no one likes insurance companies, especially other insurance companies, and that if they fucked around with me then he would call them and straighten everything out. From what he told me not many people will side with an insurance company in most legal fights especially if they are dragging ass over a measly few grand. And yes its probably true that those big name insurance companies have amassed quite a legal department. Guess what.... mine too.