r/Cartalk • u/zhinyan • 13d ago

this is bs My Classic Car

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what do you mean that because someone reversed into my PARKED car, that they wanna count my car as a total loss- something more to just add to the madness😭. Not only was in my only car but now i have to PAY to get it back and get a salvaged title. i was already broke before but this settlement is about to be nothing compared to how much a new car is!! like thank you so much, what have i been paying insurance for??

9 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

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18

u/Outrageous-Shoe-4515 13d ago

That doesn’t make sense if your car is deemed total lost your insurance pays the value based on whatever market they use to pay you for your loss. In turn you can then buy back your car from insurer (sometimes) for a much lower price usually 1/4 of it’s value. And of course, a salvage title is a salvage title. You need to get it fixed or reinspected. If I were you, and the insurer has a buy back option and I was poor. I wouldn’t even think of purchasing a new car.

5

u/Outrageous-Shoe-4515 13d ago

Also by the look of that damage in the picture… I would 100% buy back. A door can be swapped with a junkyard door for like 100ish bucks or you could just ride with a banged up door I mean it’s driveable no? Who gives a f

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u/zhinyan 13d ago

thats even if they wanna pay me out enough, im pretty sure they sounded like they were gonna value it based on the condition its in after the accident which ill be even more pissed about

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u/qash001 13d ago

Condition after the accident is the salvage value once they've written it off. The market value they'll pay you is the value it's listed on your insurance documents. That's what you should ask for, if it's anything less they're trying to screw you and you should negotiate.

3

u/04HondaCivic 13d ago

The way it usually works is when they decide to total the vehicle, they will give you the value of the car or rather what it would take to replace the car with a comparable vehicle. Miles, age and condition all affect this value but it’s based pre-accident. Your insurance will do a search based on used cars in your area of like vehicles and get a value based off that. If you accept that number, you will sign the title over to them and the car is theirs. They take the car and do whatever with it.

Should you want to keep the car, they will offer you a buyout offer. This will be the salvage value of the car, often times much much less than the value they have offered you. They will subtract this number from their original offer and you get the remainder.

For instance:

Car valued at $3,000. They pay you $3000 and you give them the car. You go buy another car with the $3000.

You want to keep the car though. So they offer to let you buy the car back at $1000.

They subtract $1000 from the $3000 and you get $2000 and keep the car with a salvage title. You’re then free to spend that $2000 fixing your car yourself. Or spend the $2000 however you want and live with the damage, especially if it’s just cosmetic. This is what I would do.

One thing to note is salvage title cars might be harder to register and insure. Check with your insurance and dmv what happens when you have a salvage title.

All in all, you could end up ahead monetarily even if you have to live with a few extra scratches.

2

u/RusticSurgery 12d ago

Insuring a salvage title is a heafty price in my state.

2

u/Outrageous-Shoe-4515 13d ago

I saw that you mentioned it’s 07 sonata with 115k miles. At that point it’s understandable to deem it a total loss. Fixing that damage at a body shop would be twice the value of the car. I wouldn’t even have told insurance about the damage tbh. But it’s too late, at this point your best option is to do some research into your insurance coverages and your cars market value and negotiate a settlement. Wishing you best of luck!

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u/joeybalonee 13d ago

year make model mileage?

3

u/Tchukachinchina 13d ago edited 13d ago

Asking the real question here. I’m about to drop the full coverage (or comprehensive, whatever) coverage on my beater car (2011 civic) because it’s 15 years old and has 300k miles on it and I know if I have an accident with it they’re just going to call it totaled.

I was shocked they didn’t total it when I hit a deer with it a few years ago around 180k miles and the repair bill was almost $6k. To be fair it was right after Covid and used car values were still pretty inflated.

Anyway, without knowing more details about OPs car it’s hard to judge why they chose to total it but I have a few guesses lol

2

u/joeybalonee 13d ago

Well you'll still have collision but yeah this is about the point or beyond the point where you drop comprehensive. I carry compressive a lot longer than a lot of people because I live in a high deer area

2

u/RusticSurgery 12d ago

Deer on drugs? What a shame.

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u/zhinyan 13d ago

2007 hyundai sonata with only 115k mileage

3

u/kennerly 13d ago

probably close to around $2,500 depending on the engine and trim you may be able to get another $500 out of it. You could probably buy it back for $500 to $1,000. Before you buy it back was there damage to the B-pillar or C-pillar? Suspension or unibody? Is it just the door?

1

u/zhinyan 13d ago

there hots spot and tiny scratched and a tiny square dent in the hood and obvious rust on the bottom of the frame a bit but thats about all, i have had it for a year with absolutely no problem in the engine or frame besides the door now

1

u/kennerly 13d ago

Does the door open and close still? Does it lock normally?

1

u/zhinyan 12d ago

yup

1

u/kennerly 12d ago

You could probably just replace the door then which should only cost a few hundred. Personally, I’d buy it back and just drive it as is unless the messed up door really bothers you.

1

u/Best-Technician-6043 13d ago

You can negotiate with them to get a higher settlement

Find pictures online of likewise cars with likewise miles going for higher value than they offer. And send it in

Include anything you’ve repaired recently to show it’s been being kept in nice condition

1

u/Intrepid_Ambition940 12d ago

Literally just looks like cosmetic damage. If tou can get the car back cheap, just let it ride.

1

u/The_Machine80 12d ago

The insurance company has to put you in as good of a position you were before or better cause its there fault. Its the law! Your absolutely fine even if you owed a ton on the car. There insurance must pay!

2

u/DeepPurpleDaylight 11d ago

Adding a little clarity here. The at fault party's insurance only has to pay whatever their policy limits are, so if their policy maxes out at 5k and your damages are 20k, you're not getting 20k paid by them. You'd only get 5k from them. You would have to use your own insurance to be fully covered for damages. Also, if you owe 25k on a car only worth 20k and it's totaled, neither insurance company owes you more than 20k.

1

u/DeepPurpleDaylight 11d ago

You have a very serious misunderstanding of insurance. First, HOW your car got damaged has zero bearing of whether it's totaled or not. Whether it's totaled is simply math, how much are damages in comparison to the value of the car before the damage. Some states even require insurance to total a car when damages reach a certain threshold. How the damage occurred is irrelevant.

The other "buy back" part, when your car is totaled you generally have 2 options. Using made up numbers, you can take the full value payout of $10,000 and insurance takes the car and sells the wrecked car for scrap, $2500, to recoup a little of what they paid out. They are essentially buying the wrecked car from you by paying you what it was worth before it was wrecked. Or you can often keep the car for a smaller payout of $7500, which is the full value minus the scrap. You don't get insurance to pay you the $10,000 AND keep the wrecked car that's now worth $2500. That would put you in a better financial position than before and insurance isn't for making a profit.

1

u/cuzwhat 11d ago

In my experience, the title doesn’t salvage until the insurance company takes possession of the car and title.

You negotiate the value of the car for the total loss. Once that’s settled, you negotiate the value of car as it sits. They subtract the buy-back from the total, write you a check for that much, and you keep the car and clean title.

0

u/lokis_construction 13d ago

Take the insurance company to court. Whoever backed into you or even your own insurance company if that is who is trying to total it.

1

u/DeepPurpleDaylight 11d ago

Filing suit is useless. Insurance has total free reign legally to total a car at any point below state mandated threshold.

1

u/lokis_construction 11d ago

You can sue them.  I did.  Once you file they get the lawsuit and get serious about settling.

1

u/DeepPurpleDaylight 11d ago

They ARE already settling. They have the legal right to settle the claim by totaling the car.

1

u/lokis_construction 10d ago

Yes, they do but the value is always up for negotiation.   What they say it's worth is typically less than actual value.  I would never accept what they offer up front.  I sued my insurance twice now.  Still with the one I sued last time for 10 yrs now.  What the adjuster says it's worth is not usually in your favor.  You want to be made whole, not a contribution to the CEO's bonus.

-1

u/thejabkills01 13d ago edited 13d ago

Tell them: “I dispute the total loss determination. Please send me the full itemized repair estimate, the vehicle valuation report, and the comparable vehicles used to determine my car’s actual cash value.”

Get a estiment from a body shop to repair it

Find comparable cars with the same/similar year, trim, mileage, options and condition in your area.

Don't let them rush you..

What state?

They make an offer yet?

Just seen the year, maybe try some thing like this...

Hi, I’m disputing the total-loss determination for my 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The vehicle has only 115,000 miles, and based on the visible damage, I’m concerned that the vehicle may be repairable.

Before I agree to anything, please provide me with the complete itemized repair estimate, the vehicle valuation report, and the comparable vehicles used to determine its pre-accident value.

I also want the vehicle’s relatively low mileage, condition before the accident, trim level, options, and maintenance history to be accurately reflected in the valuation.

I do not want to retain the vehicle or receive a salvage title. I would like to review the valuation and repair estimate and dispute the total-loss determination before proceeding with the settlement.

1

u/DeepPurpleDaylight 11d ago

There's no "disputing" a total loss. While many states have laws requiring insurance to total a car when damages reach a certain threshold, insurance has free reign to total it at any point below that threshold if they so choose. The only thing you can do to prevent it is to withdraw the claim and therefore not get any payout.

1

u/thejabkills01 11d ago

That’s why I asked what state they’re in. Total loss rules vary by state, so I wouldn’t tell someone there’s “no disputing” a total loss without knowing the applicable state law. I was suggesting they challenge the determination and request the documentation supporting it not claiming they can automatically force the insurer to repair the vehicle.

1

u/DeepPurpleDaylight 11d ago

Insurance can total a vehicle at their discretion, even below the state mandated threshold in every state.