Insurance company said my car was totalled

[Anonymous]

I've never been in a car accident before until last week and it was a doozy. I was hit from behind and the driver's insurance has taken responsibility for the whole thing - step me up with a rental etc. But, I just got the estimate to fix my car and it is over $20k. My car was in great condition, low miles, but the cost to fix is more than the value of my old car. I'm sure they will say it was totaled. I'm so upset because buying a new car won't be easy or cheap or quick. Is there anything I can do to put myself in a better situation? How do I make sure they give me the most amount possible for my car?

[Anonymous]

Assuming that you don't want to go the lower back pain or whiplash pain and suffering route to a nice new car, Get it appraised and be willing to sue if they come in low. They can say they're going by blue book, but you're entitled to the value. If they low ball you, send a demand letter to their insured. Make them think that you're willing to sue so that they put pressure on their insurance company. Of course the soft tissue injury route is probably easier

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry OP. Are you physically OK? Same with any passengers—are they OK? Once you cash the check, you agree to the settlement amount, so if you have injuries, get them assessed. Also, if you had a car seat, buy a replacement, and send the receipt to the insurance company—they will reimburse for the seat.

Some ideas: get the blue book value of your car. You’ll have options of certain possible transaction prices. Go with the highest (should be buying from a dealer). Then go online to find the car(s) closest to replacing yours, make a PDF of the listing in case you need it to negotiate.

Finally, depending on what damage was done, if you really want your car, you can take the $20k (or whatever the estimate was), and have the car repaired yourself. I did that once when I had a situation of a very low mileage but older car. I was allowed to keep my rental until the damage was repaired too. I used an independent mechanic and body shop instead of the dealership that insurance used for the estimate, and ended up breaking even. It was a little bit of a hassle, but it’s an option.

[Anonymous]

This just happened with us. Our car was deemed a loss even though it was still drivable. Our car was older, 2007, and the loss value was actually good for us. Plus our insurance gave us the option to purchase our car back (so we received loss value - salvage value).

Not sure if any of this applies to you but my advice is to sit back and wait for the information to come to you. Unless of course you are with geico. They’re terrible. We have State Farm who were great during our claim.

Good luck. Hope all is ok with you otherwise.

[Anonymous]

If you’re in Virginia they use NADA not blue book.

[Anonymous]

Don't accept the first offer. Ask for the appraisal report. They do not always account for all your packages/options. Submit receipts for any recent repairs, tires, etc. They may up the value a bit for those. Ask for money for child safety seats. They should be replaced even if no one was in them.

I've successfully done all of those, but the cars were worth much less than $20k. These maybe get you hundreds more, not thousands, but every little bit may help you.

Also agree with finding the most similar cars for sale and using those to negotiate if needed.

They should also pay for taxes, tags, registration.

[Anonymous]

This happened to us. The cost of body work has gone through the roof. Cars are disposable.