What to expect when dealing with a insurance for a totaled car ?

[dam itz lou]

So to make a long story short my car was parked on the street and 2 people who were driving got into a accident and one of the cars totaled mine.

I've already had the adjuster come out and he declared the car totaled yesterday. The person from his insurance that was handling my claim told me I should expect a call from the total loss department early this week. The adjuster said they use NADA to value cars.

It was a civic 2000 SI w/ 102k on it. My car was stock. The only thing I changed was the radio. I had a custom paint job on it. My problem is there's only 2 of them on autotrader.com and cars.com.

The insurance that's going to pay me is state farm. I've read a couple stories half good and half not so good.

What should I expect ?

What are some things I could do to maximize the money I'm going to get ?

Anything I should have ready if the adjuster low balls me ?

 

[Bert.]

you will get what the car is worth at the moment, so its most likely less than what you paid.

 

[unknwn]

You'll get a good chunk of change, definitely enough to get the same car or something better. Good luck man

 

[thegr8blkhope]

just totaled my car (progressive). just already know the nada value when they call so you can know if they lowball. then you can tell them the kind of upgrades you put on car and try to bargain up. they want a quick response to get things resolved ASAP so just have your ducks in a row. my process was pretty easy, they offered me a price and i knew for a fact that it was more than what my car was worth so i accepted. i just had to release car to the insurance agency and they handed me my check. took abt 2 days, make sure you get reimbursed for your sales tax (if youre buying another car).

 

[dam itz lou]

I'm hoping it gets resolved that quickly for me. I'm paying a extra $9 a day for the rental just in case there's any damage on the car when I give it back (NYC parking). I'm still going to see if I get that back. I don't think I should pay anything since this wasn't my fault at all. I just want to have any info ready so I don't have to go back & fourth with them.

 

[flip5stacks]

http://www.kbb.com/whats-my-car-worth/

I was amazed how much value a Honda holds. I recently totaled my 2007 Civic (25k miles) and got over $16k for it. At this point, there is nothing you can do to change the value of the car. Once you agree to the settlement offer, you'll have to sign over the title to the insurance company if you're not planning on keeping the car and you should get a check within a week.

 

[dam itz lou]

Who's your insurance company ? I read a lot of companies don't use KBB because they over value cars.

I'm actually looking to get a 8th generation civic now.

 

[flasurfing]

just totaled my car (progressive). just already know the nada value when they call so you can know if they lowball. then you can tell them the kind of upgrades you put on car and try to bargain up. they want a quick response to get things resolved ASAP so just have your ducks in a row. my process was pretty easy, they offered me a price and i knew for a fact that it was more than what my car was worth so i accepted. i just had to release car to the insurance agency and they handed me my check. took abt 2 days, make sure you get reimbursed for your sales tax (if youre buying another car).

Upgrades aren't covered b.

Unless they are scheduled on your policy.

you should receive close to book value.....

I would find the mean of edmunds, nada, and kbb, and ask for that 

If they already told you they use nada, then thats most likely what you should expect.  don't really see why this was posted because they already answered your question.  You can find the nada value online.

Keep in mind insurance fraud is a felony  ( just saying in case you were thinking of getting over on them... it is not worth it.)

You could look for comparable cars at dealerships to see if they are lowballing you.  

Overall though, you should get treated right.... State Farm is one of the most reputable auto insurance  companies out there imo.

source: 7 years as a property & casualty insurance broker (mostly commercial property and liability tho), but I started out with auto/home

 

[dam itz lou]

I'm not trying to get over on them but I am trying to get the max amount I could get so I could put it towards my next car. There's not to many 2000 SIs out there. There's only 2 on autotrader and cars.com. Any private sellers I found modded the hell out of it. I've lost 3 days of vacation/sick days at work because I couldn't get to work. I was walking a half hour to meet a coworker to get to work but he took Christmas and NYE off so lost those 2 days and the day of the accident.

I already saved them plenty of money since I left the car on the street for 3 weeks risking a ticket instead of at the shop because he was full. The accident happened on the 17th and on the 19th I got the police report. I called them to start the claim and they didn't want to accept liability because the other driver left the scene but then came back. There driver was at a stop sign and said he saw it was clear to go but the police report showed him hitting him in the rear of the car so I knew they couldn't blame the other guy 100% even though he was speeding. I chased the other insurance for a week+ for nothing once I got in contact with the person handling my claim he said they weren't accepting liability because there driver was hit in the rear so it couldn't of been clear to go. I called state farm back and told them what they told me and she quickly gave me a rental. I didnt understand why couldn't they do that the week before.

 

[flasurfing]

I'm not trying to get over on them but I am trying to get the max amount I could get so I could put it towards my next car. There's not to many 2000 SIs out there. There's only 2 on autotrader and cars.com. Any private sellers I found modded the hell out of it. I've lost 3 days of vacation/sick days at work because I couldn't get to work. I was walking a half hour to meet a coworker to get to work but he took Christmas and NYE off so lost those 2 days and the day of the accident.

I already saved them plenty of money since I left the car on the street for 3 weeks risking a ticket instead of at the shop because he was full. The accident happened on the 17th and on the 19th I got the police report. I called them to start the claim and they didn't want to accept liability because the other driver left the scene but then came back. There driver was at a stop sign and said he saw it was clear to go but the police report showed him hitting him in the rear of the car so I knew they couldn't blame the other guy 100% even though he was speeding. I chased the other insurance for a week+ for nothing once I got in contact with the person handling my claim he said they weren't accepting liability because there driver was hit in the rear so it couldn't of been clear to go. I called state farm back and told them what they told me and she quickly gave me a rental. I didnt understand why couldn't they do that the week before.

What took so long for the police report?  you should have got one on th e17th the day of the accident.

Who was ticketed for the accident??? 9 times out of ten that will be the liable party.

Who is your insurance through???  you can always call them, give them the police report, they should take care of your car if they are worth two turds, and they will subrogate (go after) against the other company/party.  (honestly this is your best bet if you are having problems)

Maybe i am feeling a little silly 

, but I'm not able to get a mental picture of the accident scene by your description. what exactly happened?

 

[dam itz lou]

4 cars were involved. 2 of them were parked.

1 of them was a taxi and from what my mechanic told me there insurances are the worst to deal with. It ended up being the truth. In NY it takes 24-48 hrs to get a copy of a police report. the guy that has State Farm said he stopped at the stop sign, checked if it was clear then kept going. Then the taxi came speeding towards him and he hit him in the rear quarter panel and that made him hit my car and the other car. I don't know what the State Farm guy said but I find it hard to believe he bounced off my car and then another car accross the street. My car was hit on the corner passenger side in the back pretty bad. I cAnt imagine him bouncing off of my car. I'm thinking he tried getting away and his car was messed up and then he hit the other car. Taxi left and then came back. He tried saying the car was stolen 3 months but it was never reported. Then he couldn't get his story straight at the scene which was noted on the police report. He couldnt explain how the car was driven with keys. He got a ticket leaving the scene of a accident.

Taxi has some BS insurance called maya assurance. Youtube it, its a joke. Once I got the report they weren't picking up the phone the Friday before Christmas so I had to personally go there to start the claim. I didn't speak to the adjuster she gave me until last week. He wouldn't pick up his phone or wouldn't give me a call back but he sent a adjuster who came to look at the car. When I finally spoke to him he tells me there not going to pay because according to the report the guy hit the taxi in the rear so it couldn't of been clear to keep going.He said it doesn't matter if he left the scene, that doesn't change who's liable. He just paniced. I wasted a week and a half chasing them for the money. Then I went to State Farm and told them what they said. she quickly gave me a rental and it looks like there going to accept liability. The problem with State Farm is the guy only has 15k in property damage and if he's liable then he has 3 cars to fix.

I have geico but I only have liability.

 

[flasurfing]

4 cars were involved. 2 of them were parked.

1 of them was a taxi and from what my mechanic told me there insurances are the worst to deal with. It ended up being the truth. In NY it takes 24-48 hrs to get a copy of a police report. the guy that has State Farm said he stopped at the stop sign, checked if it was clear then kept going. Then the taxi came speeding towards him and he hit him in the rear quarter panel and that made him hit my car and the other car. I don't know what the State Farm guy said but I find it hard to believe he bounced off my car and then another car accross the street. My car was hit on the corner passenger side in the back pretty bad. I cAnt imagine him bouncing off of my car. I'm thinking he tried getting away and his car was messed up and then he hit the other car. Taxi left and then came back. He tried saying the car was stolen 3 months but it was never reported. Then he couldn't get his story straight at the scene which was noted on the police report. He couldnt explain how the car was driven with keys. He got a ticket leaving the scene of a accident.

Taxi has some BS insurance called maya assurance. Youtube it, its a joke. Once I got the report they weren't picking up the phone the Friday before Christmas so I had to personally go there to start the claim. I didn't speak to the adjuster she gave me until last week. He wouldn't pick up his phone or wouldn't give me a call back but he sent a adjuster who came to look at the car. When I finally spoke to him he tells me there not going to pay because according to the report the guy hit the taxi in the rear so it couldn't of been clear to keep going.He said it doesn't matter if he left the scene, that doesn't change who's liable. He just paniced. I wasted a week and a half chasing them for the money. Then I went to State Farm and told them what they said. she quickly gave me a rental and it looks like there going to accept liability. The problem with State Farm is the guy only has 15k in property damage and if he's liable then he has 3 cars to fix.

I have geico but I only have liability.

Well Damn....

Sorry to break it to you, but your in a pickle OP

Not sure about NY, but in FL the 15k would be split amongst all of the claimants pro-rating the percentage of 15k damage done to their respective cars/# of cars .  So now it depends on how much the other cars were damaged.

Saying they were equally damaged, the amount would be split up equally.....it will all be 

You can still go after the state farm guy for the remaining damages, but its a tossup whether you will ever see that $$$

If you would have had collision coverage you would have physical damage coverage in the case of a not at fault accident with an uninsured/underinsured driver.

Not sure if it will help, but call Geico and see if they can help you at all.  make sure you give them everyone's insurance info/policy #'s and hope for the best.

Keep us posted OP in your dealings with the claims adjusters

 

[asianplayer]

Were you not happy with the NADA price? You can try and bring up the radio you put in there to get a little more, but not guaranteed you'll get something. Good luck on finding a new car. I know the feeling. A couple years back I got rear ended and my car was totaled. Whole thing is a really big inconvenience.

 

[sunshineblotters]

For insurance you get what you paid for. I totalled my car 3 weeks ago when I rolled it over. Because I got All State, despite it being expensive. I got almost the amount it would cost me to replace the car and a free 30 day rental from Enterprise.

My friend named his price on car insurance and is out of a brand new car.

 

[dam itz lou]

Well Damn....

Sorry to break it to you, but your in a pickle OP

Not sure about NY, but in FL the 15k would be split amongst all of the claimants.

You can still go after the state farm guy for the remaining damages, but its a tossup whether you will ever see that $$$

If you would have had collision coverage you would have physical damage coverage in the case of a not at fault accident with an uninsured/underinsured driver.

Not sure if it will help, but call Geico and see if they can help you at all.  make sure you give them everyone's insurance info/policy #'s and hope for the best.

That sucks 

It's the same in NY when it comes to splitting the property damage. I might get lucky since I'm the 1st person to report it. Another thing with the guy with State Farm is his license is form Seattle and the car was registered to a family member in Maryland. I'm already after the State Farm guy. I know the story is a little confusing but I'm typing on my iPhone. I'm just hopin they pin something on the taxi. I think he's up to something. I don't think its all him just panicing, he left the scene and kept lying. I'm just hoping to get fully compensated and let them battle it out.

Asianplayer, I'd be happy with th NADA price + the DMV fees and taxes. It really is a headache. It's alot of going back n fourth.

 

[thenewjs23]

I have never totalled my car but I have had friends total theirs. They will call you with their buyout. My uncle totalled his car and they gave him 6500 and said he could buy it back for 1500. Thats what they would have got for it at auction. So, he came out with 4k after paying 1k to get it fixed. It had a salvaged title but he kept his car and didnt have to assume a note.

 

[flasurfing]

Well Damn....

Sorry to break it to you, but your in a pickle OP

Not sure about NY, but in FL the 15k would be split amongst all of the claimants.

You can still go after the state farm guy for the remaining damages, but its a tossup whether you will ever see that $$$

If you would have had collision coverage you would have physical damage coverage in the case of a not at fault accident with an uninsured/underinsured driver.

Not sure if it will help, but call Geico and see if they can help you at all.  make sure you give them everyone's insurance info/policy #'s and hope for the best.

That sucks 

It's the same in NY when it comes to splitting the property damage. I might get lucky since I'm the 1st person to report it. Another thing with the guy with State Farm is his license is form Seattle and the car was registered to a family member in Maryland. I'm already after the State Farm guy. I know the story is a little confusing but I'm typing on my iPhone. I'm just hopin they pin something on the taxi. I think he's up to something. I don't think its all him just panicing, he left the scene and kept lying. I'm just hoping to get fully compensated and let them battle it out.

Asianplayer, I'd be happy with th NADA price + the DMV fees and taxes. It really is a headache. It's alot of going back n fourth.

do you know who is state farm???
 

like was it the driver or the registered car owner???? you may be in luck if the registered car owner has more property damage, cause liability follows the name on the title.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions though bro.... I am a second generation insurance broker

   and if I don't know the question I will certainly do my best to  find the answer (this kind of ish is interesting to me...i know lame right?)) .  Me/my family (pops used to own an insurance company before selling)/ and my employer are an insurance guru...... 

I don;t know how helpful geico will be in this situation, but it won't hurt to call them and see if they can help.  a lot of times they will.  

 

[tedrjr033]

I'm hoping it gets resolved that quickly for me. I'm paying a extra $9 a day for the rental just in case there's any damage on the car when I give it back (NYC parking). I'm still going to see if I get that back. I don't think I should pay anything since this wasn't my fault at all. I just want to have any info ready so I don't have to go back & fourth with them.

If you have full coverage on your vehicle, you don't need the optional insurance, it would roll over to the rental also. They will most likely not cover it. If you have liability only though, all you have to do is fax them your declaration page and they will waive the extra insurance for you. 

 

[tedrjr033]

I am a claims adjuster for Geico. Unfortunately with Liability only, they wouldn't be able to do much for you since they can't subrogate in your case. . 

 

[flasurfing]

I am a claims adjuster for Geico. Unfortunately with Liability only, they wouldn't be able to do much for you since they can't subrogate in your

I am a claims adjuster for Geico. Unfortunately with Liability only, they wouldn't be able to do much for you since they can't subrogate in your case. . 

well i said they may/or may not be able to help.

when i mentioned the subrogation i was thinking he had collision.  my bad.

 

[dam itz lou]

do you know who is state farm???

 
like was it the driver or the registered car owner???? you may be in luck if the registered car owner has more property damage, cause liability follows the name on the title.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions though bro.... I am a second generation insurance broker    and if I don't know the question I will certainly do my best to  find the answer (this kind of ish is interesting to me...i know lame right?)) .  Me/my family (pops used to own an insurance company before selling)/ and my employer are an insurance guru...... 

I don;t know how helpful geico will be in this situation, but it won't hurt to call them and see if they can help.  a lot of times they will.  

Ya. It's a family member of the owner of the car. The guy driving the car had a license from Seattle and the car is registered to someone else with the same last name in Maryland.

Ya I've called geico to update them on the situation and ask questions. There total loss department is closed today so I'm goin to go call them first thing in the morning.

Thanks for your help. Ill hit you up if I need help with anything.

Even though I have liability geico should be able to fight them also on getting me my money ? I'm not asking for money from them but I still am a customer. It should count for something.

 

[skyline]

I think you should expect whatever value your Si was in the blue book, and that's the worst case scenario.

 

[flasurfing]

do you know who is state farm???

 
like was it the driver or the registered car owner???? you may be in luck if the registered car owner has more property damage, cause liability follows the name on the title.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions though bro.... I am a second generation insurance broker    and if I don't know the question I will certainly do my best to  find the answer (this kind of ish is interesting to me...i know lame right?)) .  Me/my family (pops used to own an insurance company before selling)/ and my employer are an insurance guru...... 

I don;t know how helpful geico will be in this situation, but it won't hurt to call them and see if they can help.  a lot of times they will.  

Ya. It's a family member of the owner of the car. The guy driving the car had a license from Seattle and the car is registered to someone else with the same last name in Maryland.

Ya I've called geico to update them on the situation and ask questions. There total loss department is closed today so I'm goin to go call them first thing in the morning.

Thanks for your help. Ill hit you up if I need help with anything.

Even though I have liability geico should be able to fight them also on getting me my money ? I'm not asking for money from them but I still am a customer. It should count for something.

Call them bro.  they may be of help

a good insurance company is their to help the insured....i've seen some auto companies (progressive/liberty mutual) go over and beyond helping their clients in similar instances.

 

[tero]

#teamcivic #vtec i got a 00 ex coupe.....


my bro totaled his car in a DUI a few weeks ago, around the middle of december. he drove a 09 corolla... I believe he had Elephant Insurance living in MD. He told me he got $9000 from the insurance company. He whips a 09 scion xB now, picked it up from the dealership last saturday. so he got through with that whole process within about 3 weeks or so.

 

[tedrjr033]

I mean they can call the other company. But if the claimant does not have enough limits there is not anything they can do. If Geico does not make a payment on the claim than legally they can not pursue the other party. And they can not make a payment on the claim if there is liability only.