I have a 2003 VIII with ~55k on it and about 6k invested in mods. I take exceptional care of the car and all the fluids/service were up to date and it even already had the 60k service done as well.

Sadly I was in an accident and lost control due to some gravel on the road and the front got smashed and the rear clipped the guard rail a little. (It's my first accident since I was 15 (I'm 24 now) so don't flame me to much). While it was being towed I was very upset, but figured it would NOT be totaled due to the value of the car and lack of visible frame damage/overall damage. Only the front and a small part of the rear was damaged i'd estimate that 75%+ of the car was untouched. I even drove it away from the wreck to a safer location before it was towed.

Apparently I was wrong and the repair shop said my insurance should call me soon and offer ~12k for the car as it was totaled. Not only does this value seem low, but I couldn't imagine giving it up, so I asked if I could just pay the extra and get it fixed. They advised agianst this saying that they didn't even check the suspension yet and that I would then have to register a salvage title. So I have a couple of questions.

1) If I do register it as a salvage title how much does that effect the value and does that effect insurance or the registration process?

2) Can I argue the value of the car with my insurance company or is it a set price and hopeless. I have receipts for all the parts and maintenance not to mention I've never seen an Evo with my mileage go for under 16k.

I consider my Evo as if it were my child and it will kill me to let it go so any advice is appreciated it. Thanks for any help.

 

Also part of the reason they said it was totaled was the cost of parts were very high and they couldn't find them cheaply. Does anyone have a site/location that I can recommend for them to look in to. This shop is relatively rural so I don't trust their searching skills.

 

1. you can fight with the insurance company on what they give you if they total the car. Never accept their first offer as it will usually be a low ball. If you feel like you are getting no where with them maybe think about getting a lawyer involved. As for the parts on the car that you added, I dont think insurance will care about that and will no help you get more money out of them unless you added the aftermarket parts to your policy.

2. As far as salvage titling the car, the resale value will go down but as its seems you aren't interested in letting the car go ever so what difference does it make if your not going to sell it.

3. I would take it to a specialty shop that deals with evos to get an exact figure on the repairs.

good luck man

ps. you can check out mitsubishiparts.net to get some idea of what new parts will cost. Otherwise, try to frequent the 'for sale' section for used parts.

 

As you probably know, salvage title significantly decreases the value of a car.

$12K seems low given the mileage.

A similar situation happened to me a while ago when a had a TVR 280i that was flooded during a storm. The insurance company was going to cut a check for $8,000 for the car which was ~$4,000 under replacement value.

I provided them with documentation of available cars for re-sale (a bit difficult as there were not a lot of TVR's around) and was able to prove to them that the cost to replace was significantly higher than the reimbursement check. We finally settled on $11,500, which was fair.

Not sure what the KBB or Black Book is on your car, but that info is readily available to start your case for better reimbursement if so warranted....

 

I know they won't cover performance parts, but within the past year I've done the 60k, bought all new tires, breaks and other non-performance parts so I was hoping that would be accounted for somehow as that was well over 2k in parts alone.

I would love to do #3 but the closest one is well over 4 hours away from the accident and towing would be a nightmare. This situation already is a nightmare because quite frankly I don't trust the body shops here, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do.

 

Last I checked KBB was ~14.5k but even that is low IMO because I've never seen one with <60K go for less then 16k in VA. When I bought mine it was 15k but that was only because it need new tires badly and the seller was in a financial crunch and having said that there was multiple offers on the car, I was just the first one to pay full price with out arguing.

I know that a salvage title will ruin the value, but roughly what percentage are we talking about here.

 

1. I would advise against discussing performance modifications with the insurance company, as it will likely cause them to scrutinize their coverage of your vehicle.

2. Salvage titles go down in price. Simple as that... no way to really give a rock solid percentage because it fluctuates with the market. In another 10 years, I suspect the only evos left on the road will be either pristine, or salvage titles no offense.

3. The price that your insurance company gave you is 100% negotiable, and I would argue with them ENDLESSLY until you get a fair price. Its exactly the same as buying a car. Negotiate, all day long.

4. They won't care too much about your "new" replaced parts, because they shouldn't. Wear items and maintenance are part of car ownership. While they may seem like investments, they're not... they're operating costs. As crappy as that is, its a fact of reality.

5. You could also consider parting it out, or trying to find a parter outer brodude (lol) to sell it to as a salvage. Maybe ask them what they'll pay and use that to negotiate with your insurance company...

Good luck.

 

i think the insurance companies goes by if it takes 70% or more of what the car is worth then they will totaled it out!

 

They usually have a way of valueing your car for what these cars are sold in the area.. So I would check with Dealers or posting around the Area for prices of cars that were like this. That would help you get fair value from insurance

 

What's the buy back??

I bought mine back after they said it was totaled with a hood headlight fender and front bumper. Parts from EVOM.

And New York doesn't brand titles after 7 years, which I found really scary.

 

I'm sorry, but something sounds wrong about this. Do you have any pictures of the damage? It must have either been a lot worse than what you say, or you're getting dicked around. The insurance company must think it'll cost them less money to total the car than have it fixed and all they're offering you is $12k? So basically, they anticipate the damage to be approaching 75-80% of 12K? You really need to scrutinize the actions of any insurance company man. Screw what the repair shop says. You don't even have to authorize them to do anything. You can have your car towed to another facility of your choice for another opinion. Has an appraiser seen the car yet? Have you actually seen an appraisal sheet listing ALL damages with an itemized list off all parts/parts numbers, prices, labor units, etc. etc.? If not, then you're being dicked around man.

The INITIAL estimate needs to meet or exceed between 75-85% (state dependent) of the car's pre accident value to be totalled. Initial estimates are usual a bit low. The final repair cost almost always exceeds the initial estimate. This is a double edged sword. My car should've been totalled in my opinion, now I've been dealing with a f*cking disaster the last 9 months with that story. In some cases, the initial estimate can make or brake your case. I wish mine would've been totaled from the beginning. In your case, it SEEMS like their "estimate" is an eyeball one and MAY be unnecessarily high for some reason. Just make sure you get over there and take as many pictures of the car as you can and ask for a copy of the estimate and get second and third opinions if you have any doubts. It's your right as a consumer to take the car wherever you want for another opinion or estimate. In your state, you may even have the right to choose where you want the car repaired (a good thing.)
Insurance companies are crooked as hell bro.

 

They wanted to total your car and all it needed was a hood, headlight, fender and a front bumper? JeeSUS man. My car needed an entire rear floor pan replaced along with everything behind it, rear support, rear bumper frame, bumper, etc. etc. Also spent almost FOUR hours on a frame machine...yet they wanted to fix it and now I'm screwed.

 

Yes, I had over 200,000 at the time. Hood,$1,200. Fender $600. Headlight housings-$1,200 each bumper $800 with lip. Plus paintwork???

I bought it back for around $1,000.

OP: Sorry for the long thread. Just telling my total story

 

Ohh ok. The mileage and the impacted value make some sense then. I forgot you're the guy with the 250k+ mile Evo. That's diligence man.