Insurance Adjusters BS - Honda Civic write off

Last week my wife got T-boned (100% not at fault) and the insurance adjuster says that its a write off. Not only did she get injured, now I gotta deal with this adjuster trying to low ball me. She had a 1999 Civic SE sedan, with about 216K. They only want to offer me around $3300 and said that it would cost $3800 to fix.

I can't find anything around to replace her old car for that price. Body had no rust, and the engine was running great.

Whats the best way to negotiate with these insurance adjusters?
So far the injury adjuster has been great working with her injuries, but this guy is a total douche.

how much is a 99 civic worth? between 3 and 4 thousand seems about right to me?

Yea, well, it may be an personal thing to you but it is business and, your car is not worth more than $3300. The fact you cannot find a replacement is not his problem. This is always an issue when folks get their car written off, they take it as an insult to them but really, the hard cold fact is,.... it is what it is. An almost 11 year old, plain Civic, with over 200,000 kms on it.
If you don't fly off the handle, maybe he will let you buy the car for peanuts and you can go and get it fixed for $3800, will that make you happy? Start crapping on the guy and you will get exactly nothing. Prove to him with facts and figures that the car is worth more than he is offering an maybe, he will up his deal. It rests with you, if you behave like a jerk, treat him like crap, you will get what you deserve.

as said above is true but dont stand down too. it does seem right but we had a think it was a 1990-92 i think honda prelude that had above 200,000k and it had a serious rear end. we got lucky i think. happened in about 2006. they paid the car off 7.5k. but my mom good nogotiator . so ts all in how ya can talk and prove to him. also prob also to do with may with insurance coverage.

good luck

Unfortunately this is how insurance works. A 99 Civic is worth about $3500-$4000K on the high end. If you have a few recent pics to proove the condition of the car you may be able to squeeze a few hundred dollars more from them. Trust me, it's a much better option then fixing a car that was t-boned. Your chances of having that car repaired and running like before are slim as I would assume some frame damage. You'll also take a severe hit if you ever try to sell it down the line. Personally, I would try and squeeze some a few hundred more, then take the money and run.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that because of bad luck I gotta get another car. I'm still gonna try to get some extra $$ out of this adjuster, because I think I should get at least $3800. Worth a try

I was in your situation earlier in the year...

2001 Corolla with 138k in absolutely immaculate condition. I was rear ended, and the insurance wanted to write it off, saying the average market value for my car was around $4,000 and the repairs would be about $3,000.

What irritated me was that the car was still driveable, and the insurance company didn't provide a rental because the car could be driven.

My position was "if it should be written off, then it's not really driveable...is it?". The adjuster was cool, and said he would have it fixed if it were up to him, but there is a financial threshold that the company uses to determine whether a car should be repaired or not.

If the insurance company wrote the car off, they would have easily made their money back by selling the car again. As mentioned previously, it is a business.

The dispute took a few weeks to resolve, but it involved me submitting invoices and service records for work done to the car. Within the previous two months, I had purchased new winter tires, installed new brakes, and had the car rustproofed.

In the end, the insurance appraised the car at around $7,000 and paid for the repairs.

If you've spent money on the car recently, definitely submit your invoices to be taken into consideration for a settlement.

A word of advice - make sure your wife gets the medical treatment she needs, and finds a good rehab facility.

I hope it all works out.

Originally Posted by rackman

Within the previous two months, I had purchased new winter tires, installed new brakes, and had the car rustproofed.

FYI

Maintenance items don't add to the value of the car, although you will get a slight credit for brand new tires.

You would credit for lower than average mileage, better than average condition etc.

To the OP, the price they offerred you sounds pretty fair IMHO. 216,000 KM's is a lot of mileage.

Originally Posted by MS MSP

FYI

Maintenance items don't add to the value of the car, although you will get a slight credit for brand new tires.

You would credit for lower than average mileage, better than average condition etc.

To the OP, the price they offerred you sounds pretty fair IMHO. 216,000 KM's is a lot of mileage.

$3,800 for a 216,000KM is very fair. The issue here is in your eyes the car is worth more than that since you know the condition of the car. However,
based on the year and mileage according to the market value then the car is not worth that much.

it is still worth a try to squeeze some more $$$

If you think the price you are offered is unfair bring them ads showing similar vehicles (mileage/condition) demonstrating why. They are supposed to give you market value for your car, and if you can demonstrate it's different then they are very receptive.

go see how much you would get for a trade in for the car and then you would probably take the 3000-4000k in a flash...

This thread may be helpful:

Non Fault Car Write Off- Know Your Rights And Get More Money!!!
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/s...ighlight=write

www.canadatrader.com
Find examples of what a similar vehicle to yours is selling for. With that, tell the adjuster that you feel your vehicle is similar to those vehicles values. However, just a quick search, seems like the original amount is fair.

okay, i think I have accepted the fact that I cannot get any more $$ ($3330 + pst) so I'm just gonna take the money and start looking for another car. I have my rental until wednesday, so at least I have the weekend to look.

Thinking of getting a 03 Vibe.

If you had any recent new parts added to the car like tires or a battery and still have the receipt, you can probably get reinbursed for that.