ACCIDENT!! INSURANCE Co Need advise please

[prg333]

Thank you the help with the tranny Oct 20015 service fixed the slipping problem got out the water.. 2004 Black Marauder 176.100 miles


I was pulling out of a shopping center on Sunday 8/7. Another driver wanting to turn left waved me on. I looked left and right. then slowly moved forward, looked left again and saw a car coming out of nowhere FAST rt lane of road. I slammed on the brakes but it was TOO LATE. Got hit in the left front corner of drivers side of car.. Smashed up the front headlight, cornering light front fender side fender.

Drivers door can not open bc of quarter panel slightly dented right where the door opens Hook can open as dented in corner but no other part of hood damaged.

Not hurt at all. Car WAS drivable. No fluid leeks.

Drove short distance home.. Steering handling seemed fine.

Filled a claim right away. Brought car to insurance certified shop Mon 8/8

Very good shop been in business 68 years. Rockland County Auto Body INC..

Parts estimate $1904.86

Front bumper $845(after markert NOT OEM)

Lic braket $33.00

Front lamps A/M LT Hadlamp Assy $180.00

A/M LT Signal lamps assy $52.00

Front panels

A/M CAPA front panel $303.00

A/M Grille $141.00

Fender

A/M Left fender $283.33

A/M fender liner $39.14

Front door

Car cover $5.00 $5.00 #45,#47

labor Body 19.5 @$975
Paint Labor 17.2 @$890
Paint supplies 17.2@$465

Total repair $4597.16

Not included in initial Estimate any frame under body damage. Which body shop said can be fixed not too bad, Frame damage (bent)

Shop said ins co requiring OEM bumper at $1600 vs $840 plus some other parts OEM vs after market. (To try and not pay for repair hike price IMO)

Informed today 8/9 Tue that NATIONWIDE will NOT pay for repair visa the repair shop. WILL TOTAL out car!! Blue book value for NM 2004 176.100 miles $6500-9500

Insurance will come Thursday with adjuster to look over car. Give final amount will cut a check for. Body shop guy thinks $6200 max I may get.

Of course I am VERY annoyed. Car in great shape. Look nearly NEW out and in. Tans fine, engine leaking NO oil anywhere. replaced water pump last year

So I DO want to get the damage fixed.

Any advise will be greatly appreciated

My thoughts

1 I work out deal with body shop, it is currently at, get the damage repaired

out of $$ I get. Maybe he can use all or mostly after market parts.

2. If this shop wont do it can try another shop, price might be lower

Does anyone know of a good body repair shop and or one who has worked on Marauders on the Rockland County NY, Westchster County, Orange County NY area?

Or the Northern NJ area

I cant possibly deal with parting with the car at this time. I do not drive it keep in garage in winer Dec-March. Only drive it once a week a bit in winter

I do not think another used NM Marauder with lower miles would be easy to find for less then $10,000.00

So guys any advise,assistance help will absolutely be appreciated

[FordNut]

First, the frame is really strong on these cars, it is probably ok.

Second, I guess it is your insurance you are dealing with. If they will cut you a check without totalling the car, take it. A reconstructed vehicle title will destroy the future value.

Third, it sounds like you have a backup car so you could take your time and round up junkyard parts (or parted out cars listed on mm.net) to put it back together, possibly already in the right color.

Fourth, the price for an aftermarket bumper cover should be more like $400-500. Then $300 or so to paint it.

Fifth, if you're handy with wrenches you can save a bundle by doing some of the work yourself.

[lji372]

Finding an n/a car for 10k should be pretty easy imho

May even get a s/c'd one for that price. :2thumbs:

[Ken]

Sorry to hear, price sounds high. I had a truck destroyed the whole passenger side of my car almost two years ago. I figured for sure that it was totalled. Took it to a StateFarm recommended shop, they did a great job on it, I paid them out of pocket to paint the other half of car three months later. Damage was only about $5400, before extra paint job.

I would see if Nationwide has a recommended shop, they may do it for less. Shop still has to do a good job, or Nationwide wouldn't recommend them, and the shop gets steady business. Just a thought.

[Turbov6Bryan]

I bought a "totaled" marauder in late June It doesn't take much to total one out when da shop is involved
Mine had 168k and only needed Grill, nose, headlights, corner lamp, pea size damage to fender, minor hood damage, no hvac or coolant damage

Now driving said marauder daily, 3100.00 beater all in fixed

Insurance said it was 5500 to fix it, I bought used parts, painted it myself and fixed it for 600.00

I could care less about the salvage title, it drives the same as non salvage

Take the insurance money to repair it, sell it wrecked and buy a nicer one with 1/2 the miles

This was all it took to salvage the car I bought wrecked

[prg333]

Yes Ford Nut the frames are very strong on these. I am not sure if the insurance co will "total the car" If they do does that mean even if I got it repaired, with a check they give my for whatever value they decide on (lets say $6500.00) that I could NOT ever register it again and insure it under another ins co? I do have a rental car for a while. Or my parents could lend me one of their 2 cars. 400$ better for a bumper them $860 or $1600

[prg333]

Turbov6Bryan great that you did it for only $600. I was thinking of using the ins $$$ to go towards a Marauder with less miles. Do not know how much I could get for mine in the shape it is in now. But if a Marauder or car guy bought it they could fix it easily. Got water pump 2015. Just got new tires front and alignment one month ago.

[Henry]

Try to get as much as you can from insurance without totaling the car. Get most of the parts off a regular marquis/crown Vic. Used no damage/rust ford fenders typically sell for $125, inner fenders $20 or less, header panel around $50. A yard with a good front clip on a 03-5 marquis would give you an awesome package deal on the parts. In most cases out of the dozen wrecked panther cars I've had if the car is hit hard enough to push the fender back into the door it will also need a header panel and core support. Make sure those are checked out properly as they were not listed. I just bought a wrecked 300a and the aftermarket front bumper cover off of eBay costs as much as the rest of the parts I need to fix the front end.

[prg333]

Henry if the decide to "total it" does that mean that I could NEVER get it insured /again and drive it like before? IF so what do I do to NOT have ins declare it "a total loss" And how much should I get them to give me or expect them to give me?

[prg333]

Henry if the ins co wants to "total out the car" does that mean I could NERVER drive it again or get it insured again? I would just have to take their check for the value they decide and use it towards another Marauder or a new car. How much should I push them to give me for NOT totaling out the car

I Like the Dodge Challenger 5.7 with hemi. But would rather have Marauder. 4 doors more room back seat.. Bigger trunk. I do not see any other cars I like or that are similar to Marauder now. Only would consider the Doge Challenger with 5.7 V8 or the 6.4 V8

[RubberCtyRauder]

If they total it, it will be a salvage title very possibly. Best check to see how your state deals with salvage titles.. Salvage title might only require a safety inspection before titling registering or nothing.

If they total it, for $6500 and you buy it back for $1200 (made up numbers) then you will get car and possible salvage title and $5300. Don't accept first offer, find comparable maraduers for sale and use that as proof of value, it is a limited production car.

[Henry]

When the insurance company totals a vehicle they will turn it into what's called a salvage certificate. It's basically stating that it can't be driven/registered. depending on the state you can repair the damage to the vehicle and get what is known as an enhanced inspection where they take pictures of the vehicle to prove its been fully repaired. It will then come back with a R branded or reconstructed title. The process in pa involves paying a $300 fee plus paying sales tax on the purchase price of the vehicle and the parts used to fix it. When I go to reconstruct my car I will have approximately $450 going to the state. I have nationwide insurance and they don't question r title vehicles. We've had a r title lightning we've been running for years. It doesn't matter to them. Certain companies won't allow you to have full coverage on the vehicle though. More than likely you can get a declared value of $10k on your car if it has any modifications, any damage over $6500 they will try to total it. if it gets to the point where they want to total the car, ask them to reduce the amount until they don't total of. I've seen this done many times and most adjusters are easy to work with.

[Turbov6Bryan]

If they total it, it will be a salvage title very possibly. Best check to see how your state deals with salvage titles.. Salvage title might only require a safety inspection before titling registering or nothing.

If they total it, for $6500 and you buy it back for $1200 (made up numbers) then you will get car and possible salvage title and $5300. Don't accept first offer, find comparable maraduers for sale and use that as proof of value, it is a limited production car.

^^. +1. Then sell the car for 3000 = 8300.00 and do what you wish

Or use the money and fix it if you have a lot of money tied up in the car...

No rust ? Owned it since new?

[prg333]

Henry,

Thank you for the info.

Do not want them to total it out, if I could Not drive it again on the road. Salvage title R title could be done but sounds complicated. So if the damage comes to over 6500$ they will want to "total it" of course meaning I could not drive it on the road like before. So If I asked then to give me $6000 for it for $5900 then I COULD get it fixed and drive it again like before? That would be a much better option, if I want to keep the car.

[prg333]

No rust on body or wheel wells. Same exhaust system pipes from new. I got it as a "dealer car" with every option for 25 grand with 15 thousand miles in Jan 2015. No oil leeks at all. Valve covers clean. Tranny fine. Idid not do any upgrades to car or modifications. Did repair a bunch of normal wear and tear things over the last 4 years. Totaling $5000

Keep it garaged every winter Dec-March Only take it out once a week for a short drive in winter when no snow on ground

[RubberCtyRauder]

Totaling it does not mean the car cant be driven if fixed depending on what NY says. it means the insurance company will not pay more to fix it than what it worth ( in their mind) You have to check with NY to see if a car is "totaled" can a slavage title be fixed and re-registered and licensed..call the DMV you use. whatever you do, do not accept the first offer..tell then you will get back to them

[Ken]

Ex. my daughter got rear ended years ago in her 1988 Nissan that I bought for $1500. Cost to repair $1980, stateFarm valued it at about $1400, found a trunk lid in a junkyard in Pittsburg for $75. Used a sledge hammer and a 2x4 to pound out trunk latch about 1-2", replaced trunk lid, took to Ohio State Highway Patrol office, where they inspected it, OK'd it and gave me a salvage title. She drove it for a couple years and I used the rest of the money for mechanical repairs as needed. Finally got rid of it when the repairs started coming weekly. Statefarm was the original insurer and the salvage title insurer, no problems.

[prg333]

Rubber City that you for the great info. I will check with the DMV as to what to do when declared totaled by ins co. I will NOT accept first offer, tell then I have to think it over.

[daddyusmaximus]

You could find out what amount they will give you without totaling it out, and accept that much. I think that's where this was going. It's likely you could get her repaired for that if you looked for parts yourself, or maybe even did some of the work. You could always sue the guy that hit you for the rest in small claims court. Whatever you do, I wish you luck in keeping her on the road.

[1Marauder]

Fight to shop price to drive it down. Provide pictures... And fight low ball totaled price...
Fight to keep clean title and fix car.

Basically, you need to fight and negotiate all three sides of the equation. Once when I was younger, the insurance company tried to lowball me for 363 days. Back then, the law was 1 year to pay. They stalled for almost a year, and I got what I wanted plus $1000 since I threatened to take them to court for delaying on purpose. I hAd another car... So it didn't ruin me.

[marauder mama]

Don't give that car up if you don't want to! I just put a Crown Vic back together that was supposed to be "totaled".It needed drivers side fender, cornering light, both doors, two wheels repaired and a little Q panel work. The estimate was for $3965 and I did it for $525.
Make a deal with the insurance company for some money that will let you keep the car and avoid the salvage title if possible. Then fix it yourself, the junkyards are full of perfectly good, not rusty, original parts that are the same on all 03/05 MGM's and some CV's. Buy new only what you have to and pay for a good paint job.
Fixing the car yourself is a lot easier than you think if it's nothing but bolt on stuff.

[FordNut]

A reconstructed title is mainly to let potential future buyers know the vehicle has had major issues. You can still drive the car just like you do now. Every state has different rules on inspections and taxes to issue a title.


Also, for the front bumper cover it isn't hard to have them repaired if all of the pieces are there. I would much rather have a repaired oem one than a brand new aftermarket one. They are made of different material, the oem ones flex but the aftermarket ones break when they impact something.