Totalled 2005 Honda Accord, looking to avoid any pitfalls

[EatonEggbeater]

Hi everyone, haven't made an issue of it, but Monday a week ago I was rear-ended while driving home in my Accord.

I was waiting in stop and go traffic to get off the HOV lanes in Springfield, if any of you know the area, traffic stacks up on the exit, and my car was left in the travel lane because of that.

The guy who hit me was also going to get off there, I guess he lost his concentration at the wrong time. He was shook up, his car was trashed; I and the person I was run into seem fine so far.

I called the police to get an accident report; I was struck from behind by a the guy doing 50MPH, and was then driven into the car in front of me.

The officer cited him for the accident and said I was not at fault.

Just got back from the estimator yesterday, with all the damage the adjuster said it would cost more to repair than the car was worth; both front and rear repairs came to $5250.84.

The condition of my car was good, new tires last year, current registration/tags/inspection/insurance and just a bit over 90K miles.

It still drives fine, the frame was tweaked a bit on the right side, but not anything I noticed. I've used it every day since.


What should I expect on this? Insurance will lowball me on the car value? The adjuster said he wasn't supposed to tell me the BB value, he was about to, but I said "don't get yourself in trouble." he was a nice dude.

NADA, KBB, or Edmunds?

Oh, and NO, this isn't a repost as I've never read about my '05 Accord being wrecked here.

Thanks everyone!

Mike

Oh, looking to replace with a Wrangler Unlimited, or Grand Cherokee, responses to that are welcomed as well. (I will search for those threads)

 

[RedRocketMike]

Never make the mistake of having the mindset that the insurance company is going to tell you how it is. That is how you get screwed. I would find out all the overpriced dealer values for your car on KBB/NADA/Edmunds and then I would start saving the most overpriced Accords for sale that are equivalent to yours so they can average those pricesd. Tell them you want reimbursed for the tires you just bought. They want to screw you over so return the favor. In the end if you don't like what they offer just refuse it and sue the driver who hit you, they will then have to consider the extra costs to represent him in court and eventually will probably pay you. I've done this myself and it went very well, I netted about 80% more than their estimate to repair my car. It just took extra time and screaming at State Farm reps and one of their lawyers. Actually was alot of fun.

If you are trying to keep the car and a clear title go get your own estimates and ask them to write it up just to the threshold of total out, insist on payment of that amount. Drive that car into the ground afterwards or sell it.

 

[LS2GTO]

What should I expect on this? Insurance will lowball me on the car value? The adjuster said he wasn't supposed to tell me the BB value, he was about to, but I said "don't get yourself in trouble." he was a nice dude.

NADA, KBB, or Edmunds?

None of that crap (according to them) matters. It's all what has been bought and sold in your area that resembles your exact vehicle. Yes they will lowball it saying it was in just ok condition, but if you can prove otherwise (with pictures and maybe receipts of those tires and whatnot) then go look at recent sold examples in your area then you can get more for it.

I will ask this too though...were you at all injured in the accident? Sad to say but if your answer is yes or somewhat, you will get more for your value than if you weren't injured. Most insurance companies don't like screwing around with such cases, so they usually play ball on the actual car reinbursment just to get you out of their way quickly. It's in their best interest to get your case done and out of the way, so by giving you a bit more on the car they might save alot more in medical bills.

 

[SonicDTR]

Insurance is in the business to make money. Accept that up front.

For me, they used some book value(no idea which), I thought it was low. They told me I could submit comparables and they would adjust accordingly. I submitted 6-8 that I could find. They picked out 4 that "werent comparable" and adjusted the price up a little bit for me. I also submitted over 10k in receipts for work with less than 1000 miles, but that isnt relevant to yours.

As for buy back, they simply looked at auction prices and gave it back to me for that much. Not much negotiating there at all.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

Out here they use NADA but prices very greatly depending on state. You can also find real world examples and try that like others have suggested, but in all honesty, you are at the mercy of the insurance company and what their policies are.

Also, have they totaled you out yet? The amount you quoted isn't overly big and Hondas often have a higher ceiling when it comes to insurance repairs because of their resale values.

 

[Machdup1]

The guy who hit me was also going to get off there, I guess he lost his concentration at the wrong time. He was shook up, his car was trashed; I and the person I was run into seem fine so far.

I called the police to get an accident report; I was struck from behind by a the guy doing 50MPH, and was then driven into the car in front of me.

Two things, get checked by a doctor. I had the same thing happen and thought I was fine. I am now in Physical Therapy for the result of the accident.

Second, Insurance are so used to going to court that they will treat you like a plantiff immediately. I recommend finding a lawyer with a great reputation who will give you a free consulation to discuss the matter.

If you are in SE Virginia, PM me and I can tell you who to call.

 

[earl lee]

At my company we use NADA but were a TPA. Typically the adjuster will get a TL valuation from CCC/Audatex/Mitchell. One of those 3, usually its CCC and it is going to be low. Of the sites that will give you vehicle values NADA is the one that insurance companies will look at for a reference. They dont consider KBB or edmunds.

So if I was you id at least see what NADA says your vehicle is worth. Your going to want to use the clean trade in value.

 

[EatonEggbeater]

Excellent, thanks for the responses.

AS for the medical issue, someone did say I ought to get my neck looked at by a competent lawyer before committing to whatever they offer.

Thanks for the PM offer, Machdup, I'll wait to see what's offered. As of yesterday, USAA hadn't admitted fault yet. I've got a card from the officer in the car; if it's needed.

Looks like $5600 is clean trade-in price. (Thanks Earl Lee) (edit) $5275.00

NADA:

Base Price $2,975 $3,850 $4,575 $6,750
Mileage (90,000) $1,050 $1,050 $1,050 $1,050
Total Base Price $4,025 $4,900 $5,625 $7,800
Options: (change)
W/out Auto. Trans. -$350 -$350 -$350 -$350
Price with Options $3,675 $4,550 $5,275 $7,450

 

[Machdup1]

AS for the medical issue, someone did say I ought to get my neck looked at by a competent lawyer before committing to whatever they offer.

LOL. Was that a Freudian slip.

 

[LS2GTO]

clean trade-in price.

I wouldn't use trade in price for this, you're not trading anything in and that is always lower.

Go with the clean retail price as that's more realistic for your needs. You need to be reinbursed enough for you to go out and purchase the same car again (which is retail).

 

[R.D.P.]

I would lawyer up. It sucks, but that's just the way the game is played these days. They aren't going to give you a fair outcome out of the kindness of their hearts. Plus it sounds like you got nailed pretty hard and it was completely not your fault. The delayed neck problems are real, I also know someone it happened to.

 

[nxhappy]

I would blue book it at private party with all the features. If they don't give you close to that, THEN start the fight.

Trade in values are complete bullshit, and usually VERY low prices.

 

[Kevins89notch]

The basics have been covered.

1. Take care of yourself. Go see a doctor. You will not pay for it, so GO!

2. Lawyer up. Here in FL, the max out of court settlement is 10K. A friend got rear ended and her neck was still. She got a lawyer. The lawyer got 10K. Something like 3K went to the lawyer, $2,500 to the chiro, and she got the remaining balance. Fact in the lack of car(she didn't have a free rental policy so she was paying out of pocket), the missing work, the pain....she wasn't out to get rich. I think her outcome was fair.

3. NEVER take the first offer. They are out to make money, aka **** you over. Print out similar cars for sale in terms of quality/mileage. That is what they owe you.

For my story now, I bought a civic for $4,200 and hit a deer 4 months later. They said my car was worth like $3,500. I said no way. They said oh well your rental is due back in 48 hours, you can submit proof if you think our offer is to low and you may consider them. That's fine, I had my mustang to drive. Something like 9 business days later (they take their time as most people can't live without a car and will just take the lowball check) they came back with $4,317 or so.

 

[RedRocketMike]

At my company we use NADA but were a TPA. Typically the adjuster will get a TL valuation from CCC/Audatex/Mitchell. One of those 3, usually its CCC and it is going to be low. Of the sites that will give you vehicle values NADA is the one that insurance companies will look at for a reference. They dont consider KBB or edmunds.

So if I was you id at least see what NADA says your vehicle is worth. Your going to want to use the clean trade in value.

LOL @ using trade in value. That's exactly what I would expect some dickhead from an insurance company to tell me. "here, take the trade in value so you can buy another one..." The insurance company has to make him whole, that means paying what it costs to replace the car, not paying what some dealer rips you for on trade in.

 

[RedRocketMike]

For my story now, I bought a civic for $4,200 and hit a deer 4 months later. They said my car was worth like $3,500. I said no way. They said oh well your rental is due back in 48 hours, you can submit proof if you think our offer is to low and you may consider them. That's fine, I had my mustang to drive. Something like 9 business days later (they take their time as most people can't live without a car and will just take the lowball check) they came back with $4,317 or so.

Good for you. This summer someone backed into one of my beater cars and I figured out who hit and ran, they had good insurance. I had an odd situation where the estimate would likely total a very good car I wanted to keep so I got a soft estimate of my own. The insurance company insisted on sending a third party to write an estimate for them. The appraisal service they hired had a big auto auction name in the title and I thought they were probably expecting to total the car. I was not going to let that happen so when they tried to schedule the appraisal I told them I leave early and drive to X place for work (about 80 miles from them) and come home late. They only were given 3 days to complete the appraisal. I thought there was no way they would drive that far. Someone drove all the way to see the car and I went still figuring they would cancel because of how bad traffic gets where I said I was going. Turned out to be just be a random business that used that name, it had no affiliation. And his estimate was close to mine so I took the check.

 

[EatonEggbeater]

Excellent replies, thanks everyone.

I've been called by a rep from the company yesterday, I'll call them back later today.

Good advice, all; I'll hold for the $7500 figure above. The car still runs and drives perfectly, so their waiting scam won't work.

One other thing, if the car's totalled, can it be sold? Does it become a salvage title?

From the looks of this, I could probably throw $1000 worth of plastic at this car and it'd look OK. The car would last for another 90K miles in the mechanical condition it's in.

If they lowball me, could I require that they fix the car instead of hauling it off?

I really appreciate all the help, thanks guys.

 

[SonicDTR]

The salvage title bit depends on your state and local laws.

Insurance declared my truck a "total loss" but I bought it back and fixed it. Due to the way Missouri has the law written, it has to be a certain percentage of the vehicles value before a Salvage Title is issued. Mine was just under that so it legally has a clean title. The carfax DOES show a total loss however, so its not exactly hidden.

 

[EatonEggbeater]

Thanks Rubenk.

USAA says $7200. I'm OK with that.

I did inquire about the buy-back, but they've yet to get back with me.

Legal to drive if it's totalled?

 

[Blackoyote]

Legal to drive if it's totalled?

As a few others have mentioned, that depends on your states laws. I've bought a car back that was totalled and spent $63 fixing it from Pull-A-Part and drove it for another year before selling it, never had to have a roadworthiness inspection. Other states, it'll have to be inspected and certified.

If you have mechanical know how and it's not that bad of damage, you'll usually come out ahead taking the buy back option with the smaller sum paid to you in cash.

 

[RedRocketMike]

Thanks Rubenk.

USAA says $7200. I'm OK with that.

I did inquire about the buy-back, but they've yet to get back with me.

Legal to drive if it's totalled?

$7200 is good. I THINK you will have to pass a special safety inspection before it can technically be driven legally again. But it's already stickered, tagged, and insured. You could still drive it around incognito while doing repairs but it would probably be the equivalent of driving a car that is not inspected. I would call an inspection station and ask them.