I hate idiots

Yep me and the police both did, and of course the answer was quote "aww naw man we diddnt see nuffin man!" it is in an apt. complex. And no cameras either. It was not parked in that space but it was not illegally parked. Still not sure if it was backed into or driven into by someone swinging a u-turn. No glass on the scene was left.

 

Measure the height of the main impact area (appears to be just above the top of the wide lower moldings..). Compare that measurement to the height of the bumper on your neighbors' car.

 

sorry to post on something way earlier but no that is not where it was parked and dude nice hair. cool car always wanted a cutlass supreme

 

Just a little up date... The car that hit me has been located. Correctly identified. Wood grain vinyl on his tail light was a dead give away. And with some help from the local pd and a little bluffing he fessed up to his error in judgement. Insurance notified and claim is made. Now just keeping my fingers crossed they dont total it!

 

Hehe! A win for the good guys!

 

Great news, bowtie! Fight the insurance company if you have to. We want your car on the road as nice as it was before the idiot hit it!

 

OKAY So a little advice form some of my peers would be nice so I don't have a repeat of the past with this car. The last time I had a car hit was very similar car was parked and someone backed into it. Gieco was their insurance company and they told me the best they could do was the car was basic transportation. it is worth 750.00 dollars, and it has a 700.00 dollar buy back. so they wrote a check for 700.00 and i was screwed. had to buy a fender and core support for my first 73 monte carlo. and get it painted for that amount. So if they decide to total my wagon how do I fight that?

 

I'm an auto insurance damage appraiser, so I can offer you some info.

1. Get a body shop estimate, from the one that you will probably have do the work. Just have them estimate the actual damage repairs, no extra work. You don't want a sky-high estimate that will for sure flip it into the 'total loss' category.

2. Start searching the internet for any B-body wagon for sale, regardless of make (Chevy Caprice/Impala, Pontiac Catalina/Bonnevile/Pariesenne, Buick Estate, Olds Custom Cruiser - '77 to '90) You can't just confine your search to Chevys, because you want a bigger sampling. Throw out any ads where the wagon is obviously in below par condition. Print out the ads. This is your evidence to show the insurance company. Hopefully, the ads will support a high enough value to allow the insurance company to pay for the repairs. If the insurance company balks about the other makes being included, explain to them the wagons are all basically the same, built on the same assembly lines with only minor trim differences.

3. Call some salvage yards (junkyards). Tell them what you have, and ask what they would pay for your wagon in its damaged condition. This will be your 'Salvage Value'.
Market value, minus salvage value = maximum amount insurance company will want to spend on repairs.

 

First thing I'd do is find as many cars as close to yours as possible on e-bay, Craigslist and other websites and find out how much it would cost to replace your car. If you find 6 or 7 comprable cars and the price averages out to say $2800 that's what you can try to get out of them if they want to total it. Also get a couple of repair estimates on your own so you know if they're trying to low ball you if they are going to pay to repair it. Don't be in a hurry to settle. The longer the claim stays open the more anxious they will be to settle. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying you can strongarm them into giving you the moon but if you stand your ground they will give you a fair settlement.

 

well I guess I was typing at the same time as Krash. LOL

 

KK is thee man at this...heed his words

 

I'm just glad the idiot fessed up! Good deal!

 

In Wisconsin even if it is considered a total loss, you can still buy the car back for salvage price. The title stays clear, they give you a check for the value of the car (minus the salvage price) and you get to keep and fix your car. I did this to my wife's monte carlo THREE times with deer damage.

Of course, your state laws may vary. But something to check into.

 

Doesn't work that way in a lot of states. At least in California, that I'm most familiar with, if you retain salvage on a 'totaled' vehicle, you have to go to the DMV for a new title that has the big words 'salvaged' all over it. Insurance company files a notice with the DMV that the owner retained the salvage, so they know about it.

 

mo. is where I live, and I will most likely have the buy back option if they total it. If they decide to total it is their any way for me to try to make them fix it even if they don't want to?