Do I have to accept the adjusters estimate on my totalled car ?

[jackbcareful]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? New Hampshire, accident in Mass.

My car was totalled in a 4 car accident on an interstate. Car number 4 slammed at 50-65 mph into 3 stopped cars. I was number two.

My car was towed and deemed totalled at about $2600. I've found other estimates (Kelly's etc) at over $4000.

I did have a '95 VW Golf that I had maintained in very good mechanical condition for the past ten years (this seems not to be taken into consideration by the adjusters). I have put more than $2600 hundred into it int he past 16 month and more than $2000 in the pst year. This doesn't include the $$ I've saved by doing a lot of work myself.

Do I have any recourse with the adjuster's estimate? I'm sure the at-fault driver's ins. co. will not offer me as much. Is there arbitration I can seek? Can I come up with my own verifiable estimates? Can I sue the at-fault driver for the difference or even by-pass his ins. co. altogether ?

My last VW went over 300K and I had made the decision to put money into this one to make it last even longer. Now I have no vehicle and I'm not sinking myself into debt to get a new car - that's why I maintain all my equipment and live within my means.

Any recourse or do I have to suck this up ?

Vehicle-less in Enfield

 

[Happy Trails]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? New Hampshire, accident in Mass.

My car was totalled in a 4 car accident on an interstate. Car number 4 slammed at 50-65 mph into 3 stopped cars. I was number two.

My car was towed and deemed totalled at about $2600. I've found other estimates (Kelly's etc) at over $4000.

I did have a '95 VW Golf that I had maintained in very good mechanical condition for the past ten years (this seems not to be taken into consideration by the adjusters). I have put more than $2600 hundred into it int he past 16 month and more than $2000 in the pst year. This doesn't include the $$ I've saved by doing a lot of work myself.

Do I have any recourse with the adjuster's estimate? I'm sure the at-fault driver's ins. co. will not offer me as much. Is there arbitration I can seek? Can I come up with my own verifiable estimates? Can I sue the at-fault driver for the difference or even by-pass his ins. co. altogether ?

My last VW went over 300K and I had made the decision to put money into this one to make it last even longer. Now I have no vehicle and I'm not sinking myself into debt to get a new car - that's why I maintain all my equipment and live within my means.

Any recourse or do I have to suck this up ?

Vehicle-less in Enfield

The insurance company is only going to give you fair market value for your vehicle. If you think they don't have it valued correctly ask them to verify how they are coming up with that figure. There are on-line cites that can give you what the "FMV" is.

You can't sue the driver for the amount of money that you put into mechanical work or for the time that you spent doing it.

 

[jackbcareful]

Happy Trails,

Thanks for the reply.

To clarify: I don't want to sue the at-fault driver for repair work I'd done on my car. I was asking if I could sue the at-fault driver for the difference between what I get from his ins. co. and what it ACTUALLY costs to replace my vehicle not what this insurance co. danes to give me. There will be a several thousand dollar difference.

Trails not so happpy here.

 

[Happy Trails]

Happy Trails,

Thanks for the reply.

To clarify: I don't want to sue the at-fault driver for repair work I'd done on my car. I was asking if I could sue the at-fault driver for the difference between what I get from his ins. co. and what it ACTUALLY costs to replace my vehicle not what this insurance co. danes to give me. There will be a several thousand dollar difference.

Trails not so happpy here.

No, the other driver is only responsible for the amount of money that your vehicle is valued at. Not for replacement value.

Got a straw?

Time to suck it up.