So who is certified to appraise totaled vehicles?

[Jeffescortlx]

My insurance company is giving me a low offer for my car that got hit with hail, they want to salvage it instead of repairing it.
They wont budge on the offer unless I "appoint and pay a competent and disinterested person, certified to appraise totaled vehicles, to assess the value of your loss vehicle and submit their opinion in writing"

[CAMSS30]

Info on car and what they are offering.

[Jeffescortlx]

Clean inside and out 1993 Turbo escort pony.
212hp, 260ftlbs. Nice 15" wheels/tires, lowering springs, bigger brakes. Not a spec of rust or any body damage.
Has 4 puck clutch, 3" exhaust and a few other things I cant remember.

There offer is $1900.

[Turbohwagon]

Keep in mind all they hear is "Escort" and then roll their eyes. What's the buy back on it?

[Jeffescortlx]

$2300 – 345 salvage = $1955


I told them I would get them all the paper work and receipts, but they said they would only cover performance parts installed in the last 60 days.
I've been modding this car for 9 years.

[xjfish]

Edit: tree.d

Who is your insurance company? You might want to get a couple estimates from body shops and see what your out of pocket repair cost would be, maybe you could buy back and come out ahead that way? Most late model vehicles that I see that go through the body shop I'm currently at are not totaled for hail damage unless it is really bad. If they are really giving you considerably less than the car is worth, depending on your policy, I would fight your insurance company to have it repaired. Many body shops can talk things over with estimators and work with your agent.

[Jeffescortlx]

I've allready met the with the adjuster at the body shop for all 3 of us to talk it over. The adjuster would'nt tell me the total cost of repair, but it sound like it's over 4k to repair the hail damge.

The problem with buying back the car is it will then have a salved title, and I will no longer beable to have full coverage on it. I plan to keep the car for ever. Unless I have it "inspected" to clear the title again or somthing like that. It's hard to find good info on that.

I'm trying to fight to have it repaired, thats why I'm here.

The insurance company is AAA. For now...changing as soon as this is done.

[CAMSS30]

They offered you $2300 for a '93 escort and then you can buy it back for $345 and it just has hail damge are you stupid or what? Who cares about a salvage title and who cares about full coverage on the car, take the $1900 and go find another mint '93 escort and put it in a bubble in case anything happens to this one. Seriously $2300 is alot of money for that car, I'd be very happy.

[Paul]

It doesn't matter if you've been modding it for 9 years. To them, it is an escort with a low book value. You would have needed to get it appraised before agreeing to an insurance coverage policy on the vehicle. If you did not do this, then the policy value is based on "normal" escort values.

This is the same principle at AmFam too. My agent took the time to discuss this with me at length.

[Jeffescortlx]

They offered you $2300 for a '93 escort and then you can buy it back for $345 and it just has hail damge are you stupid or what?

Maybe I am a little stupid. But I've been paying for full coverage for 9 years, because I wanted to be fully covered if some thing were to happen to it.

Who cares about a salvage title and who cares about full coverage on the car, take the $1900 and go find another mint '93 escort and put it in a bubble in case anything happens to this one. Seriously $2300 is alot of money for that car, I'd be very happy.

Like I said before, I want to keep the car for as long as I live. So it's important to keep full coverage. If they salave the title, I cant keep full coverage.

There are no more clean 2nd gen escorts left. There all beat to hell and back.

[Jeffescortlx]

It doesn't matter if you've been modding it for 9 years. To them, it is an escort with a low book value. You would have needed to get it appraised before agreeing to an insurance coverage policy on the vehicle. If you did not do this, then the policy value is based on "normal" escort values.

This is the same principle at AmFam too. My agent took the time to discuss this with me at length.

My insurace company said to go ahead and have it appraised now.
And that's why I made this post, to find some one who can do that.

[StangerJon]

It doesn't matter if you've been modding it for 9 years. To them, it is an escort with a low book value. You would have needed to get it appraised before agreeing to an insurance coverage policy on the vehicle. If you did not do this, then the policy value is based on "normal" escort values.

I agree with this statement. I know this same topic has been discussed multiple times here. report the work you've done to insurance and up your premium based on that. Otherwise, its just a normal car to them.


but that needs to be done before you're making a claim.

[OhMannClint]

Call someone that just does PDR for car lots. Adams dent repair is the guy we use on our lot and does a great job.

[Fernanernie]

I agree with this statement. I know this same topic has been discussed multiple times here. report the work you've done to insurance and up your premium based on that. Otherwise, its just a normal car to them.


but that needs to be done before you're making a claim.

x2. Just because you attach value to it, doesn't mean the insurance company will.

[68GTO]

Full coverage does not mean "coverage to the value that you assign to it from your mods." Unfortunately. It means to the full, book value of the car. For coverage that you seek, you need specialty insurance where there is a stated value. If you do not have that, take the money, minus buy back. keep car. Profit.