Insuranace is a joke
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I bought a 98 Contour for $275 about 15 years ago (tweaker really needed pills) and immediately drove it 900 miles one way. Once I was at my destination I heard coolant boiling in the head. Drove it another year until the tensioner broke on my way home from work. Kept driving cuz I had funds for my next vehicle already saved. Engine no longer had compression by the time I was about a mile from home. RIP little shitbox. Best $275 ever. Scrap yard gave me $200.
wrote last edited by [email protected]That thing was a Ford fluke. I drove mine 20k miles after I got it without charging the oil, and it never complained. The fucker actually got more fuel efficient the longer I drove it. Ended up somewhere like 32 city.
I miss it
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LOL my first car was really old. I bought it for 2k and I sold it for 2k like seven years later. But that only works if you know how to work on cars and have a good grip on maintenance. It was my first car and I did a lot of stupid things on it. Fixing it was a fun time. But I'm old now. I can't have my wife not have a car. Specially I wouldn't want to have car problems here in the PNW during a rainy or cold winter. In winter time you can walk a few blocks without freezing. But the grocery store is a good hour and a half downhill walk. Another 2 hours walking uphill with heavy shopping bags, that's a nope. One day there will be a tram nearby to help us. But not today.
One time I was talking with an online friend from the general region and I got to experience freezing his ass off while waiting for a bus....from the comfort of my home. Worse 30 minutes ever for him. Winters are no joke here. I don't understand how homeless people even survive over winter....you known, people who used to have a home, buy then one day they lost their car and got fired for not showing up to work. It hits home like that.
I got a plan ready last week to order a bunch of stuff from china. I was so happy to put it all to work on Monday. But nah! Friday tariff boy had to 120% my purchase. WTF! To the max.
Well, yeah, but in this case you'd be selling it to someone who will fix it.
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
The only thing that will fix that is “like for like” replacement coverage. Some insurances offer this, and of course it costs more, but if your older car gets wrecked and it only has a value of say $7,000 with 80,000 miles the insurance company will have to replace your car with the same model and mileage. Not sure what they do with older cars that might be harder to find replacements for.
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
If the car is still drivable, there are work arounds to still being able to drive a totaled car. When the insurance totals a vehicle, it just means that the repairs are more expensive than the value of the car. You may have to get a salvage title and assume ownership of the vehicle from the insurance. They'll also still give you the money for the car. If the accident wasn't your fault, also beware of the other persons insurance trying to settle with you. When I was in my 20s and young and dumb, I had that happen to me. The other persons insurance adjuster literally came to my apartment to negotiate a settlement with me and I took it because I was broke.
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That's basically untrue. If a building is rotten and full of mold, then it might have to be torn down before anything new could be created. Then it might have negative value, but the property itself could still have a lot of value.
Doesn't make his claim untrue, just an exception.
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The only thing that will fix that is “like for like” replacement coverage. Some insurances offer this, and of course it costs more, but if your older car gets wrecked and it only has a value of say $7,000 with 80,000 miles the insurance company will have to replace your car with the same model and mileage. Not sure what they do with older cars that might be harder to find replacements for.
Probably get you a car of similar make and age. Or maybe a never one worth aproximately the same.
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Just watched someone explain this but it was about house insurance. When you sign up they give you a replacement dollar amount. Should your house burn to the ground they deduct money from that amount due to depreciation.
That's true, but that depreciation is often recoverable. That deducted amount is paid out when you repair or replace the damage.
Cars don't work like that though, OP should fight the valuation unless they left out critical information like a $5,000 deductible.
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That's basically untrue. If a building is rotten and full of mold, then it might have to be torn down before anything new could be created. Then it might have negative value, but the property itself could still have a lot of value.
Okay let me find a negative value property around my neighborhood... None! Could it be a get rich quick loophole? Nope.
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Something similar happened to me, luckily I had decided to get the gap insurance, that makes the difference.
Gap insurance is just you gambling on a tiny down payment. The house always wins.
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
Hail messed up my paint and the insurance company wanted to total my car. It’s well maintained and still worth $11-13K. No way was I doing that. Found a place that would paint it for me at a cheaper price & paid out of pocket. I just need my car to take me to & from work.
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
Did you talk to the insurance adjuster to increase their payout?
What they first offer you is just that, an offer. You can absolutely come back and say fuck off the car is worth more you just need to be able to provide proof.
They try and pay as little as possible. Never take their first offer.
My car was totaled recently. Fucking loved that car. They first offered me 19k for it. I found similar cars for sale for 24k. Same year. Same trim, close miles. They argued that what I see is the listing price not what they actually sold for.
I told them to fuck off 19k will not buy me a replacement and if they can find me a similar car that a dealer will actually sell for 19k locally I will take the 19k. Took them a week to come back to me and they offered me 22k. I told them I just put new tires on the car and gave receipts from a month ago. They upped it to 23k. +Tax and title.
Point is, it's a nagitiation. They will try and screw you if they can. Don't let them
Also. They owe you for taxes. That's IN ADDITION to the value of the car. So if they say the car is 20k according to them. Make sure you are getting roughly 21.5k from them.
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Gap insurance is just you gambling on a tiny down payment. The house always wins.
Yeah... gap insurance is for when you pay more than the car is worth. So, the dealership. If you get a car from the dealership, you will pay more than Kelly blue book value. Example: car is 10k kbb, dealership will sell it to you for 14k because of BS. If you wreck the car the next day, insurance will pay you what the car is worth -the kbb-, so 10k. But now you are still on the hook and making payments on the 4k. This exactly what gap insurance is for and will cover the 4k gap. This exactly happened to me. They kinda snuck in the gap insurance but im glad they did.
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
The hopefully only car I'll ever total was about 20 years ago. I bought it for 7k and drove it for 5 years. They initially lowballed me at like 3k. I was able to show them Kelly blue book values and current used market it was closer to 6. Ended up getting a little over 5k.
Of course in the 5 years since I got the car the used market was nothing like it previously was. A comparable purchase would have been 12k not 7k.
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
You are probably too late as you have likely signed an agreement to take the money, but you could have sent those comparison vehicles to the insurance company as proof of value. Insurance companies hire appraisers (like Mitchell) to put a value on your car when it is a total loss ... they work for the insurance company.
Also, you can (could have) attempt to dispute the total loss or having your car "totalled" and force a repair instead. The insurance company looks at a cost benefit analysis when it determines that it is cheaper to total your car. So they look at their own appraisal of your vehicle to determine if they should repair it or total it.
Every state in the US gas laws regarding this cost benefit analysis, you DO NOT legally have to take a "low ball" offer ... but the whole system is rigged on the "neutral" total loss appraiser keeping the numbers low and also making sure appraisal numbers fall in line with KBB and the like.
Solution: Get your own local comparison vehicles and ask to see theirs. Request a specialty appraisal if they didn't pull comp vehicles. Make sure the comps are LOCAL, if the use comps from other states they can find abberant vehicle prices.
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Its OK to be salty. I like my beans salty, lemony and spicy. I'm not saying you're a bean and I want to eat you in a burrito. I'm just saying you're alright.
Idk why people jump to defend these policies. They are 100% correct, but being correct doesn’t negate how scummy the insurance companies are. Based on how much we pay on a monthly basis, you would think we should be appropriately compensated when we do need to use the insurance. The simple fact is that the devil is in the details.
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Yeah... gap insurance is for when you pay more than the car is worth. So, the dealership. If you get a car from the dealership, you will pay more than Kelly blue book value. Example: car is 10k kbb, dealership will sell it to you for 14k because of BS. If you wreck the car the next day, insurance will pay you what the car is worth -the kbb-, so 10k. But now you are still on the hook and making payments on the 4k. This exactly what gap insurance is for and will cover the 4k gap. This exactly happened to me. They kinda snuck in the gap insurance but im glad they did.
Your example assumes zero down payment, so yes.
But if your down payment had been 4k, gap would not have paid out. It's only what you owe, not what you paid. -
Okay let me find a negative value property around my neighborhood... None! Could it be a get rich quick loophole? Nope.
Negative value property? Easy. It's called a timeshare!
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My wifes car was $20,000 used back in 2019. Now after basically 10 years it gets hit. The insurance declares it totalled. So the car can't be legally driven. The insurance will only pay us $9000. But now we're trying to buy a replacement and for the same model year they are asking 16000!
WTF! What's insurance for? Its just a tax. I much rather save to pay for my own car and have some sort of insurance that really actually covers the other driver.
Farmer this and state farm that and whatever General lizard, all are total bullshit regardless if you caused the accident or if you're are the victim.
They should call it "pay slightly less than full price if you fucked up your car"
Just here to commiserate. I am currently dealing with a total loss settlement myself.
I hope you, your wife, and any other involved parties are well.
Lastly, if you are an American, do NOT settle medical claims. You have a long time to figure that all out and the insurance company wants to give you as little as they can possibly get away with and what ever you sign is the final amount they will help with. In Texas, you have 2 years to settle bodily injury claims. Take the time you need before you settle.
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Just here to commiserate. I am currently dealing with a total loss settlement myself.
I hope you, your wife, and any other involved parties are well.
Lastly, if you are an American, do NOT settle medical claims. You have a long time to figure that all out and the insurance company wants to give you as little as they can possibly get away with and what ever you sign is the final amount they will help with. In Texas, you have 2 years to settle bodily injury claims. Take the time you need before you settle.
She's doing okay. But at work she's noticing that she gets more headaches and that her body hurts when she needs to pick up something heavy or kneeling or bending down.
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What sort of engineering standards are these cars built to?
Oh, very rigorous automotive engineering standards.
