ARGH! Got rear ended!

I was driving home from school today. I was behind an 18-wheeler which was going thru an intersection. I looked up and I was just about in the intersection when I looked up and saw the light was red. Now if it wasn't for those FUCKING Orwell cameras all over the place, I would have done the safe thing and went through the light since it had just turned, no cross-traffic cars were moving, and there was traffic behind me. But I couldn't afford a ticket and insurance increase, so I jumped on the brakes to stop in time. Consequently, I got rear ended by a mid-90s Ranger that was riding my ass. [Image: mad.gif] The bastard just wanted to trade phone numbers and leave, I made him stay and get a police officer out to file a report. Which is good because he got all the info, made sure we both knew that the guy in the Ranger was at-fault, and gave me his contact info in case the guy tries to tell his ins co it wasn't his fault.

I'm fine, and the 88TC is...well, it's drivable. The bumper cover is mashed to hell, the rear panel that holds the taillights is bent inward slightly, and the passenger-side rear quarter panel is buckled over the wheel. The car still drives fine. I got an estimate and while there's no frame damage (just to the outer shell), it comes to $2900! They are going to get me some used parts costs on Monday, so that'll go down somewhat. But it'll still be high, and according to their computer, anything above $1500 would probably total it. That place has a reputation for being expensive (they do very good work), so I'm going to shop around as well.

I just got done compiling my receipts, and aside from routine maintainence it comes to $2950 within the past year or so. That includes a performance front end rebuild kit, a $375 clutch job not even 1000 miles ago, upgraded stereo, etc, etc. How much sway does this stuff have with the insurance company, and what are some good strategies to get them to cover it? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I've never been in an accident before, I'm just glad that at least I'm OK, the TC should be fixable (worst case scenario, I'll just get it fixed at a cheaper place), and it wasn't my fault so the other guy gets to deal with the rate increase and stuff. But all in all, it sure is a shitty way to start the weekend! Time to break out the beer...

Insurance companies really tick me off; they're happy to take your money, but when it's time for you to collect, they always try to weasel out of it.

Yes, I know they're in business, but they still should do what's right, not what's expedient or most profitable. You know darn well that the "total" money will not replace your car!

My suggestion is that if they start any hassling at all about totalling it instead of fixing it, tell them about those (hint hint) neck and back pains you've been having since the accident. You might even want to go to the docter about it to have medical backup. Cheap and the insurance company has to pay that bill too. I'm not saying to try to screw them, mind you, just to use the system to get what you're entitled to: your car back in the same shape it was without resorting to cheapo parts and labor.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!



------------------
Cheers!

Joe

Original Owner 87 TC, 83K miles. K&N filter, Gillis boost valve, MSD-6AL, Magnecore 10mm wires.

Man...that sucks.


Good luck working out all of the details !

------------------
Dan Eaves
88TC 5spd, Crower 5.5" Sportsman Rods, Short Wiseco Pistons bored .030" Over, Ported Head with Polished Combustion Chambers, Gutted & Polished Upper, Ported & Polished Lower, Polished T/B, Ported E6, SVO T3 .63AR Turbo, Bosch Bypass Valve, 3" DP w/No Cat, 2 1/2" DynoMax single cat back w/DynoMax Super Turbo Muffler, RR Cam, K&N in Fenderwell, Gillis Boost Valve, Centerforce I Clutch, Removed A/C, Polished Wheels, Polished Valve Cover, Polished Crank and W/P Pulleys, Walbro 255LPH HP Pump, Kirban Adj FPR, and the DAMN Heater Core is new too !

http://www.geocities.com/wot_turbo/WOT.html

NATO MEMBER (Vice Chairman...if it's a vice...I deal with it)

That sucks!

Pull prices from the net, the auto trader, and the local paper for prices of TCs in real good condition, and present them to the ins. co. as proof your car is worth more than the stupid blue book value. Also show them the receipts you have for $$ put into the car. The ins co will always make you a low initial offer. Dont take it. Haggle with them. They likely will give you more than the blue book value if you fight them. An extra $1000 paid out on a non injury accident is nothing to the company compared to the $100,000++ they have to pay out for accidents with injuries. This works! A few years back, a coworker got his car (some 6 year old Mitzu POS) totaled by a guy that ran a red. The guys ins first offered him 5000 or 6000, the blue book value for an average condition car of that year / model. The car was in great condition when it got totaled, and after haggling with the ins co, he ended up getting 9000. Good luck.

------------------
Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 20 psi, forced air intercooler, water injection, bypass valve, Ranger roller cam, subframes, etc., etc.. // 86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP nitrous, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.... // 91 Escort: Bone stock winter car // 00 Windstar (wifes vehicle)

I have to agree with Joe. In NC the ins companies pay your medical bills plus 2x your med bills for pain and suffering. Not to mention lost wages. Another thing you can do is have a family member write you a statement showing you are "renting" their car for about $200.00 a week. The insurance company has to cover this too. If they give you a buch of shit tell them you need 48hrs to consult an attorney. That usually changes thier tune pretty quick. Well, Good luck and I hopw it all works out.

Thanks for the info! I was able to find a lot of 87-88 TCs within a few hundred miles of me and in similar condition going for $4000-5000. Between that and my $3k in receipts for that car, I should be in a good position to get them to cover repairs. And I'm good at raising hell, too. [Image: smile.gif]

Another thing is, the guy who hit me has insurance from the same company as I do. So the fact that I've never cost them a dime, have paid FAR more than 3 grand over the years, and that I can just buy my insurance elsewhere if they don't make me happy should also be helpful.

Next order of business--See a doctor about this sore neck I've had ever since I woke up today. I guess it was a harder hit than I initially thought. [Image: frown.gif] It's probably nothing, but I better do the safe thing and get checked out..

Sorry to hear about the wreck, from my experience the receipts should help. I had a similar situation, and i typed up a letter describing the car and the condition, and mentioned how hard it would be to replace this car because of all the modifications i made, and how hard it is to get one in very good condition, and you can also BS about the fact the car could be a classic and they only made it for 2 years that kind off shit. Also try to find an add for a very expensive priced TC for sale and that could help show how much it would cost you to replace the car, because as far as i am conserned when they total a car they should give you what it would cost you to get it again. And obviously if you can do this you can either try to get a body shop to give you a low estimate or total it and get a new one. Good luck.

See if that guy that wanted 30K for his TC is still trying to sell it on ebay... he was on there about a month ago. That might help [Image: biggrin.gif]