Insurance guy came but didn't take my car away

[cjsmith]

The insurance guy from State Farm (insuring the other driver) showed up at my office shortly after eight this morning to look over my vehicle. He took pictures of just about everything, including the engine! He too is sure the car is totaled. He says the company should have a good sense of the numbers by late this afternoon or tomorrow ("so call then," he says, "or best case, they call you").

I handed him a folder with photocopies of the Kelly Blue Book wholesale/retail value including all the options the car has (THANK YOU ladycelia!) and of the body shop estimate.

Hey, shadopanther, want a 1989 Corolla full size rim and spare? I'll never use it, and the insurance company gets only the donut that came with the car.

He says they probably won't take the car away until I am ready. I strongly suspect there is a little more to it than that; after all, as soon as they've run the numbers, I'm putting miles on THEIR car. But I admit I'm glad of the respite. Both last weekend and this weekend I'm out of town, making a car purchase a little tougher.

Comments

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad they're giving you leeway to do things at your own pace! I'm glad they're totaling the car, too. It sounds like State Farm is treating you quite well.

When I wrecked my 2-year-old Camry (in a snowstorm in 1986), the insurance company at first wanted to repair it. But my body shop told me that the frame was bent about 3-5" out of line (I now know what they mean when they say a car was wrapped around a tree or a pole!). Not only would it always have rattles and squeaks, they warned me, but parts and tires and things would always wear out much faster than normal because no matter how good a job they did, nothing would ever fit together quite right or be perfectly straight any more. They gave up over $8,000 in work by telling me that! I asked them if they could convince the insurance company to total it instead of repairing it, so they reminded the adjuster that the estimate was just based on what they could see, and once they actually started working on it they might find more that needed to be done. Soon I had a check for $8000-something, and I bought a new car.

On a side note, I just wanted the exact same car, with the same options and everything (emotional issues were involved). In two years my car had depreciated so much that to replace it with an identical car I had to add $4,000 -- 50% more than the value of the old one!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind a frame repair in this case, actually, as long as they were going to replace the pillar that is bent. The body shop said they'd straighten it, though, and I'm just not at all sure it'd ever be as strong again after it had been bent and unbent once. Fortunately for all concerned, the math isn't even close.

I too would enjoy having the exact same car. (I wouldn't mind new if I could find comparable, but there isn't comparable. New are all big.) If I can find a used one as old as mine, though, it'll have double the miles my old one had. It still might be worth it, just so that I can hang on for the next couple of years until it is possible to buy small cars again.

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

hmm. Maybe. My donut is still in good shape. I also actually have a full sized spare, but I think the rim is bent (I'd have to check). I could also check to see if jemstone's 1997 Corolla takes the same size. He has a donut spare and an extra tire, but no full size spare rim.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

OK, just let me know. I could also try to sell/give it on craigslist, but if you have a use for it I'm much happier giving it to you.