Bent Cabby

[sixsracing]

Well Brian you are going to need to do another "How to" for rear end damage. I was stopped at a stop light the other night and was rear ended by a 97' Stratus. Ruined the rear gate I just painted and installed. Pushed the lower valance almost to the spare tire well. Dimpled the quarters in the upper front corner of the taillights and moved the inner edges of them in to touch the rear gate. All in all, totalled in the eyes of the law. Just when I was poised to get it finished, it's finished....

On a side note, Dad just bought a Cabrio from one of my customers. 1994 dark green with a black top, grey leather and a standard. Not bad shape but not a Cabriolet.

[Briano1234]

kinda like from this:


to this in 3 seconds:


to after Progressive offered to settle for 5800



Remember Brian's rule.... Who hit whom, and Whom is responsible?

Then go out to Auto trader and the whore tex and go from High to low.... average them all....
Then make sure that you have all your receipts for all the work or replacement parts handy....and if they offer you more than what they ought, as they should..... then take the monies and get a new one. Hell get one from Rust Free Georgia, and you may come out better off in the long run.....

Rear end damage is a bit trickier.... but doable.... http://www.rabbitparts.com has good selections on some panels....

But the problem is did they kink the frame of the top and how far is the cable tray outta wack....that is why I took the monies and ran, bought the green one and half the blue. would of bought both but sometimes life interferes.

[Calimus]

Oh man, I hate to hear that Sixes. So, is the damage fixable or is it a gone duck?

[sixsracing]

It's probably fixable but should I? I bought the car for $1,200.00 6 years ago.
The body was fair then, top is in tatters. Mechanically it is fantastic but the
body has been ravaged. I spoke to the rep. today and he hinted that it would
most likely be totalled and that the payout was in the $800.00 range. Pisses
me off.

On a lighter note, I scraped the bottom of the Beetle this morning going out
my road and tore a hole in it's oil pan.

It's been a rough week.

[Briano1234]

Don't take the first offer. Go out and get the Autotrader, and the Edmunds listing for the car, and that is what they should start to pay you.

It's probably fixable but should I? I bought the car for $1,200.00 6 years ago.
The body was fair then, top is in tatters. Mechanically it is fantastic but the
body has been ravaged. I spoke to the rep. today and he hinted that it would
most likely be totalled and that the payout was in the $800.00 range. Pisses
me off.

On a lighter note, I scraped the bottom of the Beetle this morning going out
my road and tore a hole in it's oil pan.

It's been a rough week.

[bbrown]

Sorry to hear your in trouble again (the beetle is a new development to what I had heard of last). I saw the damage first hand and its not good. 800? Way to low. I don't know the blue book, but it has to be at least 1200 or there abouts. I still think a paved road is a good idea for you guys, but since you would have to fund it I understand why that hasn't happened yet. Good luck with the insurance company and I hope the Beetle is up and running again soon.

p.s. I made it to Texas with no problems, just wish that I had the Cabby here.

[Calimus]

Sixes, tell them where to stick the $800. Cristines original red cabby netted over 3k from the adjuster. Which was an 89, and the outside was not that easy on the eyes. In your case, I wouldn't come off at least 1800-2200. No way you will find one for $800 that was in the same condition as yours.

Like Brian said, kit autotrader, craigslist and even ebay. Fidn cars in similair condition (tad better never hurts) and get all the info. I'm damn sure betting those cars won't have $800 price tags. It's up to the other guy's ins. co to make you whole again. Not for them to just toss you a few bills and tell you to get lost.

As for the hole in the oil pan, lol, welcome to MKIV's. paper thin pans is what they used on these cars, I swear. I've been lucky that I've never managed to damage mine, however most of the folks I know that have them, have done the same thing. A new pan and some sealent will have ya patched up in no time. Or maybe some JBweld for a quick fix, but I wouldn't trust it for more then a run to the corner store or something.

[sixsracing]

Just picked up the new pan, installing it this afternoon.

Ya, I know the insurance thing is a scam,
I just don't have the energy to fight with them right now.

[sixsracing]

So, talked to the insurance rep. this afternoon. Turns out the initial offer is
even less. $558.00 and they take the car. This is precious. They sent me
an eight page document explaining how they came up with the figure. They
find advertisements in my area for comparable autos, in this case they found
two. One for $1500.00, one for $775.00.

Do they average the two?....no
Do they call and see if the cars are comparable?....no
Do they find out if the ads are legit?....no
Do they inquire as to whether there was a typo?.....no

They send me this crap with phone numbers for the ads and tell me they found
these cars and they are deducting money for excessive mileage (210,000) for a 19
year old car. They deduct from the lower of the two prices.

I am embarassed to say...I hung up on the guy. You may have to change my nickname
after my next phone call with this joker.

[Briano1234]

farging iceholes.....

If you have the reciepts for the work you have done, then that is even lower than the KBB for it.

Remember the key phrase
whom hit whom

[bbrown]

Stay strong Six. You just need to stick to your guns. I can't believe that they are trying to lowball you so bad, but then again they are trying to make a buck by paying out as little as possible. The accident wasn't your fault and they need to make it right with you. Total frustration I am sure. I think a cold dcaff Coke is in order.

[Calimus]

Hell with the decaff, load up on caffine, get fired up and call that jackhole back.

Do your own search for local cabby's and if better, present that to them. Make sure they are comparable to what ya had though. Also, as brian said, push the who hit whom factor big time. You arn't trying to get a brand new car outta the deal, but for that offer, you can't even purchase one of the two that they listed. They have to make you whole, not 3/4 or less.

Also, I hoping that in this case, the person that hit you has a different insurance company then yourself. If so, contact your agent and explain how you are getting hosed and that you would like some help dealing with that asshat. I had to go that route back when I was hit in my truck. The guy that hit me had state farm and wouldn't even call me back. After two weeks and countless times for getting pulled over for a smashed rear tail lamp (had the accident report with me so I didn't get a ticket), I finally called my Ins. agent and asked for help. I had a call from State farm 10min after I hung up with my agent. Use all the tools at your disposal.

[bbrown]

Hell with the decaff, load up on caffine, get fired up and call that jackhole back.

Except I remember Six saying he couldn't have caffeine for medical reasons and I know dcaff Coke is his drink of choice (or else he was just being nice to me and he secretly drinks Pepsi). Other than that very sound advice.

[bbrown]

Just did some quick research on Craigslist. Surprisingly enough there are plenty of Cabbys in our area for sale. The price scatter is pretty broad for those in operating condition 1500-4500 U.S. Dollars. Here are the links:

$1500 http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1339137879.html

$2500 http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1338665426.html

$2500 http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1295125867.html

$4500 http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1328347057.html

[sixsracing]

I called on an ad in Dexter for $1,500.00 and the car seems to be in better shape
overall without the performance upgrades. I am willing to be reasonable about it
and take $1,200.00 and keep my car. If the insurance co. won't play ball then I
am going to call the people who hit me and ask them to make up the difference.
If they do then it's good, if they don't then it's off to small claims court I go.

Where in the United States can you go and buy an automobile for $500.00 in drivable,
inspectable condition? Come on!

I e-mailed the .... er, gentleman last night and apologized for hanging up on him,
explained that one of the ads cannot be verified and expressed the desire for an
answer. We shall see if I get a response.

I did search last night and found that complaints against Horace Mann Ins. co.
have had an increase in at least one state by almost 300% last year. I wonder why?