On Wednesday, June 18, 2014 9:05:42 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wed, 18 Jun 2014 08:21:09 -0700, "Bob F"

wrote:



DerbyDad03 wrote:

Situation: 10 YO vehicle, 160k miles, excellent condition, inside and

out. Hood, windshield, fender, etc. is crushed by fallen tree during

a storm. Vehicle has comprehensive coverage. Ins Co has not seen the

vehicle yet, but based on the age and damage, the owner assumes his

Ins Co will say the vehicle is totaled.



Are there any special strategies for dealing with the Ins Co?

Obviously the settlement won't be enough for a new vehicle, but can a

higher settlement be negotiated based on the previous good condition

of vehicle? Anything specific to say (or not to say) to the adjuster?



Add to what others said - if the insurance company refuses to budge, tell them

you will rent a car on their bill until you can come to an agreement.



I have found providing price of 3 or more "local market" equivalent

vehicles for sale will cause an adjustment in price if warranted. If

there is no equivalent condition vehicle, show what is avaialable at

what price and demonstrate the difference in value (sometimes by

producing a newer vehicle , same condition but higher mileage, for

instance, ) Friend had his pristine 2004 Taurus written off and got

$1000 more than the first offer by producing a 2002 Taurus with the

same mileage for more than they were offering, for sale in the same

city. "out of market area" pricing (for instance E-Bay motors) doesn't

carry much weight

To me, *completed transactions* on Ebay would carry
a lot more weight than ads that just show what buyers
are dreaming of getting. If you're using CL or newspaper
ads, they better be way above what the insurance company is
offering. If I was the adjuster and offered $5000 based
on Blue Book sources, ads showing people asking $6000 wouldn't
do much to impress me.