Appraisal Question, Ccc

[robert.adams]

Hi Guys,

here's a page from the offer I got from Encompass insurance. The comparable cars page looks like it was thrown together and isn't accurate. The car from Frenchy's Auto Sales IS MY TOTALED CAR, and I paid more than what is quoted here. I know this was the "take" value at the time because I was there for 4 hours and he wouldn't take a penny less. I have receipts proving this price. Am I getting low balled? my car also had an aftermarket hood and radiator which were destroyed (have receipts) and at first the appraiser said to email him them, but eventually just threw this report together without. Can something be done about this? the way I've been treated so far is unbelievable, and I'm just trying to replace my car that was totaled by their negligent, texting driver.

 

[INSUREGEEK]

Honestly?

On a 1996 ANYTHING.....any offer more than $2500 is pretty much a gift. I bet no one can get parts to fix this anyway.

However, this is a unique car. I checked craigslist in Cincinnati. There's an ad for $8000 which is totally unrealistic and probably a scam, lol. There's another more reasonable ad at $5800 with 131,00 miles and a custom paint job. The other ads are $3000 or less. But, it really depends on what's available and/or sold within 50-100 miles of you within the last 30-60 days.

An aftermarket hood and radiator are not adds, if anything, they are minuses. The only aftermarket adds that might help you are wheels, stereo, mechanical upgrades, etc IF you had receipts.

I deal a lot with Encompass, and except for them wanting to cut my body shop labor rates, they are pretty fair in my experience.

Expand your search area - I think having at least 4-5 "comps" is reasonable even if the search radius has to be increased to 75 or 100 miles.

Good Luck!!

ETA: "Replacing" your car means providing you funds to get something of like kind & quality. Can they actually replace a 1996 Del Sol? No. But they can compensate you for the actual cash value of the loss. The emotional value is always much higher. If you don't like the Encompass offer, feel free to turn in a Collision claim to your own carrier (you do have collision coverage?) and see if they can do any better, minus your deductible of course.

 

[fjwinters]

For the age of the vehicle the previous poster is right. The value does seem fair based on the info your giving. You can try and talk them up and negotiate it if you can find listings for your car locally. Check Craig's list for your vehicle or similar cars that may go for more. Use any info you find as a negotiation tool. May not work but worth a try. Bottom line is, the insurance company has the checkbook.