Ouch, my poor Z28

[snydes]

I would have laughed in the guys face, NO WAY would 5.5k do an appropriate repair on that car. That adjuster has no clue.

[CamarosRus]

FYI,

Original 70-73 Camaro Right Fenders are different than 74-77 and any NOS replacement. Early fenders dont have the oblong indent inside (under the hood line). IF your car had born with fenders, I would want a good used early type, same as fender to be used for repair

Original NOS R/S urethane nose pieces are very rare and hard to find. If yours needs replacing finding new might not be an option. Find good used one, but dont use the repop.

Subframes were stamped with mfg date and plant location. Using a different frame will have different date ???

Even after car is repaired I would go after insurance company for "diminished value" IF car can not be returned to exact same as condition.

[njsteve]

Who do you have your insurance with? Have you contacted them yet? As others have said that is at least $15 to $20K in repair costs including $5k in sheet metal and parts.

[Kim_Howie]

Tim do you have your car insured for Stated amount? If you do have your company pay for it. Then your company will go after her company to pay for it.

[ohhawk]

The insurance carrier and type of policy one has could be a key part of how this has progressed thus far.

Very sorry to hear about this incident and hope it all will work out for you. I remember seeing this car a number of year's ago before it made it's way to TX.

[TimG]

He wrote the estimate with the prices his computer generated for parts. He said to take it to a shop that works on classic cars and have them provide a better estimate. He said they will not total the car, but he was leaning more to that when he left. I want the car to be a total. It is a never hit car, very original with one repaint. I want to hold off having my carrier get involved and see where they go. I paid $36,000 for the car one year ago, have it insured for that much and registered it with DOT for that much. I can verify the value and I'd rather have them take the car and pay me the money. If I keep the totaled car, they run the title through Texas DMV and I get a salvage title.

[Kim_Howie]

The insurance works diff in Iowa. When the car is totaled & you keep the car. You are given a check minus what you and the company agree on for salvage value. Most the time that is between 6 & 15% of the value of the car at date of loss. You keep the title. There is no salvage listed on the title. The only time it will have salvage on the title is when the Ins. co. keeps the car. They then have the state put salvage on the title.

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
He wrote the estimate with the prices his computer generated for parts. He said to take it to a shop that works on classic cars and have them provide a better estimate. He said they will not total the car, but he was leaning more to that when he left. I want the car to be a total. It is a never hit car, very original with one repaint. I want to hold off having my carrier get involved and see where they go. I paid $36,000 for the car one year ago, have it insured for that much and registered it with DOT for that much. I can verify the value and I'd rather have them take the car and pay me the money. If I keep the totaled car, they run the title through Texas DMV and I get a salvage title.

[/ QUOTE ]

Tim, I see from your bio that you are in insurance sales. I don't know if your collector policy is with your own company but as a lawyer I'd offer you this info:

The stated value you have of $36,000 is with your insurance company. The girl's insurance company has no obligation whatsoever to follow that valuation. If they total it, they may end up offering you a check for $10,000 and not $36,000.

So unless you contact your insurance carrier or your lawyer there is most likely going to be a big problem.

If it was me I'd contact my insurance carrier immediately.

By the way buried in the fine print of most of the collector car policies is a requirement that you contact them within a specified period of time when a loss occurs to an insured vehicle regardless of who is at fault, under penalty of them not covering the loss at all. This is because it's their lawyers that end up suing on your behalf to recover the money if there is a discrepency in the repair price/total value. Otherwise without them being involved, the legal fees are going to come out of your wallet.

SO, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER ASAP.

[SuperNovaSS]

I'd listen to Steve. They are going to find out one way or the other anyway.


Jason

[snydes]

The problem here is getting in the hands of a shop that does "good" work on classics. You take that car to any flat rate collision shop and you will have nothing but grief and disappointments no matter what the adjuster puts down.