Just to touch on what Jabberwck pointed out, as I think this is a very important upcoming issue for you.

Insurance companies will try to offer you the least they can get away with whether it be the repaired car without the depreciation compensation or a gouge on the amount of money they offer. Not sure about down there but some jurisdictions up north here allow a claimant to force the total and opt for money under certain conditions, and other remdies. They will never tell you this if it will cost them a cent.

MAKE SURE TO BE AWARE OF YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS! If they're difficult I'll take a look at insurance legislation in your area and see if you might benefit from getting professional advice. It's highly probable. It would only take a local lawyer an hour or two to find your options under the local insurance act thats a fee that might be worth it if you can get depreciation or something else! They are counting on you being unaware and unwilling to struggle with them. They make their living off of overcharging and uncercompensating.

Keep us posted on how the process is going. Dream up a sick next ride!

 

WOW! I don't sign on for a day and I'm miss the immediate growth of this 3 page thread! Tee---like everyone else said, that car is replaceable. Your life isn't. Sounds as if you didn't need any medical attention either, which is fortunate also!!!

As I'm unaware of the insurance process w/accidents and "total" losses, etc, do you know...if they DO "total" the car, do you keep the car & get a check or does the insurance company take ownership of the vehicle?

What I'm getting at is........is there any chance you could sell any of the parts/pieces? I found out recently that 1 of my 18" rims IS BENT...lol.

Again, glad you're ok...and that you'll still be hanging out here.

 

Good to hear you're ok after seeing those pics. Eeeesh.
Make sure you see a doctor just to document if you have any pain etc..

I was in a simlar situation with my motorcycle. They tried to lowball me but I found 3 comparable examples in the local autotrader and they gave me the highest price I found.
Might be worth your while to start looking now.

 

Sorry to hear the bad news but its good that you made it out OK. Hopefully you get everything straightend out soon.

 

sort of something that ls430inDE alluded to: one of my co-workers had a modified evo, he was caused to make an emergency lane change, he flipped the car, not his fault but it was totaled out... the insurance company gave him a check for the car that was apparently a sizable amount, the guy offered to buy the car back from the insurance company for something ridiculous like $4000 (i believe they gave him like 30k in the check). he brought the wrecked evo and then sold it to a local shop for parts which they ended up giving him like $10k for. not sure if you have any of these options but they do sound tempting.

 

When insurance company gives you a settlement check for a totaled car, and you accept the check, they then officially own the totaled car. You can offer to buy the wreck from them, and for the right price they would be happy to sell it to anyone including the previous owner. You would need space and storage for the wreck as you sell it for parts - not my idea of a good time but certainly possible and potentially profitable if bought and sold at the right price. You are turning your garage into a 1 car junkyard but if that works for someone it might be an interesting project.

 

Not to jump the gun, but here is a flint mica UL replacement:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

And another...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

Or a CPO ML:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

i think in my coworkers case he had called a shop ahead of time and confirmed that they would buy it, then he had a flat bed deliver the wrecked car to the shop directly, thus negating the need of garaging the wreck at his house.

 

Same as LS430inDE said, didn't sign on for one day and missed this

Did any of the airbags go off or were you traveling too slow for it to deploy?

I think a big part of determining if the car is totaled is from airbags. At a grand each, any numbers of it going off will quickly add up the cost driving it to be totaled. I talked with my agent once and they will repair up to about 70 to 75% of the value of the car, after that, they would total it immediately. That or any engine damage.

Diminished value is hard to fight but can be done. Glad you're ok, hope they give you a nice loaner and if not, demand it from the U-Haul Drivers' insurance.

 

I would think the airbag did not deploy. The first hit was from behind by the Saturn, so that would not trigger airbags, then when Tee went forward and smashed the car in front, he wasn't going above the speed to trigger the AB. They should be intact.

 

Glad ur ok from accident. Sorry bout ur ride, love them fogs. Remember everything happens for a reason.

 

The 10 airbags in the car are worth quite a bit by themselves on the used market.

 

Whoa Tee! Didn't realize this was an accident thread
Glad to hear you're ok

By this time around, the stiffness and soreness should be kicking in. Don't mistaken these symptoms for something minor.

If it's not late and if you're not being represented, make sure you remember to properly mention that you felt 1 rear ended impact and not 2 when you're giving a (recorded) statement.
1 impact clearly puts the Uhaul guy at fault while 2 impact makes the saturn 50% and the uhaul guy 50%.

 

Glad your okay. Got into a similar accident in 98LS, and i have a good feeling your LS will be totaled.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

Thx again everyone, even for the links to the possible replacement LS430. I have not heard from my ins co. today so if I will contact them tomorrow about the status. After work I went to p/u the police report and here are the remarks and drawing.

Driver 1: U-Haul
Driver 2: Saturn
Driver 3: Me
Driver 4: Chevy P/U
Driver 5: Navigator

I will keep you guys posted.