just remember no paint job is better then factory, id tell the insurence i dont want the car and try to get them to write you a check for what it's worth retail, looks like that quarter panle is buckled.

 

I don't agree that the car can't be repaired properly. Modern body shops do great work, I have no doubt the car can be repaired to where nobody will know it was hit. Issue here is the lower value of the car with its age and how much this repair is likely to cost.

 

I was wondering if this was possible. Appreciate the head's up as this would certainly be something I'd consider. I always see cars with the "salvage" title for sale on eBay and figure someone is making money on them. I assumed that sometimes the body shops may buy them and flip them. I'll talk to the owner of the body shop and get his opinion on repairing the car if it's totaled. FWIW, Progressive told me yesterday they could total the car once repairs exceed 50% of the value. To me, this solidifies that it will be totaled.

 

Just check with your insurance agent that you can get insurance on a car with a salvage title. Some companies won't insure them.

 

I doubt they'd let you have the car for $1000 - more like $10,000, or more. Salvage yards and salvage repair body shops would pay them this for the car.

 

Wow glad you're ok. Aren't you the guy that just came from a LS430? I think I posted on one of your threads last week. Bummer, hope it's not totaled.

 

Yep, that's me- had a 430 for almost 9 years.

Just visited the body shop- I feel good about what they will do to the car. It was like a high end exotic and luxury car lot - they're the only Tesla certified repair shop and pull cars from central/north FL, parts of GA, and AL. Then there were Jags, Mercedes, BMW's, Audi's. It's why I chose this shop- they've been around 35 years and are renowned for their work on luxury cars. Initial estimate is $8,200 but the guy I met with laughed that off. He thought it would be around $15k and felt very confident about that. He said it wouldn't total because it requires 80% of value to total it. They will have the car for about 30 days so I'll be in my Cadillac XTS rental for a while. I'm hoping it won't total as I'm not seeing any 460L's for sale right now that I would want. I also am confident in my diminished value consultant that I can hire to negotiate and get me a check from insurance on this since the accident wasn't my fault.

 

I agree that a factory paint job is preferred but a good body shop can perform magic on repairs. I have a Silver Charger SRT that was involved in two separate deer hits and you would never know both sides (hood, fenders, doors) had damage to it.
BTW! The insurance company tells YOU what they will do for you...... NOT you tell the insurance company what you want.

 

In my case, I don't know if I agree that the insurance company is telling me what to do. I was not at fault for the accident and I didn't hit anyone else as a result of getting rear ended. Progressive tried to recommend body shops to me, but I insisted on one in particular (that wasn't on their list). They didn't argue with me- they tried to gently push back by saying that shop has notoriously long wait times and I said "yes, because they are the best in town." I also have told both of the people from Progressive that I have been a very long, loyal and good customer (I always pre-pay my premium in full, have never filed a single claim) - and that I have never had to judge their service until this point. So I'm priming them to treat me as well as humanly possible or else I will take my business elsewhere. On top of that, I keep reminding them that the guy who caused the accident is the one whose insurance is really paying for all of this anyway. So far, so good.

 

Telling the insurance company what shop you're going to use and telling them to total the car are two different things. His point was you cannot choose to have the car totaled, that's up to the insurance company.

 

Thanks for posting my reply! ^^^^^^^

 

Us reasonable people have to stick together lol

 

Oh, gotcha. Misunderstood. Yeah I think that's up to the repair shop coming up with the total and Progressive and how they want to handle it. I'd like to keep the car, so hoping I can.

 

So sorry to hear about your new LS, jr. Glad you're alright and that the car was the only thing damaged. Hope the drunk driver is kept off the road and that the middle car's driver recovers from any injuries they may have incurred. Completely agree with you that it's the "other driver's insurance that is paying for all of it (eventually)" and hope Progressive acts in only your best interest. Truly a shame since you searched long and hard to acquire that gem of an LS. Will be following this thread and hoping for the best outcome for you, my friend.

 

I don't know what the policy is in Florida but insurance companies in most other states don't recognized "diminished value".