Hi all, I'm writing to see if anyone's been in a similar situation. Last week, I had Frank (my beloved F 250) parked on the street when a drunk driver in a conversion van plowed into the back corner... going almost 65 according to the police! At least the driver was insured and from what I can tell the police report is pretty thorough.

The damage is surprisingly little and there's no frame damage that I can tell but I'm really worried that the insurance company will try to total 'ol frank out and that's not gonna fly with me. I want the damage fixed with OEM quality parts and I absolutely don't want to get a salvage title.

Any thoughts?

 

RIP Frank

There's the value to you and then, there's the wholesale value. And there's the cost of repairs. $$$ Do the math.

SO, their insurance is going to cut a check to the limits of the policy (the value of the truck) and be done with it, I expect. I believe you could buy the truck as salvage though, and have it repaired yourself, at additional expense. Sorry to see that. Parking on the street is never a good thing.

 

Wow glad it was just parked and you weren't in it. I think it might depend on the state but in mass i believe you can take the check for the value of the totaled appraisal and do with it what you will as long as you own the vehicle out right. It will end up with a salvage title though.

 

Bummer! Fortunately the damage appears to be limited to the bed, tailgate, and rear bumper. I think they can find those parts for $1k, and a 4x4 F250 with no rust should be worth over $3k, so it shouldn't be totaled. Hopefully.

 

Sorry to hear this. Its a nice looking truck(aside from the damage). Is there a dent in the cab from the bed hitting it?

 

1985 1986 Ford XLT Lariat Tailgate Trim Panel

 

You are absolutely correct. The insurance company will want to total loss your vehicle and cut you as small a cheque as possible.

So, what happens next is largely up to you. In my jurisdiction, branding the vehicle as salvage is automatic and you do not have any say in the process. One of the flaws in a government run monopoly insurance system. In a competitive insurance system, you will need to negotiate with the insurer and sign off before the matter is closed. If you can't come to terms with the insurer, you could sue the driver, but that is an expensive time consuming process and there is a high risk the judgement may not be favourable and enforcing settlement becomes yet another hassle. Your choice, of course.

As far as repair quality, the obligation to the insurer is to restore to the condition at the time of loss. I see rust in your wheel arches. That is not going to get you new OEM panels. I see, at minimum a bumper, bed side, tailgate, trim panel, tail light along with repair and paint. I am sure there will be some underlying damage to wheel wells and even to the frame regardless of whether it is visible or not. The rust which will become more evident when the panel has been removed will complicate the repair. Around here, that repair would far exceed the book value of the truck. I am thinking $5000. Your best bet would be a cash settlement with no report on the status of the truck, but that may not be possible with the insurer and local laws.

 

Yes, it will be totaled. You will have to fight the insurance company the whole way, their theme is to take your monthly premiums and pay out as little as possible. I would check on the salvage title thing. Even if it does get a salvage title you can fix it and get it converted back. But it will always be a black mark on that truck's record. Again you can thank the chop shops and thieves for that, they were taking the front half of one car and welding it to the back half of another car and calling it good.

 

Is there a way to protect ourselves from this in the future?

Do we get an appraisal of our trucks? Would this have any value in a settlement case?

Would you need to get an appraisal every year (i.e. a 5 year old appraisal probably isn't going to do any good) - and do you need to work with specific appraiser (someone the insurance companies would agree to)?

I don't have comprehensive or collision insurance so if I wreak my truck - it's on me. But if someone else hits my truck, I would like to be able to prove its value - which I would then expect to be compensated for in full.

Obviously the insurance company is going to look at some Kelley Blue Book type pricing which isn't going to be much for an old truck, when it comes to paying you for a totaled truck. And the insurance company probably isn't going to take your "appraisal" at face value unless it some sort of certified/official document. IDK.

 

I think this is the right approach. Rick/Fonzie had his truck appraised, by Hagerty if I remember correctly, and the insured value was pretty high. Yes, he'd done a great restoration on it. But, I think the value of many of our trucks is much higher than the run-of-the-mill insurance companies show.

So, my plan is for Dad's to go to Hagerty and see what they say. They'll bring in an appraiser, and while he's here I'll have him look Big Blue over.

 

There's something called "agreed upon value" and something called "stated value", I don't know the difference or how they differ, but it gets people in trouble. The policy you're talking about is going to need an appraisal most likely. And the 6 month premiums are going to reflect that. A typical insurance policy, you're only paying to insure the depreciated value of the truck, not replacement value. So if it's totaled, that's the end of it. And body work and paint especially, is very labor intensive and costs rack up quick.

 

Bumping Tedster!

 

[QUOTE=CountryBumkin;17291020]Is there a way to protect ourselves from this in the future?

Most insurance companies offer "agreed value" coverage for vehicles 15 years and older from the current year. An appraiser is sent out, photos taken and the value is agreed upon. In my case, I've had the same insurance agent for over 35 years and he simply sends me an e-mail inquiring if said vehicle(s) are still in the same condition when the policy was initiated. They may have stipulations such as max. mileage per year, parade, club or event use, etc. It couldn't hurt to inquire with your current insurance carrier about it. Oh, and my appraised policy premiums are still less than the DD vehicles.

 

No way there's not frame damage. The way that is buckled up I can guarantee that frame is bent. Sorry about your loss but this one's a goner. The good news is that you can buy back the vehicle for pennies on the dollar and use the good parts on another vehicle you obtain. The other option is for it to serve as parts to all of our pickups in its new life in the junkyard.

 

I'm not sure how you can tell that there is "definitive" frame damage without actually crawling under it or measuring it out. Ouija Board maybe ??