Hey! I own a 1977 Ford F250 that I just spent 5 months restoring and painting. Yesterday a guy hit it while it was parked, after only a week of me driving it. We exchanged information and a guy is comming out from his insurance company to estimate a price for the damage. Is this normal? I thought you usually took it to the shop that would do the work, and then get it estimated there. Anyway, my main question was whether or not i should be woried about this caus i dont wanna get ripped off after that. The whole rh bedside is trashed, even the inside peice, and the cab corner got pushed up into the door a little but the door is undamaged. Any of you know what kinda $ i should get for this? Thanks for any help or tips about insurance problems.

 

That's awful! I'd say that's pretty common for the other insurance company to have an adjuster look at it. They are trying to figure out how much to pay you for your damages. What you also might want to do is take the truck to 2 or 3 reputable body shops and get an estimate of the money it would cost to fix it. That way, when the other guy's insurance company comes back with a number for you, if you feel they are ripping you off, you can present the estimates to them and argue for a higher payment. If they refuse, then you have grounds to go after them with a lawyer. I would also make sure the other insurance company gets back to you with a number really soon, and that they don't give you the runaround. Insurance companies are awful to deal with. They'll find any way they can just to not pay out.

Sorry to hear about that man, I'm sure you must be really upset. At least the guy stopped, though. Lots of people speed off after running into a parked car, if there was no one around to see it.

 

[edit, it looks like I took too long to reply, forgive me for the redundancy of the post]

Without having agreed value insurance, chances are the insurance company will total out your truck because the damage to your truck exceeds the value of the truck. I am not an expert, but I would get your own estimates from a few different body shops, and get the truck appraised in a pre wrecked condition so you can counter their offer. Insurance companies know its cheaper to settle out of court without getting lawyers involved, if they amount they offer you is not enough to cover the damage to your truck, and (if you had been in the truck) any future medical bills that may arise from your getting hit, offer to have your lawyer discuss this with the judge. Whatever you do, DO NOT sign anything.

 

Did you get the truck appraised? If not, these trucks aren't worth much.

Sorry to hear that. Man that sucks.

 

I would have to agree with the first two posts entirely. Get an idea of what the cost is to replace/repair the damage so that way you will know what to expect and get from the insurance company.

Call some salvage yards and U Pull Its near you and see if you can find a new bed and the cost of it.

 

...and keep us posted.

 

I would have someone who knows how these adjusters work to be there with you when they come.

When my Buick got hit and totalled ...Because I have dealt with appraisers I was able to negotiate a better deal than they wanted to give.

You see, over a 6 month period I had put $3200.00 into an $1200.00 car because it was originally my Mom's car.... I had all the receipts and shown that 2 of my other vehicles are appraised so ...he knew... that I knew about cars and their REAL value.



Anyway, I got a cheque for $3500.00 for the car and $4000.00 for Michele and I

 

Thats a good deal Million that sucks about your truck man i would be frustrated especially only after a week

 

Thanks for the help! I got the truck appraised at the shop today for 2,285$ Now all i can do is wait for tommorow and see what the insurance company says. I'll keep you posted.

 

sorry to hear about that bud, i hope everything pans out in your favor, i would even sue the guy civily if i was you, just because of how much time effort it took you to restore it.

 

Sueing somebody in civil court is easy, however getting them to pay when you win is another story. It is a pain in the neck to collect payment, and they have to have something of value to put a lien on, or mess around with getting a judge to order a wage attachment. It pretty much is a loose loose situation for everybody.

 

What insurance co is taking care of the damage? I'm an appraiser for one of the major insurance co's that cover PA. If it's not the one I work for I may be able to help. If the damage is only $2300 ish they may repair the truck. Print out some comperable trucks listed for sale off the net to give the appraiser an idea what it's worth. Do his work for him. Get all the amunition you can to support the value of the truck but be honest. Don't print out a '76 F-250 highboy with 50,000 miles in orig condition that's selling for $10,000 if your truck is a F-150 that has been pieced together and painted and worth in the real market maybe $4000.00. I'm not trying to insult you, I have no idea what your truck is or what it's worth, I'm just saying you need to compare apples to apples. I'd try and get another estimate before the appraiser comes out if you can. Even if he writes an estimate for $1500 and tells you they will repair it you'll be good to go. The shop will have to work off his estimate, let them deal with the ins company on any supplemental work. And remember, it's YOUR truck, you can choose to have it worked on anywhere including you're back yard and they still have to pay you labor. Good luck and let me know if I can help. Phil

 

Hey Everyone! I got a check comming for 2290$ What saved me from having it totaled is that i had all my sales slips to prove how much i had spent. Also i had it appraised the day before which really helped because the insurance man knew the guy at the body shop. Thanks for your help and support, finally a good ending to a bad story!!!

 

WOOOOO HOOOOO f. n. a. that rocks man, i'm glad you got some of your investment back.