Want to see what it takes to total a Festy?

[GenevaDirt]

DONT sign anything!!!! argue it and take them to court... get your repairs done at their expense not yours... my buddy had to get a lawyer and an independent appraiser to get a fair deal on his LeMans when it was hit... if you win they have to pay for all the damages as well as the appraiser...

actually depends on the insurance laws of the state. It really sucks but some places....like Ohio....you have no recourse.

[Hot_Wheels]

i would be upset as well, i have like 500 times the value tied up in to my car, i paid 32 buxs for the car rust free from Cali, my festiva also has salvage title from Cali due to the hatch was smashed in,I replaced the hatch and theres no other damage to the car. i hear theirs way to get a clean title reissued, from what i was told by some local car buffs in the Chicago land area to register the car in Indiana, supposedly in Indiana if you have the car inspected by a state officer they will reissue it as a rebuilt title then i can register it back in Illinois and it will come back as a clean title. now it seams like a lot of hassle, i really haven't looked to much into it yet, once i finish my car i would like to get it appraised and ill get the title clean just in case anything ever happens

[bhazard]

Total BS. Mine was stock and was valued at $1400 with like 17x,000 on it. It needed a fender and market light.

[skimsucka]

DONT sign anything!!!! argue it and take them to court... get your repairs done at their expense not yours... my buddy had to get a lawyer and an independent appraiser to get a fair deal on his LeMans when it was hit... if you win they have to pay for all the damages as well as the appraiser...

I second this choice and make them pay for your lawyer everything new bp ahahah

[manxbuggy1]

It really isnt the money that bothered me. I accept the fact that I drive a 21 year old econobox that even the ford dealers who sold the car called a throw away car. It seems this car is loved only by us. The rest of the world including insurance people dont understand our passion. I can easily fix my car for the money they are offering. What stuck in my craw was the fact that they can send papers into the state listing your car as a total without notifying you first. I argued with the agent for about twenty minutes about the unfairness of this situation and he would not budge. Said there was nothing anyone could do now cause the state had been notified and the car would require an inspection and get a salvage title if the mechanic proclaimed it road worthy. Since I have no intentions of ever selling the car, the salvage title shouldnt cause any problems. I guess they are mad at us for not participating in the cash for clunkers program and are trying anyway they can to get our little cars off the road. Fail on their part again. My little car will get fixed and stay on the road for years to come ( if I can stay away from big trucks backing into me that is) .

[tulsacarman]

Perhaps this is our wake up call to have our vehicles evaluated by an appraiser that doesn't have his head the same place the insurance company does. Especially those of us that have invested so much in alterations. The insurance company can't argue with a certified appraisal.

People may tell you that the little cars are depreciating every day but I say that my car goes up in value every time gas goes up. I smile when I fill up, even at roughly $3/gallon.

I for one afford a Prius.

[Evil D]

I know a guy who's hood flew up on his Mustang and clipped the roof right at the windshield as it flew off the car, and busted the windshield and just dinted the roof just a little bit, and they totaled it out. He bought the car back, pulled the dint and made a race car out of it.

[angrygocart]

My Festiva was totaled a little over a year ago. The appraiser came out to look at it and valued it at over $1800. I bought the car back with a salvage title for just over $100 and got a $1700 check from the insurance company. The car is a manual with no a/c, no radio (factory radio delete) and faded paint.
I would get other estimates from other bodyshops. Ask them if they could use the actual prices for a junkyard door and fender rather than a generic price. One of my other cars was repaired from an accident and the shop charged the insurance $500 for a replacement door (it was a used door from another car). Most junkyards sell doors for less than half that price.

[mattman]

safety guy got hit last night theres a thread on it but his was a hit n run he did catch the guy an got his info .................an yes get your cars appraised or insured as a collector or classic car that comes from a INS agent ( mom ) its the best way to protect our festy's from the pencil pushing idiots that think we need to buy a brand new car that gets less mpg than our 20somthing eco boxes ....LONG LIVE THE FESTY

[jamesmc]

I talked to my dad about this. He's an insurance claims manager for AAA, and he said it varies for each state. If my Festiva was totaled here in NJ, I can take the amount it was totaled for and keep my car with a clean title. I'm not sure about the laws over there, but it's definitely something worth arguing.

[Kraig]

They tried to declare my '86 Turbo Coupe in Louisiana "an obvious total". I drove it home from the minor fender bender. Insurance tried to give me $800 first offer. I said no way I'm signing the check. I safety inspected it as is, and asked the insurance how "an obviously totaled vehicle" could pass safety inspection. I told them book value was of no importance to me, their client ran into my car. Two offers later and they gave me $3200.....

[tulsacarman]

You were not at fault, you were not at fault, you were not at fault!!

The damage to your car was bad enough but if they get away with rolling you too then that's just a shame. I hate using the "L" word but mention lawyer to them and see how flexible they get.

[mattman]

yep i agree you may have to pull the LAWYER card out an im not a fan of sharks the bite both ways

[econoaddict]

an yes get your cars appraised or insured as a collector or classic car

Be careful with this advise.
Here if you insure as a collector or classic you also have to have it tagged at the dmv as such, this limits the mileage per month/year you can drive it and pending what it is classed as you may only get to drive it to shows, parades or special events.

Get and keep a current appraisal on hand then no one can argue about what your specific car is worth. Just try to keep the words classic or collector out of the mix.

[mattman]

Be careful with this advise.
Here if you insure as a collector or classic you also have to have it tagged at the dmv as such, this limits the mileage per month/year you can drive it and pending what it is classed as you may only get to drive it to shows, parades or special events.

Get and keep a current appraisal on hand then no one can argue about what your specific car is worth. Just try to keep the words classic or collector out of the mix.

thanks thats one i wasnt sure of ..man why cant they jus let us list work done i mean some of the guys cars on here have a ton of work an mods i hate kelly blue book thats a book that should be burnt saying 500 bucs for a good festy