I got rentals because of accidents when I was under 25, I just couldn't get one for a trip or something.
Polished Turd Racing
Mick wrote: "I think Jerrett is the best autocrosser I have ever seen naked."
Yeah, um... no. Back when I was a kiddo in my 20s and the dealership wrecked my Z28, I got a FORD ESCORT. Then, when I took it back because they didn't fix it right, I got a GEO METRO. Of course, being a stupid kid, this led to lots of fun adventures in off-roading and playing "handbrake roulette" - a game we invented in the Escort wherein the passenger would yank the brake up randomly, and the driver had to not wreck the car. And, yes, I mastered the art of broad-daylight guerrilla handbrake u-turns in that Escort. The Metro's handbrake wasn't quite strong enough... but I did almost turn it over in an unrelated incident. Neither car was quite right when I turned it back in...Originally Posted by MiataProtege
And I wonder what rental car I will get.... a mustang?.... corvette? Porsche???
No. If I had to take a real guess.... I'm betting I get an Impala. Wager some kudos points at what rental car I will be given? I bet 50 kudos on impala.
'94 Black & Black & Tan
'99 head swap, JR header, TDR intake & header blanket, MegaSquirt, RB hollow bar, Tein Flex, 15x8 6ULs, HD M2 Sport, FM cat, Borla cat-back, black '95M interior, MOMO Zebrano, IL Motorsport console...
Dyno Days
8/16/08 (bone stock): 103.1 hp/99.0 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/23/08 (Borla cat-back): 108.2 hp/104.1 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/13/11 (more stuff...): 126 hp/116 lb-ft - Mustang dyno
Roger Moore: the Danny White of James Bonds
http://www.dfwmiata.com/showthread.p...nt-black-Miata.
Problems solved.
I know right. That's what I've been thinking. It's good luck in way isn't it?
And handbrake mastering..... nice.
Appraisal woman will be here in 15 minutes. Let's see what happens!
There was great humor today..... the appraiser went around taking pictures of all the corners of the car, and the interior. She said "Wow it's in really good condition" which stroked my car ego a little. Then went to the rear and put some arrows up and took a few final pictures with measuring tape... and told me "It looks like the trunk needs to be replaced, and this bumper." and handed me a piece of paper. And I said.... "And the tail lights?" and she grabbed the paper back and said "Oh and those too!"
Additionally she says my alignment problem couldn't have been caused by this accident and that USAA will not pay for an alignment while I wait on a price quote and am still driving the car around. Which definitely doesn't sit well with me.
Did she look under the car? The diff mounts are OK? If she forgot to put the tail lights on the estimate at first, I sure as hell would not accept whatever offer they give you right off the bat. No offense, but unless you're leaving out some details, it sounds like you're going to let yourself get screwed.
Your car is not safely drivable (the tail lights are broken)....that is the deciding factor or whether or not you are entitled to a rent car now OR when your car goes into a shop (assuming liability has been decided).
Update:
The appraise woman that came by... was through another company. I don't fully understand it... but she was for the repair shop to come look. Today while working a USAA appraisal guy came by to look at the car. And not very good news......
He gave it a look around, older gentlemen definitely knew what he was doing, immediately said "Wow you were crashed into hard." I told him Miatas are little and it doesn't take much to destroy them, and he said that he knew about that, but that he could also tell it was a serious collision. He took the keys and popped the trunk after looking underneath, looked around the inner walls and found a ripple in the cars frame and found the back end where the trunk falls down into, that area is dipped inward. He said it will definitely cost 2-3 thousand, but could potentially be totaled.
Does not look good for me. I just don't understand why they would total a car that works just fine. They just pay off my loan and take the car away? I'll be devastated.
Tomorrow at 1PM USAA's collision repair shop will be taking my car in for an exact estimate, and I should find out what happens then.
The car may be totalled due to the repair cost being higher than a certain percentage of the vehicle value (approx 70%) and the fact that a major repair will lower the value of the vehicle, thus bringing the numbers closer together. Additionally, a unibody vehicle with damage to the support members will lose its ability to properly absorb force in a serious impact, thus rendering a driveable car unsafe. In a car as small as the Miata, that's a significant risk. If they allow a vehicle to be repaired with the knowledge that it could be compromised, they could end up paying a lot more money for bodily injury the next time you are in an accident and the structure fails.
No, they don't pay off your loan. They write you (and your leinholder) a check for the wholesale value of the vehicle and take the car; you are responsible for paying off the loan. If they give you less than you owe, you still owe the difference. Welcome to the wonderful world of Gap Insurance.
There are some nice Volvos on CL...
Polished Turd Racing
Mick wrote: "I think Jerrett is the best autocrosser I have ever seen naked."
"pay off my loan"
Actually they'll give you replacement value.
This is not a set in stone value and it in no way coorelates to a loan.
Some people have been pleasantly surprised (a $3k car = $5k payout in some instances, Miatas hold their value well).
If you made a bonehead move and overpaid for the car, they will pay the value and you're stuck having to pay the difference between the value and the loan (negative equity). Gap insurance covers this.
Good luck, IMO I'd take the cash if its totaled and they make you a fair offer. You already don't feel that it's driving correct.
Once they total it they typically will pay for 7-14 days of rental car to allow you to find a replacement vehicle.
Damn you OZMDD with your faster fingers.
Thanks OZ and goofy for your thoughts. I just have to wait until tomorrow for details....
I value my car at $7000 and if anyone offered me $8000 I would sell it and be without a car for a while for that price. I know that Navy Federal values my car at $9500 for whatever reason. And my loan is for 6450 after TTL. So hopefully USAA feels it's worth $9500 too!
EDIT:
This post does not make any sense. Disregard it.
Last edited by MiataProtege; 09-29-2011 at 04:14 PM.
a 99 worth 9500? Man I should have held my 00 for another year.
Well it's not worth that much... that's just what Navy Federal valued it at when they gave me my loan.
So if I had a loan for 10k on it, I would have to put down $500 of my own money for it. Plus 10 percent I believe. I figure if one military bank overvalues my car... perhaps USAA will as well and will over pay me for my car.
I believe my car was worth $7000 before this accident.
$7000? Really? I've seen '99s for sale down around $4000, and they weren't dogs, either. I know when my old man's '05 Tahoe went on a forced vacation to Mexico a while back, his insurance pissed all over the KBB and NADA values and pulled devalued "comps" off of AutoTrader. IIRC, the KBB value was around $23K, but they had a list of ads with asking prices anywhere from $15-20K - and none of them came close to the mileage/condition of the stolen truck. After MONTHS of fighting with them, they finally coughed up something like $21K and some change.
Sounds like you need to set up your own appraisal with a body shop you trust. Remember, insurance companies are not in the business of fixing cars or making customers happy, their main goal is to make money for the shareholders.
'94 Black & Black & Tan
'99 head swap, JR header, TDR intake & header blanket, MegaSquirt, RB hollow bar, Tein Flex, 15x8 6ULs, HD M2 Sport, FM cat, Borla cat-back, black '95M interior, MOMO Zebrano, IL Motorsport console...
Dyno Days
8/16/08 (bone stock): 103.1 hp/99.0 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/23/08 (Borla cat-back): 108.2 hp/104.1 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/13/11 (more stuff...): 126 hp/116 lb-ft - Mustang dyno
Roger Moore: the Danny White of James Bonds
So I'm confused on a few things....
I thought the best thing to do was to sit back and let USAA make it all better?
Should I be getting appraisals myself to find higher prices so I can get it fixed for cheaper and get the extra cash for myself? Or should I let this one company sponsored by USAA fix my car for whatever they appraise it for and have all of the money go directly to them and come back to them furious if I'm not happy with their work and have them fix it for free at that point.
This is assuming my car isn't totaled....
Yesh I'll post this again.....
You need to get an appraisal from someone who actually fix cars for a living so you can have an idea of how much damage there really is and how much it should cost to fix.
You're either a troll for writing that or you believe in unicorns that poop rainbows and leprechauns with boogers of gold.
If you want it fixed, get it fixed right THE FIRST TIME. No need in going to whatever slapdick shop the insurance company recommends, then dealing with the aftermath. You are within your rights to pick who fixes your car.
'94 Black & Black & Tan
'99 head swap, JR header, TDR intake & header blanket, MegaSquirt, RB hollow bar, Tein Flex, 15x8 6ULs, HD M2 Sport, FM cat, Borla cat-back, black '95M interior, MOMO Zebrano, IL Motorsport console...
Dyno Days
8/16/08 (bone stock): 103.1 hp/99.0 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/23/08 (Borla cat-back): 108.2 hp/104.1 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/13/11 (more stuff...): 126 hp/116 lb-ft - Mustang dyno
Roger Moore: the Danny White of James Bonds
Well here's what happened:
I told USAA I will find my own shop... and I found a place called Caliber Collision ... and they had good reviews... so I was waiting on an appraiser to come look at my car before I took it to this shop. Then POS Racing said I should consider taking USAA's company for repair. So I called USAA up and asked WHY I should take their companies and they said they offered a year warranty on all repairs and would make sure I was satisfied with the fix. So I asked what my options were nearby... and they said... Caliber Collision. So the place I was planning on taking it to... ended up being a USAA sponsor. So it worked out pretty well. The place looks very nice.
I will take it to another place I was looking at after this shop gives me an exact amount.
What am I shopping for though? The best shop who will do the best work... or a way to make profit myself?
A friend at work said he took the money and fixed it himself and made quite a bit repairing his own car. So I figure it would be legal to get it fixed by someone else if they offered less than what USAA is willing to spend.
Though honestly.... all I want is for my car to look like it did when I bought it... is it really that far-fetched to believe USAA will make my car look like that without me having to worry about it?
Posting Permissions
