So last night I came upon a corner on a dark rural road unexpectedly. With all the cornering abilities of my MINI, it could not correct and I hit a tel pole in the middle of the passenger side door. All side air bags deployed, glass shattered, etc. etc. I thank God that me and my 4 year old in the pass. back seat were unharmed.

Unfortunately, I don't have photos as my phone is incapable of taking pics at night. My guess is that it's totaled, but my insurance co hasn't given me that implication yet. Admitedly, they have yet to see it.

My question is; is there an honest way to navigate the insurance company to get the best value from my car? I'm afraid they are going to offer $1-2,000 less than what the car is ultimately worth to repair the car.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Glad to hear that everybody is ok.
I would be prepared with photos of mods, costs of mods, etc.
Would also have list of ads of cars like yours, mileage, etc.
If adjuster is off track, take it to a supervisor or higher.

 

Thanks for the tip. I don't have any mods. I did have a full tank of gas (which here in NorCal is $3.65/gal) and had just changed oil with Royal Purple.

 

It took my dad weeks of back and forth phone calls with our insurance company but he eventually got $2,000 more than they wanted to offer him. I think he had photos of his Honda Accord along with ads of ones in similar condition the area that he could purchase as replacements (which cost more than they were offering).

 

As a last resort you can file a complaint with your state
insurance commissioner. You would present your supporting
evidence of why your car was worth so much more than
they are offering.

The insurance commissioner usually has a designated person
at the insurance company that they use to deal with complaints.
This person is most likely 14 levels up from your claims adjuster,
and their Christmas bonus is not so much tied to saving $2000
on your claim. They are usually at a level that they want little
thorns in their sides (you) to go away (and dont mind paying a
more realistic value).

 

That is good idea.
Had to do that when we got hit by hurricane.
They sided with us and we got $20,000 more for damage repairs.

 

my friend totaled her 03 S and they ended up giving them ALOT more than best condition Kelly blue book. it surprised them but their insurance said the coopers hold their value. glad you're ok. good luck

 

I think you're jumping the gun, they haven't even seen the car yet...

Bottom line, I'd be more concerned about your losing control with your 4 yo in the back seat. I hope you slow down friend, at least when there are others in the car. I'm glad you and the little one are OK, and that your MINI gave it's life to protect you.

Hope you get to motor again, soon.

 

Thanks folks for your advice... it's all good stuff to know. I have USAA and hope they come through as usual as my advocate, but I want to be prepared. What's killing me right now is not knowing what they are going to decide; total or repair...

I saw it on Wednesday and my emotions go back and forth; I wanna keep it, I wanna total it. Ahhh!

MC2005s, what sort of damage totaled your friend's 03? By the way, that's a nice, clean 05s you've got.

 

Dave, you presume I was driving wrecklessly. Make no mistake about it, I was not. I take seriously the responsibility I have to my family when they are in the car and even when they are not.

To explain how the accident occurred you have to grasp the darkness, the lack of indicators of the upcoming corner (no arrows, no slow to 15, nothing!), and the unfamiliarity of the road on which I was driving.

 

Nope, I made no assumptions, but your own description of events could easily lead someone to think you were driving in a manner inappropriate for conditions.....

You wrote "Any advice is greatly appreciated"

It was dark, there were no road markers and you were unfamiliar with the road - and you had you 4 y/o in the back seat - sounds like a good time to really slow down - that's all I said, and I stand by it. That's my advice...

Like I also said, the good news is that both of you are OK - that's really all that's important.

 

Thanks, I got it a few months back it's awesome
She ran a red light going about 50 or 60 mph, smashed a honda accord that was coming through the light that had the green. She hit the accord on the right side of her mini which caused her to go across the intersection and smash into a curb and go up on some businesses front lawn. She really smashed up the front of the Cooper and the whole engine was pushed back and to the left, so it was immediately totaled. Airbags came out, too.

 

<<Yes, like I said, I am thankful we are ok>>

 

^ That is the most important thing. As much as I love my MINI it is just a car & can be replaced. Your 4 year old can never be.

I think MINIdave is correct & fwiw I think he was most kind in his posts.

This says it all. Too fast for the road conditions easy as that. Learn from your very lucky escape.

Hope they fix your MINI, good luck to you & your family.

 

Some believe the number 444 means an angel is watching over you, and this thread had 444 views when I read it.

As for the 8 year old car........ I do body work and would WANT it totaled. Have it towed to the most expensive top end body shop in your area. Have them estimate it for all new parts. If the insurance company fixes it, at least you will know it's repaired as best possible.

 

I am confident God's angles were protecting me. Glad you pointed that out. Never heard that saying before.

Thanks for the tip on the insurance. Its at the insurance approved body shop which has a reputation as being mildy expensive to expensive. I'm still waiting to hear what their findings are.

 

In most Asian cultures, the number 4 is unlucky and means death

 

Definately glad you were not injured.

When I lived in Japan they bought dishes in really weird numbers
to avoid "4" lol.

USAA does better than most for its members.
(I've never filed a claim but that is what I hear)

 

KBB will probably not provide a fair price. The price needs to be fair based on the price of used Minis in your area. When my Mini was totalled I reviewed the online auto ads for similar cars. I created a spreadsheet to show my car and all the options (with original pricing) and compared that to other Minis with the same or at least similar options. I could not find a Mini within a 100 miles with the same options but I was able to show close estimates to deteremine what I thought was a fair value. I was much higher than the claims adjuster. I had to defend my pricing to my insurance company (Allstate). At first they said there is no negotiation but I clearly explained all the issues with their estimate (many did not adequately take into account the various options). The insurance company than had a independent assessor come-out and review my car. I was able to discuss each option with the assessor. We were still off on the price and Allstate said no more negotiation. However, I still did not agree and provided clear rationale why I should receive more money. Allstate finally come close to my estimate and we agreed. It took a lot of work to get what I thought was fair but it was worth the effort.

 

USAA is a great (maybe the best) company. You will be fine.

 

I had to do this with my wife's car in April of 2009. We got t-boned and the car was totaled but a 2004 Pontiac Vibe is not super common and not a ton of comparables. I ended up getting $2000 more than the initial low ball offer. It took some haggling and bargaining but we got a fair price for our car.

 

So, they found the car a total loss. While I'm not surprised I am conflicted because I like my car and will be sad to see it go. On the other hand the possibility of having a newer MINI is enticing... but that is another topic

The adjuster gave me a value of $14k and change. I honestly expected it to be lower. I reviewed the CCC adjustment valuation and at a glance it looks like they got all my options.

USAA does make things very easy and I don't feel I'm getting cheated, especially considering that I think we bought it for just under $18k and I've owned it for 4 years (it would have been paid off in August!). No haggling required; I just asked for the back up documentation which shows extensive comparibles.

Thanks for the insurance tips folks. I'll be on the hunt for a new car now and MINI is at the top of a very short list of cars I will consider.

 

USAA is an awesome company. Now go out and buy another Mini