I just went through the same thing. Awful experience, about 5 wks of misery dealing with body shops, appraisers, insurance companies, rental car agencies etc, but lo and behold it all worked out quite well. My silver '99 coupe, 5k miles (bolt on mods) got T-boned by a stop-sign running butt-munch. I ended up with a brand new 2001 GTS from Woodhouse -> no $$ out of my pocket.
Got your attention? Take a number of immediate offensive and defensive steps to cover your a$$, because the insurance company damned well is gonna try to tool you over and cover theirs. Go into this thing with the proper hard-a$$ mind-set right from the start and you'll have a better chance of coming out ok.
1.) Go see a doctor ASAP. Even if you don't hurt on the day of the wreck (I didn't), you will probably find yourself increasingly sore as soft-tissue damage manifests itself. This is not a tutorial on how to be a whip-lash weasel. On the other hand, you have just been in a collision violent enough to total your car - it's only sensible to have yourself checked out medically. This is also an excellent way of getting the insurance company's SERIOUS attention. They lose way more money on medical claims than on replacing automotive machinery. The fact that you may have been injured will make them all the more interested in trying to keep you happy on the car deal. In my case I only asked them to reimburse my single doctor's office visit ... nothing more, but the fact that there was documented proof that my head and neck had been bounced around and bruised in the collision made the insurance company lovey-dovey.
2.) Document (or even record) ALL phone conversations with the insurance company. Who you talked to, when, about what. They WILL record your conversations with them and they don't have to tell you about it. Be careful what you say.
3.) Start off with the honey rather than the vinegar. Save dropped hints about lawyers etc for later only if they start to **** you around. I never had to go there and I think the process was smoother because of it.
4.) Use your network of friends/acquaintances/interested-parties in the viper community to help in establishing the fair value of your car. The ins co will try to low-ball you badly. Find your own "expert witnesses" to offset this. HINT! HINT! If you are interested in replacing your snake with a new one, contact a reputable dealer and explain your situation. Many viper dealers are very savvy and experienced at dealing with insurance companies and car evaluations and hey, they're on your side since you are a prospective customer.
5.) Never give the insurance company any more info than you have to. Don't give them your bill of sale if they ask. They don't have to know how much (or little) you paid for your car. That's your business not theirs.
6.) If it hasn't been determined that your car is already a total, then send it to a first class body shop that knows vipers. They can be extremely helpful in getting it totalled ... which is what you definitely want.
7.) Don't let the insurance company take your wrecked car to a salvage yard until the deal is done and you have a satisfactory settlement in hand. They will piss and moan about the daily storage costs at the body shop ... tell 'em tough sh*t. It's still your car and you have more leverage while it's in your posession.
8.) Keep an organized file of ALL information, receipts, expenses, correspondence etc relating to the wreck. Mine is now about an inch and a half thick.
9.) Call Bill Pemberton. Now. Just do it.
10.) I chose to handle the other guy's insurance company rather than letting my insurance company handle it. I'm glad I did and I believe I got a better settlement because of it. As they say, If you want the job done right do it yourself. Ask yourself how much your insurance company really knows or cares about vipers? It's just another car to them.
