viper appraisal for insurance value?

[T.J.H.]

Im a new member and recently (10 days ago) bought a 97 gts b/w with 8,007 miles and signed by 3 of the original viper team members. The car is in gorgeous condition.
During shipping the right side sill was ruined to where it now will have a factory replacement sill and paint obviously on the sill.
I need a fair accurate appraisal from a knowledgebale of vipers appraiser for determining the diminished value of the car now that it has had paint work, replaced panel, and a insurance claim attached to the vin now.
Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Thank you T.J.

 

[Slithr]

Call JonB at PartsRack , He has helped many with this

 

[plumcrazy]

those signatures probably doubled the value. good for you !

call jonB

 

[JonB]

And before you call that JonB guy, please DO TELL who and how in re the damage?

Thanks.

WARNING: Afternoons are the best time to have longer chats with that guy..he claims to be busier AM, and can hold longer insurance chats in the PM

 

[Mopar Steve]

Diminished value on a side sill replacement and paint? Really? Those get stone chips and damage often. I don't see any diminished value. If it is a genuine part and painted correctly, I doubt anyone would ever know any difference. Also if it is your own insurance paying the claim you will not likely get any diminished value anyway. Good luck, sad you have to go through this.

 

[Martin]

I doubt there will be any diminished value associated with the sill replacement. Virtually ALL '96s and '97s have already had their sills replaced, and if yours is still on the original, thank your lucky stars that someone else is footing the bill for the replacement.

The original sills on those cars had a tendency to rot from the inside out because of a galvanic reaction between the materials used in construction. Just about every one of them would show a tiny bubble on top of the sill after a few years - and that bubble would just grow and grow until there was a hole through the sill. It was virtually impossible to fix, so everyone got their sills replaced with an updated version that didn't have that galvanic flaw.

So, if your car didn't have original sills to begin with, installing another non-original sill isn't a big deal. And, if your car DID have the original sill, you should thank the people that are getting you a new one because you would have cried a year or so (and/or 10-20 washes) from now when that 'little bubble' showed up - and then led to a hole, then a bigger hole, etc.

As far as compensation for diminished value, make sure they let you keep the original sill. Even if it looks 'ruined' (hard to say since we don't have a picture), a good shop experienced in working with aluminum can probably get it looking like new. Then, you'll have a replacement sill - or one that you could sell for $2k-5k depending on the shape...

 

[JohnnyViper]

wouldnt he have diminished resell value if he now has a super low score on a car fax?

 

[T.J.H.]

Thank You all for the help so far. The driver of the truck for the shipping company drove the car into the interior wheelwell on the trailer ripping the aluminum / dent/ scratch/ crease down the sill. Yea wonderful! So far the shipping company insurance is paying the $6,190.00 one of 3 left O.E. sill.
You guys actually touched on both points I have. Yes most sills have had chips and repaint. Yes most sills had degradation of materials and were replaced. What makes me even more think this is a value issue. is this car has OE paint, has been washed twice in its life, and the inner and outer sill is absolutely in impeccable condition. Ill post photos when i take the sill off but at the moment im not touching the car until I settle with Insurance co.
Even if the car is repaired to oe spec. There will forever be a insurance claim attached to the vin. (Yes im keeping the old sill as proof of the damage to the vehicle ) I assume there should be a lost value based upon all the wonderful modern day documentation that will forever haunt this car now.
Thanks for the assistance again. Ive been sick all week, I bought a beautiful car with awesome documentation of it history, maint., condition and low mileage. Now I have to prove all of this and attempt to protect the week old investment I made. **T.J.**

 

[JohnnyViper]

TJ hang in there and dont worry about it to much, it has happened to you and many others, you cannot change the past and you still have a viper that is awesome. You are doing the right thing with keeping the original sill as proof of the damage to future buyers. Yes it will effect the value but you still will come out ahead when the values go through the roof, you just wont do as well as you could have but big deal you will still make money if you hold on to it long enough, I do still think you are in the right to have a diminished value claim

 

[JohnnyViper]

and yes picture would be nice for the curious minds

 

[DrumrBoy]

A positive thought for you - I actually think the majority of buyers out there who would appreciate what the car is would also know that sill damage happens and that its not really an issue. Perhaps someone who wants it for time-capsule originality might discount it, but the majority of owners and enthusiasts willing to pay top dollar wouldn't care as long as the sill was replaced with OEM and painted well. My $0.02

 

[JohnnyViper]

i agree, if its a oem part that is replacing it, its good as new in my eyes

 

[Venomiss]

For insurance purposes call at least three of the big dealerships that deal with buying and selling Vipers all the time:

Woodhouse
Tomball
Roanoake

Tell them the provenance of your Viper and get quotes for your insurance.

Make sure you get an OEM part like someone mentioned previously and keep pictures to document in case you decide to sell the car in the future.

 

[T.J.H.]

I cant thank everyone enough for the postings. Its a great help having support for these cars otherwise I'd pretty much be up ****s creek as Im learning as I go.
JonB called me today to lend some advise and help to me and that was a great help and pleasure speaking with him. He also filled me in on alot of specific issues to check out and even went as far as to make sure I am aware of the upcoming event in June here in New Jersey.
Hopefully, I get the car fixed soon and can get out there and learn some more about these awesome cars. I didnt forget , Ill work on learning how to post photos tommorrow. **T.J.**

 

[Fatboy 18]

The fact that you have documented this and taken photos, I personally dont see this a diminished value car at all.
You are replacing the side sill with a new factory one, there are some great painters out there who will do a great job.

Although you have not posted pics yet, what dose concern me slightly is weather any damage has been done behind the sill? I'm sure the heat shield may be damaged and if you have not taken the sill off how do you know the condition of the cat or the resonator? They may be dented?
You need to check

 

[Jerz Viper]

Hi TJ,

I just sent you a pm, I'd like to fill you in on our NJ events.

Bobby