Viper Wrecked

[SCS]

Last week my wife got in an accident with my 2000 GTS...There were no injuries...I didn't think the damage was going to be all that bad as it didn't look bad at all...Boy was I wrong...

Basically what happened is she lost control, went over a curb and through a small fence...

My insurance agent called me on friday and said the repair bill was around $30K and could run as high as $35k...He said the car which by the way was perfect and has 4,000 miles on it, needs a full frame replacement, a new front facia,2 new wheels, tires and various fiberglass repairs...

He said it could take as long as 3 months for the dealer to complete the repairs...(3 months?)

Anyway he offered us another option of dealing with the situation...He said they deal with a salvage company for high dollar sports cars that have been wrecked and he would see what they would be willing to pay for the car...Between the insurance co. (Nationwide) and the salvage company they came up with an offer of $58K to buy the car and basically I walk away...Well after I cough up a few more thousand to pay off the difference from the note...

I'm having a hard time deciding if I should take their offer and look to buy another car or should I fix it...It seems to me that I may have a real tough time in the future should I ever decide to sell it once I tell someone about the repairs from this accident...

Does anyone have any idea how much less this car will be worth if I have it fixed as opposed to one that has not had $30K worth of damage?

It's hard to believe by looking at the car that the bill could be anywhere near as high as it is..It really looks minor...

Any idea's on what would be the best way to handle this situation would be much appreciated...

 

[ewave]

SCS,

Truly sorry to hear about your loss.

My advice, take the money and walk away-- make that RUN AWAY!. There is no way the repaired car will ever be as good as the original. I am currently restoring a 97 GTS that had been in a MINOR wreck, (Here's a link with photos).

http://www.electrowave.com/viper

The car will never be the same. The car went to a body shop to have the side rocker repaired. While it was there, the whole car got covered with dust, interior (they let it sit with the windows open, and door removed), exterior and engine. So now the car has sticky dust in every nook. The interior carpet has bondo on it, and dust that will never come out. This appalls me and on a car that already had 64K miles on it. I would have been hart broken if it had started as a immaculate car with only 4K miles on it.

They'll never manage to get the car back together as well as it was built at the factory.

 

[Ulysses]

I disagree. Depending on the frame damage, it could be better than new. I PERSONALLY would not settle for that low, but that's just me. I would talk to JonB or Bill Pemberton or any one else here with experience getting a settlement on a wreck before you decide.

I am currently having my car repaired after a wreck at Willow Springs IR. The frame was bent in the front and the left frame rail was back an inch farther than the right. I just checked out the car Friday. They did a marvelous job straightening her out. Welds look perfect, the under carriage looks brand new. No evidence of a wreck at all. New facia, new side sill, new radiator core support, new paint job, etc. etc.

P.S. I would not let them do a fiberglass repair, I would insist on a replacement hood (I assume hood, because of the fiberglass).

 

[Qualitywires.com]

I would see if you could get a higher price. I bought a wrecked viper not knowing it was, but..I would say that people in general would stay away from a wrecked Viper unless they were planning on tracking it. I may be wrong, but I know how I felt when I bought my first Viper and found out later it was a repaired wreck. I got out of that thing as fast as I could and got a 1998 GTS with low miles.

 

[MtHam ACR]

Agree with Ulysses - don't take the first offer.

My supercrew was recently keyed. Allstate made a big deal about having me go to one of their drive-in places so I could get my check "right away." Bottom line they offered $1135, actual cost was over $1800. Negociate.

Eric

 

[Afy]

58K is a little low.. with the sales tax et al.. it will come out to about 61.5K - your deductable.

That said, and given the soft market for high end cars right now will effect the price they will settle on. DId you have any mods et al..

I would get an independent appraisal and send it to the Insurance company..
Good luck..

 

[dansauto]

I agree with Ulysses. I am a ASE master body tech and I can fix the car as good as new. I just depends on how much you want to spend. I just did a "totaled" low milage 94 RT10 this summer and looking for a GTS to do next year. The market is really soft now (reflects the economy) So salvage cars are also cheap. I would not be afraid to have the car fixed, just be adoment that the repairs are done right and the car come back as clean as it was before the wreck!

 

[sleepersn95]

And my wife wonders why I cringe when she starts a sentence with " ...some guy in a camero tried to take me on!!"

Good luck to you!

 

[Doug Supercharged Vipers]

SCS -

There is no reason to settle for less.
We deal with insurance companies pertaining to high-end claims all the time. You still have other options to explore - your agent described an option that benefits the insurance company, not necessarily yours. That's ok... it's his job. Depending on your contractual agreement (policy terms) you may have actual replacement value; The replacement cost of the vehicle could be $63K? The agent offered you $58K, they must give you tax on top of that offer: $58K PLUS tax minus your deductible.

I suspect your car was estimated while it's still intact? Hypothetically, if you decide to repair your car, your agent knows when the car comes apart he must keep his check book open (supplemental costs) to make the car "whole again." I strongly suggest you have the car ESTIMATED/INSPECTED while it's disassembled. Your agent's 30 - 35K estimate will elevate very quickly. That's why they preferred to have you sell the car.

ONE of your many options:
Have the car estimated while disassembled, the cost of repair (your policy dictates a "total loss") may be $45K? You take that repair offer then sell the car for maybe $25K? That totals a recoup of $70K.

Or, ask your agent to do a "constructive total," (total the car before it's disassembled) once again, they know when the car comes apart they need to keep providing for supplemental charges, they don't like that. The costs of the repairs could go much higher than 80% of the cars value (typical grounds to declare a "total loss").

As long as it's **HONEST** do what best benefits your needs. Knowledge provides the best options!

Regards,
Doug

 

[PRVT JET]

I was in the same situation, they offered a low number and I came back with a counter offer. Look in the classified for a similar car for more money and show them. After two weeks of negotiating I raised the price by $3000.00. I ended up buying a new car, I got the tax credit on the value of my car and they paid the luxury tax also. Just remember don't hurry, just bug them a lot.

 

[dadsvpr]

i saw this cruising the web a couple months back. don't know if its for real but if it is then maybe you can get back where you were before the accident with a deductible, thought it might be owrht mentioning. good luck.
http://vipercarparts.com/newviper.htm

Jason