In a message dated 8/17/99 22:14:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jblair@exis.net
writes:
<<
So the question to you all, is how do you fight the ins. co. She wants the
car fixed. So in addition to how to fight it, I'm looking for stories on
how you fought the ins. co. and won!
>>
John - My experience will only work as a counter-example. In 1986 a woman
crossed the center line in a Chevy Malibu and head-on-ed my wife in our 1984
Firebird with 20,000 miles on it. The collision knocked the motor off its
mounts, shortened the frame 4 inches, bent the radiator around the motor, and
destroyed everything in front on the windshield; my wife's hand broke the
windshield. Aside from a broken hand, she was fine, the 1-year-old in the
child seat in the back was fine, and the 7-months-along baby she was pregnant
with was fine. (Yes, I have installed 3-point harnesses in the Morgan. You
haven't got to hit me over the head with a 2 x 4 to make me see the light).
The book value on the car was $9900. The estimate to fix the car was $9700,
and the insurance company decided to fix the car despite my earnest
entreaties. I was amazed at what a good job the body shop did; unless you
ran your hand carefully along the inner fender wells you'd never know
anything happened to it. I didn't want it any more, for obvious reasons, and
sold it soon after to a guy who put 150,000 miles on it.
I know this doesn't do you any good, since the issue now is that the
insurance company doesn't recognize the intrinsic value of the AMC, but I
told it anyway.....
Lannis
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