Will this be repairable or will they total it??

[SFC]

I have full coverage on 1 veh, liability on the other, plus all my ins. through the same Co. & agent. If my agent wants my business he will be helping me and giving me numbers for comparable veh. and advice or I change companies.

[RiverFish]

You were commenting on a person taking a gamble. It's a big gamble if you think every 9 or 10th car you pass has no insurance.

[TravP]

You were commenting on a person taking a gamble. It's a big gamble if you think every 9 or 10th car you pass has no insurance.

I understand that, BOTH OF THESE DRIVERS HAVE INSURANCE THOUGH.

I'm done with this thread.

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

I just don't see how their offer is that out of line?

You found 2 vehicles, one of which is a 4 cylinder, so not the car we had and one is priced higher than the valuation they assigned my car. Both of your cars are a 7 hour round trip from Itasca County just to test drive. The overwhelming majority of cars we have found of the same specs are priced higher than what you posted.

We had a vehicle that was a KNOWN quantity. We knew it had no mechanical properties. Now, WE are stuck taking the risk of buying someone else's junk. When you buy a used car, do you just say, "Oh, HEY, there's a vehicle for $6,000...I'll take that one!!" Most sane people wouldn't. We'll be stuck going to lots, driving cars, taking them to a local mechanic and paying to have them checked over, then we'll still leave the lot with the possibility of it breaking down 50 miles away. I suppose all of that is irrelevant and we should be happy to get an amount that gives us the possibility of finding a replacement car of similar quality if we're willing to drive 7 hours just for the test drive. Have you ever bought a car used?? I just don't believe we should take an offer that makes complete replacement difficult at best. Is that so weird?

Quote:

How was their method of determining fair market value questionable?

We can't find the cars they used and they provide no information about condition. Additionally, the ratio of cheap cars to expensive cars they used was not comparable to that same ratio in the actual market. Also, they included a number of cars over 100,000 miles in their valuation.

Quote:

Like others have said you took a gamble and tried saving some money by not having full coverage and it didn't work out.

My wife didn't cause an accident. The other insurance company is obligated to replace the vehicle regardless of what we carried. They took the risk of trying to yank the rental from us before sending an offer (they originally refused to pay for the rental after 1/28, but the offer with the incorrect engine was postmarked 2/2), that was the proverbial straw, and now they're talking to the DOC instead of me.

Quote:

I may be wrong but if you have full coverage it seems that your insurance is more likely to step up for you.

That's true. Not that we should be treated in a way that we need representation. Unfortunately, some companies don't operate that way. Will we have full coverage on the replacement vehicle? Yes. Did we in any way anticipate that we'd go through this? Obviously we didn't. Please remember that neither my wife nor I have ever driven a car that cost more than $2500, so we never had the money or need to have full coverage. In fact, this is the first vehicle either of us had ever owned that was less than 10 years old...that's why it was so heart breaking for my wife. We didn't even really think about the fact that we only had liability...that's all we had ever carried on the beaters we've driven. The day she bought it, I just called our agent and told them we had a different car, never thought much about changing coverage.

So, you guys can continue to beat on us for carrying liability if you want, but I'll just respond that it's no excuse for Horace Mann to jerk us around about the rental, refuse to answer questions or return our calls, and use suspect methods for determining the replacement value of the vehicle.

Quote:

I just did some quick searches, what they are offering you is fair. Do a quick search on c list. 2005 Dodge Stratus 4dr SXT - $6295 with 62,000 miles, one owner.

Is that car anywhere near Grand Rapids? If so, we'd probably test drive it. We're not buying a car without a test drive and a mechanic inspection (would you?), so I'd rather not drive all the way to the Twin Cities to test drive a car. I've never been on c list before--are there dealers on there or is it just calling individuals?

[DTro]

You may continue to be the greatest driver in the world, but carrying liability is always a risk.

Let's say some punk decides to key the car, or a tree falls on it, or a deer jumps into it or you drive into a hail storm. Lot of bad things can and do happen which is no fault of your own.

But IMO, the stress you are causing yourself over a few hundred dollars isn't worth it. You can do whatever you want. You came here asking for advice. So here's mine. Take the money and be thankful nobody was hurt. Life isn't always fair...

[PierBridge]

Stay firm and tell them their offer does not work for you at all!

Explain to them the key points in your last post.

They will more than likely will cave in and give you more money!

I've seen it happen quite a few times.

Good Luck!

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

We knew it had no mechanical properties.

By the way, I meant "mechanical problems". Pretty stupid sentence the other way.

[Surface Tension]

I looked at KBB and did not see "Love" as an Additional Option.

I can understand how you feel that your wife has finally had a good car to drive but none of that has any value for price and your hung up on both.

It looks like the offer was $7800. To one without any emotional ties to the car it seems like a fair deal.

Could you love this?

2005 Dodge Stratus 4dr SXT - $6295

This low mile Frost Mist Green clear coat car has been babied, only 65,000 actual 1 owner miles!

Loaded with all the options everyone wants like:

2.7 Liter V-6 Power & 4 speed automatic overdrive transmission.

Power steering, brakes, windows, locks, mirrors, trunk release, air conditioning,

cruise control, rear window defroster, adjustable steering column, charcoal color velour

interior, AM/FM C. D. player, alloy wheels, "like new" tires, br> anti lock brakes, dual air bags for safety, 4 wheel disc brakes and more!

[Jeremy airjer W]

Well there you go!

You'll have about $1,600 left over to cover the new water outlet housing and the rear upper ball joints!

[fishinfey8]

I think you have your solution right there! It doesn't get better than that. Except for maybe and "easy" button...

[LightningBG]

Have you ever bought a car used??

I've never bought a car new. Probably never will. And I've never brought a car to a mechanic for an inspection (not that you shouldn't).

[delcecchi]

You mean in Minnesota people drive without insurance? But the government requires insurance to drive. How could this be?

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

Could you love this?

Where is it?

[PierBridge]

Looks like its in Inver Grover Heights, Mn.

Google "2005 Dodge Stratus 4dr SXT - $6295" and the C L add is the 4th link down.

[muddpuppy]

He has made it clear he is not willing to drive that far for a car.

[LightningBG]

And here, silly me, I drove all the way to Grand Rapids for a sled....

[Macgyver55]

silly me, I drove all the way to Grand Rapids for a sled....

You should have brought him the car and drove the sled home. Everybody wins!!!!

[LightningBG]

You should have brought him the car and drove the sled home. Everybody wins!!!!

And they would've cost about the same... but the sled goes faster

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

And here, silly me, I drove all the way to Grand Rapids for a sled....

Was it new so you knew what you were getting without a dest drive and inspection? Did you know that you were going to go home with THAT sled? If so, that's a little different than a used car.

Anyway, we haven't done anything in a while. Last I know, the representative at the Department of Commerce sent correspondence to Horace Mann last Tuesday. He told me that he expected contact with HM during the first half of this week. I left a message for that rep yesterday and haven't heard back. I plan on letting the process with the Dept run it's course before doing anything. Kind of sucks sitting here without a car, but it may (or may not) be worth it in the end.

Regardless, I've appreciated all of the advice from 1/8 through now--even the advice we didn't take or didn't need--because this was our first (and hopefully last) accident.

[311Hemi]

And here, silly me, I drove all the way to Grand Rapids for a sled....

Totally off topic I know...but I have flown to New Hampshire and taken a bus to Chicago to buy used cars! Granted, one only had 5000 miles and the other had 16k on it and were under warranty.

Resume discussion!!

[pureinsanity]

That is part of the gamble. Buying used car you are going to have to travel. You could wait for a car to fall in your lap in a neighboring town. Butt odds aren't in your favor.

When I bought a motorcycle I had to drive 2 hours north of my town. I had cash in hand, a friend with me. After looking at it and driving it, I decided to buy it so I did. But if I didn't buy it I only wasted two hours of drive time. Who cares?

A guy drove down from Winnipeg Canada to buy a bike from me. I bet if it wasn't in working condition he would have turned around and went home.

[TooTallTom]

I drove from MPLS to Rochester to buy a used car from a dealer. Good buy, low miles. It was certified with some kind of warranty program that dealer had, but I asked them to knock a couple grand off the price and take off the certification. I'm able to do most work that I'd need to do and I'm not getting a bum vehicle back to Rochester to have the work done, so I didn't want to pay for the program.

The reason I mention this is that you might look for a vehicle with a similar certification/ warranty from a dealer, and consider it to be basically inspected (and so worth driving to see). If the dealer has enough faith in the vehicle to risk being out some money on repairs, it's probably a good gamble. And, really, every vehicle (regardless of prior ownership or mileage) is a gamble. A warranty is just peace of mind and protection for your pocket book. It's not a gaurantee that nothing's going to go wrong with the car.

[MJ1657]

You can buy your vehicle back from insurance and repair it.

If I had a one of a kind vehicle like this one is supposed to be that is what I would do.

[LightningBG]

Was it new so you knew what you were getting without a test drive and inspection? Did you know that you were going to go home with THAT sled? If so, that's a little different than a used car.

I'm not really into the whole test drive / inspection thing. I had never even seen the sled and I put a couple hundo down on it. Then went and picked it up and paid the balance. Used sled from a private party.

The sled before, I bought on a big auction site and had to pick it up near Madison WI. No test drive or inspection. Also used from a private party.

Personally I'm OK rolling the dice. If I saw it and there was an obvious problem, I'd walk away, but rarely is there much someone is gonna see.

I'm not saying this is the way to go for everyone, but its worked ok for me. I'm willing to travel for a good deal.

Best of luck finding a vehicle that suits your needs for a reasonable price.

[311Hemi]

To keep off topic....I am glad I inspect before I buy. Test drove one sled that drove and ran fine ($4000), only to find during my inspection that the PTO cyclinder had way low compression. Feel sorry for whoever bought that as the guy would not budge on the price and didn't think it was an issue. I also drove 2.5 hours to southern mn to buy a sled, only to find the tunnel bent underneath it. Turned around and drove home without it. I knew what to look for before hand on both these sleds as they were know possible issues discussed on other forums. I had a church pasture (found on a motorcycle forum, didn't even know the guy) in Florida inspect and test ride a Victory motorcycle for me before I purchased it and shipped it up from FL. Miss that bike...

Hmmm...what was my point....