K20 versus Kia

[overloaded]

So I'm out a work truck/tow rig for awhile...Driving home in the rain last week, 16yo kid in a Kia pulls out in front of me with about 2 car lengths to spare. Couldn't get around him but was able to avoid nailing him in the driver's door.

Folded up the Kia pretty nicely, truck looks ok (it looked pretty bad already) but when I got home noticed the pitman arm seems to be hanging low, and hits the leaf spring on full lock.

So I crawled around and found some cracked paint on the right frame rail, and a buckle back by the forward cab mount. Radiator is seeping a little bit, headlight bucket is broken, side marker and turn signal broken, core support bolt broken and fender is pushed back into door, which won't open now...

Kid's policy was Geico but they seem to be handling it ok. Still waiting on an available rental car. The adjuster actually sent a tow truck out to take it to a storage yard this morning for evaluation. I'm not expecting it to end well!

These are just cell phone pics from the crash scene...forgot to take some yesterday before it left.


Of course I'm in the middle of moving all my stuff from Dayton to Cincinnati (15 more cars to go!) and am now dead in the water. They'll probably want to total it - like I said, its not a pretty truck, but its not rusty, the 4wd drive works, its got a 250 with q-jet, header, offy intake, 4.10 gears and stickshift. Just put a new hitch on it too...Not an easy truck to replace, especially heading into fall/winter.

[craazy22]

Dang, sorry to hear man, hope all goes well, important thing is that ya'll aren't hurt.
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[Pyrotechnic]

Any old vehicle will always get totaled. Don't let that insurance company push you around. They will lie through their teeth to try and get you out of there with as little money as possible. Stand your ground and refuse anything that seems unreasonable.

If you've kept any receipts for recent parts or work, make copies and tell them that you want these new items figured into the vehicle value. This will make them angry and they may even tell you they cant, but they have to do it.

Ultimately, if you get any problems from the adjuster, tell them you want their supervisors contact information. They make act big and tough but ultimately they are just a dog on a leash.

As far as the rental car, once the vehicle is totaled they wont pay for one after that.

[overloaded]

Thanks Pyro. I've been going back through all my paperwork for items I put on the truck, or may have to re-purchase. I really don't have a clue what its worth, but its value is far greater because it does what I need it to do, day in and day out.

Spoke with the adjuster today about keeping it even if it is totaled...Truck probably isn't worth fixing, but then again I can't find a single decent 2500 or 3500 4x4 that I'd trust go drive 150 miles with a trailer behind it without tons of work. If you wanna spend 5 or 10 grand, sure, but not much out there that's comparable to my trusty old GMC.

BTW I've counted parts from 14 different vehicles on that truck...Its been around!

[406 Q-ship]

DO NOT LET THEM TAKE THE TRUCK. If they get it to their storage yard you'll get offers of nothing to zero and you have to fight them to get it back. They will try to get you to sign a release to get the truck back, probably medical and property damage. NEVER let the insurance take the vehicle to their storage yard, it puts all the eggs in their basket. If you have to take it to a body shop and let them store it, it will light a fire under the insurance because they have to pay the body shop storage fees if they take too long.

Have them give you a price they are willing to pay, get the frame pulled so the steering is back to good. Tell them no salvage title either.

[overloaded]

I wondered about that very same thing, but assumed as a total, it was par for the course...
Was thinking I'd be ok since, until the title is signed over, its still my truck...maybe not!?

406, now you've got me worried!

[86ktwenty]

Get a couple estimates done at different shops, then youll know what you'll be dealing with.

[RandyP]

I always tell my customers to not let the insurance pick the car up and move it to their yard until they are happy with their settlement. Once they get possession of the vehicle, you lose a lot of control on the situation.
I'd also rather do work for a homeless person who is a cash pay than work with geico, they are tight.

[tucsonjwt]

I hope Korean cars are not magnets for squares - I am driving a Hyundai rental car this week
I have Geico and they have been excellent for me, but I have never made a claim. I think you will have difficulty getting NOS value for repair parts for your truck, since I would guess in Ohio the insurance company only is required to compensate you for fair market value for your truck, which won't be much.
I would try this one on Geico - tell them you found an equivalent truck in AZ that you will accept as a replacement. You can get a rust free driver for $3K, $4K for a sweet truck. It should only cost about $800 or so to have it shipped to you. Ask them if the will give you $4K + $900 for shipping to you. In the meantime, you can patch up your truck to keep it rolling and sell the parts you don't need when you get your "new" replacement truck.
You can use your receipts to bring up the fair value of your truck in your negotiations with Geico. Having dealt with insurance claims before, it is actually to your advantage to take your time in reaching a settlement. The adjusters are evaluated on how quick they settle claims, as well as how cheaply they resolve the claim. Outstanding claims represent an unknown liability on the insurance company's books, and managers don't like to have that on their record - it adversely affects their performance rating.

[rwhit57]

If they have already taken the truck so be it, but do your homework. The book value on these trucks is a lot higher than you might think. Have NADA and Kelly values printed and in hand, also ads for comparable replacements(high ones) and all the receipts you can find. Don't take the first offer!!!! That won't be their last and do not sign off on medical until you have a check. Go to the doctor and get checked out, you could be injured and not know it . Good Luck.

[dabels23]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

I hope Korean cars are not magnets for squares - I am driving a Hyundai rental car this week

When I got rearended in my 72, I told them I drive truck for a reason, their customer hit a truck, and I expect to be driving a truck til they fix mine! Next day I turned in the Nissan and picked up a 2007 Chevy Crew Cab. I even pulled some ads from this site that were marked sold to prove the acual value of my truck.

[406 Q-ship]

Originally Posted by overloaded

I wondered about that very same thing, but assumed as a total, it was par for the course...
Was thinking I'd be ok since, until the title is signed over, its still my truck...maybe not!?

406, now you've got me worried!

It will still be in your name but it gives the insurance the control to out wait you. If they took the truck go get it back NOW!

[overloaded]

Some good advice here...I really need another truck, but am not financially in a bind so I can get something else behind their back and wait them out. It's more an issue of the frustration of looking and not finding something.

I feel like a total rube here - I've been working on cars my whole life, even ran a restoration shop that did classic car insurance work on occasion, but never had to negotiate my own claim.

Had this been something that had a lot of value, it would have gone straight to a local shop and Geico could have packed sand, but I guess I sold myself short on the value of the truck. Lesson learned!

[rwhit57]

Here's an example of values.

http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Ca...-MODELS/Values

[overloaded]

Originally Posted by rwhit57

Here's an example of values.


http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Ca...-MODELS/Values

bookmarked, thanks!


ya know, that '10 truck is pretty smooth...it has a radio, and no vise grips on the window winders.

Freakin' cup holders everywhere! 3 in the front seat armrest, and 2 more in the drivers door...only two people can sit up front for god sakes!!

Seriously though, I keep thinking if I'd have kept it here I could probably have had the frame pulled quickly and been back on the road already

[Pyrotechnic]

The ability to wait you out....that makes sense. We kept haggling on a claim for 6 months until finally they paid us a decent amount. We did keep the truck at our house though.

Could the police be of any help in this case? Technically, it is your property. If they refuse you access to it, then that is theft.

[MalibuSSwagon]

I never let them take the vehicle unless its to a bodyshop of my choice. They can evaluate the truck just the same in my driveway as they can in their storage yard. Plus they could be sneaky and subtract storage fees from your settlement.

[78 Chevyrado]

if its still titled as your vehicle, you can go get it anytime you want. as long as there's no leins or something like that for services not paid you're set.

they tried to keep mine because i would sign it over to them for the check, so i went with the spare keys and drove that sucker home. they screwed up n left the gate open. then i went back later to get my keys. they were pissed, but i had my truck. tell them you want money and to keep the truck, thats what i did. i ended up with about $1500 (it was less because i kept the vehicle)

[motornut]

glad you are OK
1.make sure you are ok
2.ins will try to move your car asap
3.hold as long as you can
4.you need to show the cost to replace it
5.cost is more going into winter

watch with the moving of the truck,
my ins offered to tow it just a 1/2 hour from the body shop to their yard,
(during cash talk, actually said it had been towed at one point)
which would have been an hour plus from the house
(written off = more $$ towing)
body shop said they don't release a car unless some form is signed.
and some ins companies will run the rental longer, mine did,but i'm up here in Canada

[overloaded]

Originally Posted by motornut

some ins companies will run the rental longer, mine did,but i'm up here in Canada

Geico put me in a nice 2010 Chevy crew cab, and its mine until a decision is reached...or so they say.

Nice truck...Hella fast too! But no hitch so I still can't move any cars for awhile...

[overloaded]

was hoping to have news from the adjuster today, but nothing yet.

Drove all the way out to the boonies to look at a similar 86. Guy decided to go to the county fair instead, so no truck for me tonight...

I hope he gets stuck at the top of the ferris wheel

Looking at comparable trucks, I really took mine for granted!

[wyattglock]

Well at least you have a truck! I have a friend that had a 1978 k20 and it got rear ended by a Furd Taurus. The idiot drove all the way to the rear diff before they stopped. Insurance swore it was a totalled vehicle. My other friends uncle took it to his body shop with his wrecker and we swapped parts all weekend until we had her back on the road. He drove it to the insurance company to pick up the settlement check. Man were they PO'd!! Good luck with all that.

[TheWhiteElephant]

With all due respect, I've never read so much false information and advice on a thread. Be very careful of the advice you get on here because most of it is just plain wrong and likely based on bad experiences. Laws are also different from state to state.

GENERALLY, the main reason an insurance company will move your vehicle to another location is to mitigate storage costs. PERIOD. Moving it gives them absolutely no upper hand in anything. It is still your vehicle. On the contrary, if you leave it at a shop and/or tow yard, they will likely make YOU pay the storage costs.

Different insurance companies use different methods of evaluating vehicles. Not necessarily NADA or Blue book values. Some use local market values with a pool of comparable vehicles based on your zip code. On harder to find vehicles, it may be a good idea to ask the insurance company to do a nationwide search. You can ALWAYS ask for the report they used to evaluate your vehicle.

Most likely if the insurance company sees that you are a reasonably minded objective person, they will likely do their best to offer you the most they can. If you need some advice, PM me and I'll be glad to help. Just stay away from the "insurance adjusters always lie through their teeth" advice.
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[TheWhiteElephant]

By the way, "totalled" doesn't necessarily mean "not repairable". It can mean that it is not cost-effective for the insurance company to repair it after consideration of cost to repair, loss of use (rental), and salvage value.
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[overloaded]

Originally Posted by TheWhiteElephant

By the way, "totalled" doesn't necessarily mean "not repairable". It can mean that it is not cost-effective for the insurance company to repair it after consideration of cost to repair, loss of use (rental), and salvage value.
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In that case, I think the truck was totaled when I bought it!

Talked to the adjuster again, they're waiting on the valuation report to come back. Due to age, there aren't many comps as someone suggested.

That begs the question, what to do when I get it back?

Find a frame shop that will straighten any frame damage, then replace a few panels and drive it as is, or part it out and keep some spares?

Buy another frame and swap everything over?

Its such a beat up truck to begin with, it would be a great time to make it really nice, but there are so many other projects....

For the time being just got a Brand X 3/4 ton 4x4 to pull the trailer, so its not like I/m in a hurry now.