Hi folks, I have a very nice all stock 1980 4x4 pickup that recently got sideswiped by a drunk driver. The damage is relatively light (car went under the rear bumper and hit my rear wheel), but the insurance company wants to total the vehicle. I want to keep it on the road. I need to demonstrate that the truck is worth more than their value of $2400. This truck is worth at least $4000, and I have receipts to prove it. If anyone knows of any relatively recent ads for comparable vehicles, showing strong prices, or if you have recently sold a comparable vehicle (has to be 80 or 81, but I think any 1st gen truck will help) please let me know. Help me keep this truck on the road! Thanks, Doug
By the way the rear hubcap got trashed. If anyone has one of these, please let me know! Thanks!

$4K is a stretch - not that yours is not worth that, but it will be tough finding ads to support that. See if your insurance adjuster (not theirs) will go to bat for you.

I was successful pulling all the favorable used truck ads I could link to. That, and persistence, finally paid off. Wore the State Farm guy out. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Yep, low volume of sales makes valuation difficult. Exactly why I posted! Thanks! Doug

Can't you let them total it, but retain the salvage? You'd have a salvaged title, but as long as you're not reselling - that usually isn't a big deal. Ususally they deduct the salvage value + what they'd give you for TTL...

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/car/448446690.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/car/448304805.html

Good luck, at least it's still drivable and they're willing to give you something.

What type of receipts do you have that prove it is worth $4,000.00. If they are for maintenance repair items, those things do not add value.

That would be saying that because I have $45,000.00 tied up in my rig it is worth $45,000.00, I do not so think maybe $12,000.00 at the far out most.

I kept fighting the insurance company and won. Ok no one ever realy wins against them, but I did better than I would have and got what I wanted. The engine rebuilt did add value to my truck when I proved that it had been done.

New seat, new top end, new radiator, new hoses, new carb, new front end, new brakes (calipers, rotors, drums, etc), new tires, new shocks, new clutch, new driveline, new lights, new starter, new windshield...
I think that's most of it.
Beyond appearances (which place this vehicle in above average condition in any case) the mechanical refurbishment of this truck clearly brings its value into the $4K range.



Simply not true.



Nope. Saying that repair items add value is not to say that the resulting value must be greater than or equal to the amount of the repairs.



Undoubtedly less than the investment! Such is the way with most old things.

Doug

Not likely. All of the above service would only bring the vehicles value to the high end for its age/condition. If it was all original and only had say 40k miles on it, and was considered a collectors itemn you could get more for it, but it isn't all original. It was a nice clean stock truck, here in CA it would probably bring about $3-3500 at the high end. If you had say invested in a lift/tires/gears/lockers etc., it would be worth more, but then again you haven't. Eventhough the 1st gen stock rigs are getting rere, $2400 the insurance co offered you is probably all you are going to get.

What has an independant body shop quoted you for the repairs?, if the damage is only the to the bed and bumper it shouldn't be that much to fix it. If the frame is staight and the vehicle is safe you don't have to total it, get a couple of quotes from some shops and see what they think it will cost to repair the truck. I am not sure about OR law, but here in CA you don't have to let the insurance co. total the vehicle to get them to pay for the damages. If the vehicle is still safe to drive you can get up to the blue book value from the insurance co. w/o totaling the vehicle. My Dad just got a check for $2300 for the damages caused to his '86 2wd Toyota farm truck. At the time he was rear-ended and shoved into the truck in front of him the value of the truck would have been about $1000. You should be able to get the $2400 from the insurance co and retain the truck, after all it was their client that caused you the loss of property. Check the auto insurance regulations for OR, and see what your rights are, or check and see if you have any free legal clinics in your area, communities close to a university or law school, usually have one run by students. If you are still not sure of what you can do, contact a lawyer that deals in auto accidents, a consultation should be free.

Thanks for the thoughtful input reflected in this last paragraph. I disagree with your other statements, but that's not relevant here.
Doug