1970 Valiant accident.

-
ryazzie70

ryazzie70

I <3 my SlantSix
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Arizona
Some boob in a Chevy pulled out in front of me. Im worried that insurance wont pay for my baby to be fixed, anyone ever been in this predicament?
It looks pretty minor, right?

Plymouth After 1.jpg
 
That can be fixed.

1970 Valiant 4-doors are one of my favorites, any other details you can share?

Let us know what parts you may need also.
 
Hi Alaskan.'
My baby is in a tow yard since it cant turn right due to the body damage awaiting an adjusters keen eye. It appears that all engine parts are undamaged, not even stalling after the hit. I guess my worry is that insurance will low ball the value of it -total the car- then id be outta luck and stuck with the bill.
This was a 20-25 (?) mph impact into a Chevrolet malibu, and I have to say; I definitely came out on top. Although im realizing why they came up with crumple zones in modern cars as all the inertia went right into me. (Hello Mophine!)
Anyways, I was just wanting to know if anyone has ever delt with insurance fixing classic cars and can offer some advise. How do they put a value on a priceless car?

Ill let yall know if i need parts.
 
ryazzie70 said:
Hi Alaskan.'
My baby is in a tow yard since it cant turn right due to the body damage awaiting an adjusters keen eye. It appears that all engine parts are undamaged, not even stalling after the hit. I guess my worry is that insurance will low ball the value of it -total the car- then id be outta luck and stuck with the bill.
This was a 20-25 (?) mph impact into a Chevrolet malibu, and I have to say; I definitely came out on top. Although im realizing why they came up with crumple zones in modern cars as all the inertia went right into me. (Hello Mophine!)
Anyways, I was just wanting to know if anyone has ever delt with insurance fixing classic cars and can offer some advise. How do they put a value on a priceless car?

Ill let yall know if i need parts.
Click to expand...

It could be a lot worse that for sure, and "Boob is a pretty nice word for someone that just trashed your classic.
They absolutely will lowball you, and your job will be to show them it's not that cheap to fix.
Your job is to make it a big expensive deal, and then you may actually come out of it ok when the settlement is made.

So from your point of view, the damage is HORRIBLE and will cost ten thousand dollars to fix.:D
 
If the 'hitter' had insurance, they HAVE to pay.

I do love the 4-doors, but value-wise, they do not get much respect. If they want to total it, refuse.

If they offer to cut you a check, do some research on parts cost & paint / body work before you accept it.

They may also offer a price for the car with a 'buy back' option.

The car is very repairable, so do NOT let them total it.
 
Wow that does suck...........................On a lighter note ,I mowed the yard today and when I went to move the duster to run the weedeater I backed right into the riding mower.......DUMB *** me......no damage thankfully......................................Jeff
 
Unfortunately you can't just refuse to allow the car to be totaled if it meets the criteria to be totaled. More than likely you'll have to prove the value of the car is higher than the repair costs from the accident. Yes, you absolutely want to get enough money to fix the car, but it's a balancing act. If the repair cost exceeds the value of the car, the car usually gets totaled regardless of anyones wishes. At that point the insurance company will cut you a check for the value of the car. In some states you'll have a buyback option straight from the insurance company, in others it can sometimes be up to you to make the arrangements yourself. What you'll want to do in the meantime is gather evidence of the car's value, because more than likely the estimate that the insurance company uses will be LOW. Look up ads for similar cars for sale, not just 4 doors but 4 doors that are in similar condition. You can pull up completed sale ads on eBay, etc. That can help you establish the value of the car, so hopefully you can raise it enough that the car being totaled isn't an option that's on the table for the insurance company.

Not all of that is set in stone, it will depend on how you had the car insured and the rules regarding totals/salvage vehicles in your state. Some are friendlier than others as far as the process goes.

Just based on what I see in the picture, you may very well have to do some work to raise that value the insurance company is going to give for your car if you want to prevent it being totaled. Bumper and brackets, grille/headlight bezel, lower filler panel, hood, fender are all involved for sure. Cost for repair usually exceeds new parts for parts that are available because of labor costs, so even if there isn't any structural damage there could easily be a few thousand dollars worth of work there because not all of those parts can be bought new. Which may give you an uphill battle on not having it totaled out.

I would be working hard to find similar examples of that car with high price points. It looks like a nice, clean, original car, so that will help.
 
SORRY FOR THE HIJACK, BUT MY DAUGHTER IS IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS AND TOLD ME TO ALWAYS GET A "AGREED UPON" VALUE OF YOUR CAR BEFORE SIGNING YOUR INSURANCE CONTRACT. OTHERWISE THEY CAN GIVE YOU ANY TYPE OF SETTLEMENT THEY WANT. (SCAMPMAN)
 
Before the insurance guy shows up, get some quotes for the parts you know you're gonna need.
These insurance wags don't have these old cars in there system, so they need a little "guidance".
Call Wildcat Wrecking in Oregon and have them fax quotes for parts plus shipping. The adjuster can figure out the labor costs on his/her own.
 
I had a '76 Dart that got t-boned by a county pickup truck. Ihe driver thought the "yield" sign was merely a suggestion. Anyway, I had the adjuster meet me at the body shop. It was a shop that works mainly on classics and street rods. I let them duke it out and I came out okay. I didn't have to fight with the insurance company - the shop did that for me.
 
Best of luck to you. My neighbors daughter backed into my sons Duster and wiped out the left fender. They have Geico, and they called me saying they were taking full responsibility for the repairs. We went to the claims center not knowing what to expect with an old car. The adjuster couldn't look up any parts based on its age. All she could do at the time was cut us a check for the paint work needed. Everything else was to be covered in a supplement after the parts were located and purchased, submitted either by the body shop or myself. I submitted a parts list right down to the decals. It took a couple weeks but a got a call informing me my check should be ready this week. This whole process took almost two months so be patient. NADA does list a value on our old cars. You can look yours up.
 
Alaskan_TA said:
That can be fixed.

1970 Valiant 4-doors are one of my favorites, any other details you can share?

Let us know what parts you may need also.
Click to expand...

Well as i figured, Im having insurance issues with it. They place the value at 2k. Anyone know where I can get the correct price for my baby?
 
Hi,

I just threw a 1969 Valiant 4DR, slant 6 in number 3 condition which would represent a nice survivor into Hagerty's valuation guide and it came up with 4800. They did not seem to go up to 1970. But, I think this will give you some idea of what a classic car insurance company would give you as an agreed upon value if you were to carry classic car insurance. I think 2K is on the low side but then that's what insurers do. Good luck, you may just have to make the best deal you can to keep your car. I think you are seeing why you really need to carry classic car coverage on this type of car.
 
Alaskan_TA said:
That can be fixed.

1970 Valiant 4-doors are one of my favorites, any other details you can share?

Let us know what parts you may need also.
Click to expand...

Hi Alaskan. Well as i feared the insurance company deemed it a total loss. I bought the car back and i am going to do the work myself. I Need parts; Front bumper, quarterpanel, headlight bezel, grille, and the silver trim around the whole front end. As far as I can tell thats all i need. Im not sure how ill fix the hood yet. Any tips help. I want my baby to be back on the road again.
 
They will want to total it, they want to total anything that's Ten years old or older, its how they get old cars off the road. Be prepared to get absolutely nothing if you want to keep that car. If you want 1100-1200 bucks, they will want the title, and that's even if they go over a grand with the check.
 
I have some of the parts, but shipping from here would not be cheap. Do you know anyone from there coming out to the Carlisle show next month with a truck or trailer?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top