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Insurance Claims

rtimmel — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:03:27 -0800

My daughter was broadsided in her car by another driver last weekend. She was not significantly hurt (some minor facial lacerations) but the car is a mess. Help me navigate the treacherous insurance waters. While it is highly unlikely that the other driver has insurance, we just don’t know. It was a hit-and-run, at least for two and a half blocks where, I assume, his car broke down (several vital-looking pieces of his car remained scattered around my daughter’s car). According to the police at the scene, he also had no driver’s license and so was escorted away before anyone could ask him about insurance.

We reported the accident to our insurance company, which has also been operating under the assumption that the other driver was not insured. They had the damage assessed, declared the car totaled (which raises all sorts of other issues about the amount of there valuation), and have offered to reimburse us for that amount . They tell us that either the amount will be covered by our uninsured motorist insurance or, if the other driver turns out to have insurance, by his insurance company. In that later case, the other insurance company will reimburse our insurance company.

My question is whether it is better to wait and see if the other driver has insurance. We should be able to find that out in about a week or so once the police report is issued, and that sort of delay is no big deal. On the other hand, we don’t want to wait for months if the other insurance company decides to drag its heels. Also, I have no idea what sort of effect have our insurance company handle it will have on our relationship with them. My daughter was clearly not at fault – the other driver turned though a boulevard to broadside her – but I have always been under the impression that any dealing with one’s insurance company is bad. Any thoughts?

I Wanna Be Protected!

fourcheesemac — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:52:15 -0800

Can one buy a personal auto liability policy for rental cars that replaces or supplements LDW or liability supplement coverage offered by the rental agency? I travel constantly, and rent cars 20+ times per year as a result. However, I live in New York City and do not own a car, and hence possess no personal auto policy. Prior to moving here, I owned cars and trucks for 15 years, and have an extensive and good driving record across multiple states. I am, of course, licensed to drive in New York.

My credit card (Visa) covers the collision damage liability for the rental car itself as primary insurance in this situation, so I typically decline the CDW. In any case, it wouldn't break me to pay cash to replace the economy or compact cars I usually rent. So to be clear, this is not a question about coverage for damage to the rental vehicle itself. As far as I know, credit cards do not offer liability coverage at all (and many people are misinformed about this, in my experience, including some rental agents).

In some states in which I rent, the rental agency claims not to carry any liability insurance (in Indiana, Alamo and National have told me they are exempt from state minimums and that, in essence, a renter is required to either possess an auto liability policy or buy their liability supplement). In other cases, even where there is some liability coverage (ie, for damage done to other people and property in a hypothetical accident in which I was at fault), it's pathetically low given the risks one takes by pulling out of the airport parking area. So I usually buy whatever additional liability coverage is offered by the agency (still not great -- usually a 100K-200K overall limit). Tends to run 12-15 bucks per rental day. Usually you have to persist in asking for the liability coverage alone, and not as part of a package with the CDW and veterinary coverage for the family pet and every other little ripoff option.

I would like to buy my own policy that would simply cover me in any rental car in the US to the tune of half a million to a million bucks. Does such a policy exist? I've heard about general personal liability policies, but that seems like overkill to me.

I am having a devil of a time searching for this on the net because any combination of keywords pulls up endless bitching about the CDW/LDW policies of the various rental agencies.

Even when I travel on business and supp. insurance is covered by my employer, I'd love to have a personal policy for increased protection. Like I said, it's pretty easy to imagine doing 100K worth of hurt backing into someone's outside wall, for crying out loud.

Seems like an obvious product for business travelers, no?

Can I / should I accept reimbursement for a car repair I didn't do?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:40:56 -0800

Is it legal to accept $500 from a car insurance company, reimbursing me for a repair I'm not going to make? If it's legal, should I? Recently my car was very lightly rear-ended. Both I and the other driver are insured. There were no injuries and my car has no visible damage -- I took it to my mechanic, who I trust, who confirmed that there was no damage from the collision. The other driver's insurance company sent a photographer to take photos of my car to check its condition. The photographer reported a small nick in my bumper, and based on this, the other driver's insurance sent me a check for $500 for a new bumper. The nick is almost invisible (my wife can see it, I haven't managed to) and we have no interest in getting a new bumper. My wife thinks it might be OK to just cash the check, on the grounds that the eventual resale value of the car will be lower because it's been involved in an accident, however small. I'm concerned that it might actually be against the law to cash a check for replacing a bumper that I didn't actually replace. I see a few options:
A. Cash the check, pocket the money.
B. Cash the check, replace the undamaged bumper. (Seems like a waste of the world's resources, but maybe I should think of it as economic stimulus?)
C. Don't cash the check, keep it, and if I need to replace the bumper for some other reason in the next year (the life of the check,) cash it.
D. Cut up the check.

We don't want to do anything illegal. So: which of these four options is legal? And of the legal ones, which are ethically OK?
(Anonymous in case the right answer is "A is probably legal but I wouldn't do it if my real name were attached to the general practice in a public place.")

Must I report minor fender bender to insurance company?

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:39:28 -0800

In a minor fender bender. Do I have to report the accident to my insurance company? In rainy weather I slid into a car stopped at a light. It was basically a tap. Her car had a small scrape on her bumper. My car had the same, just a little paint missing.

The policeman at the scene wrote up the accident report and gave me the accident number to give my insurance agency.

With only a little paint missing, the damage is below my deductible, so if/when I get it fixed it will be on my own. Do I still have to report this to my insurance agency? Sorry for the question; first accident.

Help me buy a used car in the bay area!

skaye — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:56:17 -0800

Got a used car dealer in the Bay Area/Peninsula to recommend? Hi all,

I'm moving to the Bay Area to start work and need to buy a used car (probably a Honda civic/accord or something similar) and am looking for your recommendations on a good used car dealer around the Burlingame/San Carlos area or nearby. Is it too much to hope to find one that won't try to rip me off?

In case these details are relevant: budget is 5k to 9k, will pay up front, and I don't have a trade in vehicle.

Welcome also is any advice about buying auto insurance!

Thanks in advance :)

Should I report my stolen car stereo to the insurance company?

agentmunroe — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:35:32 -0800

My car stereo just got stolen - while my car was in my driveway. Should I report it to my insurance company? So I came outside not 10 minutes ago to find the passenger-side window of my '02 Chevy Prizm smashed in, and my 3-year-old mediocre Alpine head unit stolen. It was the cheapest one at the time that had an auxiliary in (I think $199 new, not that I have the receipt handy to prove it), and I was starting to look at replacing it anyway with one that had better iPod integration and HD radio, so I'm not particularly worried about the stereo cost itself - although it would be nice to have it replaced.

What I'm not sure about is - should I handle this out-of-pocket, or report it to State Farm to see what they'll do? While it would be great to have the repairs paid for, we have three other cars under our policy; I don't know if it works this way, but I'd be worried we'd be classified as a higher risk and have our rates raised. If any rates get raised, I'd rather just pay for it myself.

As a bit of background, we live in a mediocre to bad part of town - we haven't had any home theft lately, but did have a car stolen a few years ago that we reported and was eventually returned.

I don't yet have the insurance paperwork in front of me (going to dig those up next), but our plan with State Farm is fairly comprehensive... it's covered a windshield replacement due to a crack, and all of the rental/repair costs from when I was in a not-at-fault accident about six months ago and had some collision damage taken care of.

Side question - if I don't report it, is it even worth filing a police report? And am I allowed to drive it without the window for now (NYS)?

Thanks for any thoughts.

How should I handle changing car insurance policies for a short term move?

pilibeen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:04:52 -0800

I'm moving out of state - from PA to NY - for a short-term job (roughly a year). Can I have a PA car insurance policy? I've heard NY and NJ auto insurance policies are ridiculously expensive.

Since I'll still have a PA license, and a permanent PA address (my parents), can I just keep PA auto insurance? My current policy is about to renew, and I've been shopping around and finding some great quotes for PA.

So would this be entirely legal? If not, is it risky?

Using a car from out of state?

wfrgms — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:18:19 -0800

Car-registration-filter: Can I bring my mom's car from out of state to Illinois, and use it as my own, without transferring ownership? We've had this Volkswagen Jetta in the family for about eight years. It's paid for, runs perfect, and is sitting unused since my mom bought a new car.

The car is in my mom's name, insured in her name, and registered in South Carolina. I'm in Chicago, but would like to bring the car up for grocery shopping and occasional day-trips. It would sit parked about 70% of the time.

I would like to avoid transferring ownership and incurring the various costs associated. I would also prefer just to pay my mom to insure the car since she pays a lot less than I would. I'm on my mom's insurance as a permitted driver.

I still have a valid South Carolina Driver's License, if that matters.

My question(s): is there a problem with this plan? What happens if I get into a fender-bender or receive a ticket? My neighborhood doesn't have permit-parking, so I'm not worried about that aspect.

Thanks for any advice!

Old car crashed + next car purchased + insurance office closed for the weekend = magical amnesty?

Acari — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:24:12 -0800

Canadian Auto Insurance Question: Nebulous limbo time between vehicles edition. "Everybody Knows" that there is a 14 day grace period to get your papers sorted out. Is there? The precise situation is that one vehicle has just been totalled by a young lady who had insurance under her father's policy [last car in a highway pileup; she says she's okay; she's going to the doctor just in case] and she is now setting up a new policy with the same insurance company for an 18-year-old used car she has just purchased.
Almost everyone that I've spoken to says that putting her old plates on this car and keeping the bill of sale with her will be okay for up to 2 weeks while insurance and registration are negotiated.

This doesn't match well with my impression of insurance companies.

I've already heard enough of "you'll be fine", and I've heard a couple of people say that it's crazy to go for a millisecond without documented everything, but I want to know what the law says.
Can anyone help me look this up?

I ask not because it's urgent right now [it isn't], but because it is the friday before a long weekend and if I *needed* an answer I know I couldn't ask the insurance company until tuesday.

To further complicate the issue, this vehicle has just had a safety inspection [vehicles over 15 years old need this inspection to be insured here] which identified worn brake pads + rotors. The parts have been ordered and I will have them replaced by tomorrow. Does the legality of things change based on this inspection if the vehicle is not insured either way?
And because this is the long weekend, the insurance currently on the vehicle won't be removed until tuesday anyway. Does that count for anything? Or against anything?

And if this mythic 14 day grace period doesn't exist, why is it such a popular answer?

What's the least amount of coverage I need to drive a rental car legally?

nikkorizz — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:08:10 -0800

What's the least amount of insurance coverage I need to drive a rental car legally? Presently, I have no auto insurance and would like to rent a car without getting suckered into paying for coverage that I don't need simple because the sales agent recommends it. Cheap and legal are the keywords here. I have no insurance. Furthermore, I'm under 25(but over 21). I don't have a car and I don't have auto insurance. I live in the U.S., particularly in the western Pennsylvania area, but I will be driving to Ohio during this rental car trip.

With a quick call to Hertz, and some other car rental companies, I have determined that I can drive a rental without personal auto insurance as long as I purchase *their*coverage.

But exactly how much insurance do I need? I'm pretty sure that rental companies will sell me every type of coverage they can, but all that can't be necessary to keep me legal, can it?

On the renter's website I see options for Damage Waiver, Personal Accident Insurance / Personal Effects Coverage, Supplemental Liability Protection. After some research on 3rd party sites, it seems like Liability Protection is all I need. Is that right?

As a side note, I heard over the grapevine that credit cards also offer some coverage. Should I also consider this?

Looking for a Good Auto Insurance Carrier

Taken Outtacontext — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:36:08 -0800

Our auto insurance is up for renewal and we're looking for a new carrier. We presently have Geico but the rates have been going up for a while (no accidents). I had heard that one should shop for a new auto insurance carrier about every three years. We got a very good quote from Kemper (via the Automobile Club).

Does anyone have any pros or cons about Kemper they would like to share? Thx.

Should we repair unclaimed damage before an inspection?

Anonymous — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:18:22 -0800

Ontario car insurance. My wife and I have insurance through PC financial. Over the last year, our cars have been damaged, but we haven't filed a claim. Now, they've requested an inspection of our cars. Is this just to ensure they don't pay for preexisting damage in the event of future claims, or can we expect them to get mad/raise rates for this? My wife's car was damaged when I was a blind idiot in a parking lot. I did about $800-1000 damage to my wife's car which we haven't gotten fixed, and about $900 in damage to a nice lady's car. We paid her cash (the quote to repair the damage came much lower than we were anticipating), and had her sign an agreement/receipt for the cash and that she had no further claims against us. 5+ months later and we haven't heard further from her. Neither party reported this to the police. This is a newer, but low sticker price car.

Someone tried unsuccessfully to break into my car. In the process of this, both door handles were popped partially out of the car. I had an estimate of $300 to fix. It's a mid-age low sticker price car. We had reported this to the police. We were told that there was a series of successful auto thefts in our area that night, to consider ourselves lucky that they failed with my car, and that they were unlikely to catch the culprits. This occured 6-12 months ago.

We have just enough money in savings to get these fixed if we need to. But we're alright with the unsightliness and would rather have the money for future emergencies that don't involve cosmetic damage to possessions.

Should we get the cars fixed ASAP and then bring them in for the inspection? Should we have notified the insurance company of damage to the cars that we weren't making claims for and then bring the cars in? Should we just bring the cars in and let them make notes and then go our merry way? Should we start budgeting for a rate increase?

crash Fortunately, we all had insurance. Which one of the three companies gets the claim?

truenorth — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:10:31 -0800

Out of state rental car driver who paid for the Loss Damage Waiver backed in to us. We have his insurance information and claim number, and also reported the incident to our insurance company, which offered to cover damages to the car. We think we'd like to have repairs covered under the rental company's LDW. Do we have the right to choose who should foot the bill? And is this a good choice? The damage: back door and back fender panel, which is a pretty sizable piece of metal.
Rental Car company: Enterprise
His insurance: USAA
Ours: Allstate, with good driver discount and a promise of no rate increase even if we make a claim.

Other driver totally at fault - we were in a crowded parking structure, blocked front and back, and he backed in to us despite our honking. No injuries, but it caused a surprising amount of (cosmetic) damage for such a low impact collision. We would rather not bill our insurance, because we filed a damage claim last year.

My preference would be to somehow bill Enterprise, since the other driver paid for the LDW, and I have an idea that this would not increase his USAA rates. Unfortunately, the only information I have about it is the driver's name and the rental car license plate number. USAA called two days after the accident with a claim number, Allstate has called to ask if we'll be filing the claim with them, and we haven't had an adjuster take a look at the car pending this decision, but will probably set up an appointment tomorrow.

I know nobody's my lawyer and I won't treat any advice as legal counsel.
Thanks for any information you can offer, Reader.

How long can I drive a car before turning it over to the insurance company?

tss — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:07:15 -0800

Someone hit my car. Their insurance company wants to total it. How long can I drive it before they take it away? I hope you'll bear with me. This will take some explaining:

Here in Pennsylvania, my '97 Nissan Sentra was fender-bent by a nice person who left a note under my wipers. As an older vehicle, the Nissan's repair costs are higher than its value... by a little bit. I had the car checked and it's mechanically sound, safe, and even capable of passing an ordinary PA state inspection. However, the insurance company wants to declare it a total loss and take it off my hands.

I could buy it back from the insurance company after they pay me for it, but then the car would be considered a "reconstructed vehicle". Here in PA that means a special, expensive, rigorous inspection designed to keep hucksters from selling totaled lemons to grannies. Passing that one could be hard for any ten year old car, I gather.

On the phone with the insurance company I've noticed that the representatives have been, well, coy about putting a date on when I have to decide what to do with my vehicle. I've been warned that waiting too long and building up mileage on the car will lower its value and hence diminish the eventual insurance payout. Which brought the question:

Me: So, ah, hypothetically speaking, what happens if I drive it around for, say, two years and then make up my mind?

Rep: I don't like to deal in hypotheticals...

She went on to say that the claim would be closed and reopened, and then repeated her warning about the car's value dropping with more mileage. But she didn't fit a deadline. Does this mean that, basically, I can drive my car around until I was planning to get rid of it anyway, and assuming I don't have an accident, the insurance company is obliged to buy it when I'm done with it for what it would be worth without the big dent? Here are the questions I need help with:

First, see question above. Then, assuming the answer is yes,

Is it ethical? Some thoughts about who's involved: the insurance company would be paying me anyway---now they can hold onto the money longer and invest it, then pay me less money in the end. The company might also choose not to raise the rates of the at-fault party until the payment---good for the at-fault party now, but perhaps an unexpected surprise later on. I'm owed money for my loss, but if my plans haven't really changed, how much of a loss is it? (Trade-in value, I suppose...)

Is it legal? This I can't answer... perhaps there's a statute of limitations? But the claim is already filed... it's just on hold. (YANAL, I know...)

What was my Toyota worth?

fish tick — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:25:55 -0800

How can I find the replacement value of a Canadian Toyota Echo? Mine's toast, and I don't want to get screwed by the insurance company. My 2002 Echo hit a patch of ice and rolled into a ditch, wrecking the windshield and crunching doors and roof. I'm sure the insurance company will consider it totalled, but my experience with insurance companies is not nice, and I expect the worst. I've found a few American sites, but is there a Canadian resource somewhere that can give me a good idea of the actual worth of my car?

Do I maintain non-owner auto insurance or just cancel entirely?

sa3z — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:25:20 -0800

Non-owner auto insurance. Scam or just practical? I recently sold my car, and intend to buy a car again soon, but I'm not sure when. It could be this month, it could be a year. When I called my auto insurance agent to cancel my policy, he suggested that instead of canceling entirely I maintain a non-owners policy, because supposedly that will make it easier to get insurance again later when I do get a car. I never knew it was difficult to get auto insurance (presuming you haven't done anything too terrible, which I haven't -- I've gotten a few speeding tickets in the past, but it's been over 5 years since my last, and that's the worst of it). Then again, I've had auto insurance continuously since I started driving when I was sixteen.

Is this just some sort of lame up-sell or way to maintain customers? Or is this a legit concern? Should I maintain my policy as a non-owner for a lower rate? I'm not really driving right now (no car), so presumably this would just be for future insurance reasons.

For the record, I am decent-to-great driver, with nothing terrible in my past (besides aforementioned speeding tickets). I do have a great low rate right now, with my current insurer. But no rate is still cheaper than a low rate.

Help with MA auto insurance

Marit — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:43:47 -0800

I need help understanding MA auto insurance; specifically, are rates really identical among insurers? Is there anything I can do to lower the cost? Here's the background -- I'm 24, I live in Massachusetts, and I am a brand-new driver. I'd like to buy a car soon. So -- for insurance, I tried an online quote finder, and the agent who called gave me an estimate of $3200-3900 a year for full coverage with a $500 deductible*. He said I could not get an exact quote without the VIN of the car I want insured. That seemed like a lot of money to me -- he said it was because I'm a new driver, and since I didn't have any knowledge of what other people pay for insurance, I let it go at that. I later asked friends who began driving in other states, and the general response is that that is an insane amount of money, even for a new driver. A year of insurance could potentially cost more than the car is worth!

Here's the question part -- my understanding of MA insurance is that it's set by the state and it will cost the same no matter what agency I choose. So is there no point in calling around to get other quotes? Can I do anything to lower the cost? As it is, I've never been in an accident, I commute 4 miles, and I live in a good area of a so-so city. I could understand if my zip code drove up the cost, but gosh, it's not like I'm in Boston any more.

Also, if you or your kids recently began driving in MA, I'd really like to know if the number I was given is.. normal.

* I asked specifically about a 2000 Cherokee, which is in the ballpark of what I want. He said Cherokees are not the cheapest to insure, but they are not the highest either. I am definitely open to choosing a different vehicle. I need to haul around a lot of stuff regularly. I only need to worry about accomodating one other passenger.

Money between friends...

Heminator — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:38:02 -0800

So I wrecked my friend's car... This weekend I caught a ride to a wedding in another state with a friend. It was a long drive and my friend asked if I would do some driving. I was fine with being asked to drive some, but expressed significant reservations about driving into a strange city in front of two other people in the car. And my friend is well aware I'm a spotty driver and even made jokes about it during the drive. I explicitly said I was terrible in situations where I had to follow directions and didn't know where we were going. I ended up driving the last two and a half hours of the trip.

Sure enough the exit our directions said to take was closed, and we got lost. We made a wrong turn near our hotel where traffic was horrendous. In the process of trying to move over into another lane after making a wrong turn, I hit another car doing serious damage to both cars. I checked before changing lanes but seriously underestimated the speed of the traffic coming up behind me. Cops cited me as being at fault but did not cite me with a ticket.

Well, after the accident I come to find out that my friend did not have collison insurance so while the car I hit is covered by his policy, repairs to his car are not (my own auto policy does not come into play at all -- when you hand over your keys you hand over your policy). I was kind of shocked frankly to find out he didn't have collison -- he paid 14k+ for the car a little over a year ago. My friend's car is near totaled, repairs are estimated at $7,500 -- but he still ends up potentially with a salvage title which will kill the resale value, will likely have higher insurance rates on top of that and a lot of hassle.

The owner of the car is a VERY good friend on a personal level and has helped me find work in the past when I needed it. Legally, I'm not obligated to pay anything, but I obviously want to preserve the friendship and not have money come beteween us. The accident was clearly my fault; the only thing I can say in my defense is that I assumed his car was reasonably insured when he handed over the keys and I might not have agreed to assume the risk had I realized he only he had such minimal insurance. But needless to say I do feel quite responsible. What do you think is fair of me to pay my friend in this situation? Nothing? Half the repairs? All? Somwhere in between?

How much auto insurance is needed?

gtr — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:48:18 -0800

How much auto insurance does my friend need? I don't own a car, and my friend is getting her first. I've tried to do the research but I'm still confused. Her details.

She's just out of high school with virtually no assets. She is also going to be a poor college student for the next 4 years. She will be driving a 6 year old car that's paid for but not worth much.

These are the coverages we have to decide limits on:

Bodily Injury
Property Damage
Uninsured Motorist
Medical Coverage
Comprehensive Deductible
Collision Deductible

I'm guessing there's no need for comprehensive and collision, but I just don't know on the first four. If it were me I'd make the decisions, but I'd hate to tell her the wrong choices. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Does being a dependent on someone else's tax filings make them liable for your actions?

jbb7 — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 21:55:26 -0800

Legal liability and auto insurance questions (fun!): Is there any reason I should purchase more than the minimum insurance coverage in my state (California)? Does being a dependent on my parents' tax filings make them liable for damages in court if I, say, caused an automobile accident? The situation is like this: They have car insurance back in our home state, but I want to get a cheap policy for a cheap car where I'm living in CA. I got a Geico quote with the minimum legal coverage on everything, and my mom says I can't get that, since they would be personally liable for any damages I cause should they exceed what the insurance covers.

The reason she gave was that since I am a dependent on their tax forms, they are legally liable for my actions. (Even though I am 18 and not living at, or anywhere near, home.) Is this true?

Bonus question: Since they claim me as a dependent, I can't take the standard tax deduction on my decent-sized income. This makes my tax bills quite high as a percentage of my total income. They do not financially support me beyond extending their health insurance to me, which they say is only allowed by the insurance provider because they are claiming me as a dependent. Is this generally the way that parents of people 18 through 22 do it? (I am working this year but will be attending college for 4 years after that, during which I plan to have decent income.) I don't think my parents are trying to rip me off, I just think they don't really have time to figure out all of this and so they just stick with the status quo.

And where do I get the lambs?

schroedinger — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 08:43:28 -0800

Auto Insurance: What? I'm going to be buying my first car. I have no idea how to start looking for auto insurance. I live in Maryland. The car's going to be a borderline junker (used car, bought for no more than $2,000-$3,000) and I'm a college student, so whatever coverage I get will be the bare minimum.

How do I go about finding the lowest insurance? I know car types influence their decision. Sports cars are right out, red cars are supposedly bad, Hondas are easily stolen, older cars get more expensive quotes. You can improve your insurance by modifying your car so it's harder to steal. Then you have to pick the best deal from a company--GEICO or Allstate? Random mom 'n' pop operation (do these exist)? How do I balance cost of insurance versus cost of car versus cost of modifications to maximize cost-benefit? How many pure-white lambs should I sacrifice to the insurance gods to get a good deal, and is it OK for me to wear a loincloth to the midnight ceremonies or do I really have to be stark naked?

Missing my ride

xo — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:06:58 -0800

My non-pimped ride (1993 sedan, BB value: $825) was just totaled in an accident with a commercial truck (the truck driver's fault, and he was cited). Are there any ways to get the adjuster to value the car more highly than $825 so that I have any chance of replacing it? This car cost me $2K three years ago and nothing more than oil changes since, and has been completely reliable... to me, its value was like a new car, since I never had to do anything to it and it always ran. $825 would not get me anything comparable.

Also, I haven't rented a replacement car, but I would like to if I could be more sure they'd pay for it. Are they likely to pay, considering that at $60+tax a day, in 10 days I'd have exceeded the value of my car just in rentals? My car insurance policy has a $1K deductible and no car rentals, and I haven't heard back yet from the truck's insurance claims people.

Can I get auto insurance using a PO box or other address I don't reside at?

feloniousmonk — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 04:55:28 -0800

I need to buy a car in a state that I am not currently resident in. Here's the rub. I live in Massachusetts and want to buy the car in Florida. I don't have a Florida address. I can't insure the car in Florida without one, and I can't insure it in MA without registering it both there and in Florida.

This situation has arisen because of a couple of awesome coincidences related to my housing situation taking longer to resolve than I had expected. Is it an option to use someone else's address for a week or two? Does anyone else have any other ideas?

Maybe just a bike from now on.

anonpeon — Tue, 02 May 2006 12:56:52 -0800

Had a car accident, one witnesssays I ran red light, but I don't think I did. What do I do now? This happened in Georgia.

Accident was at an intersection. No serious injuries on me, but I don't know about the other driver. Police said he seemed like he'll be fine, was talking and conscious. Our cars are probably totaled. There is one witness who says I ran a red light, but said witness seemed fishy to me, like he was covering for a friend in the neighborhood. Or maybe I was still in shock from accident.

I remember checking the green light earlier up the street and watched it go from red to green and since I do this route everyday, at this time, was confident about the timing of the light. In short I'm 90% certain the light was green.

There was one local resident (different from the witness above) who says he's seen the other driver ran speeding and running the light before. My wife (who wasn't in the car, but a local lady was nice enough to call, so wife showed up later) got his address but he seemed reluctant to say much more.

Did get a ticket for not obeying local traffic laws, but the cop made a point of saying that he had to ticket someone for insurance purposes, so one witness against me was enough for me to get it. he also said to go to court with documentation showing the other guy was taken care of via my insurance and the case would most likely be dismissed. i do have full coverage on the vehicle.

So do I try to fight this or just go with the cop said? Does it matter either way? Do I lawyer up? Investigate, question people? Like was said, pretty sure, but not completely sure it wasn't my fault.

Filed a claim already, based on my local insurance agent's advice, got a body shop to go look at car, got a rental car setup.

How much is a new bumper for an old Escort going to cost me?

dthaspaz — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:57:12 -0800

I put a 2x2" hole in someone's bumper the other day. Does one have to be insured to file a claim on someone else's insurance? and what do you think a brand new bumper for a shitty old Escort will cost me? i havent talked to my agent yet, but is this something i should even claim on my insurance? Everything about my record and my insurance is in average to good standing.