The other guys insurance might just tell you to work through your own insurance company. Then after the car is totaled and you are paid for your car, they will negotiate with your insurance company. When a car has 104K, there isn't a lot of negotiating room, regardless of the condition of the car.
Coming on like an 800 pound gorilla is not going to help you in this situation. Good luck getting the settlement.

 

The number I've arrived at is completely objective and takes into account the year and mileage. It also takes into account the condition but the condition is only 15-20% of the value. The majority of the value is based solely on research I've done of replacement cost, meaning the book value according to kelley blue book etc, and searching autotrader for similiar year and mileage G35s with the same options.

I'm not expecting a brand new G35, I'm expecting to be in the same position I was prior to their client destroying my car.

 

gap doesn't really have anything to do with getting you more money on a car that is worth more than the loan amount.... it just covers the gap between what the car is worth and what you owe. yes, it can be a good thing to have, but on a car that is likely payed off, it won't do a thing... heck, a car that is worth 12k that you owe 12k on it, it won't do anything.

to go further, you need to monitor your car's value against what you owe on it, if you do carry gap coverage. You can sometimes cancel it early if the value of your car matches or exceeds the loan amount on the car....


To the OP, sorry to hear about the accident. Just work with the insurance company the best you can. make sure their offer includes tax/title/licensing fees. this might net you another grand. and as with any negotiation, their first offer is likely not their best offer. If I were you, I would be looking at the NADA value and then finding comparables that are for sale and see how the two match up. If the comparables are higher, make sure you have a few to show to the adjuster. If the NADA is higher, well, hope they go with that

 

I'm worried about your approach.

Stop thinking about what it's worth and maximize your value.

You'll end up ****in yourself otherwise.

Just sounds as if you don't know how to handle the insurer.

 

^Agreed. You are being "fair". You need to start high. If you start where you wanna end up, they'll widdle you down to nothing.

 

Well, its all done.

Negotiations weren't as bad as I expected, but since I have a very low opinion of insurance companies that doesn't say much.

Ended up with 23% over dealer retail.

Getting a G35 right out of college might have been a bad idea considering most cars don't seem like an upgrade, I should have just started with a stang or something...

So...any ideas guys, what should I get?

 

what do u need it for?? plan on kids soon? is this just a toy or dd?

 

Well originally my plan was to drive my G until I got a 3 car garage. Then I was going to get a weekend toy and a truck as a DD...

Now I'm either going to get something to replace my G as a DD or get some cheap car that is reliable for a few years till I get a 3 car garage...

 

so you netted like 15k?

that's not bad. look for whatever you can absorb budget-wise.

i'd prob look for a 3 year lease on a car that was cheaper and focus on stepping up
thereafter (i.e. r35/z06/m5)

 

Yeah, original plan was to drive my G for at least another 3 years then get either a GTR or something in that power/price range.

I looked at a BOSS 302 yesterday... hard to imagine spending 40k on a mustang though...but the motor is nice.

 

a 40k dollar mustang... no f^cking way. get a base GT and call it a day if the mustang floats your boat.

If I were in the market for a new car... 100% lancer evo. not even a question in my mind. I just got an 06 IX mr last fall. Absolutely the most fun car I have ever driven.

 

Glad things worked out, What insurance company did the guy have anyway?

If I were in your position, Id get an E46 M3. They wont drop anymore from the prices they are at now and drive/ride real nice... I almost picked up a 2005 Competition Pkg, Steel Grey Coupe w/ manual trans for $18,999 a couple weeks ago. My sister has an 04 and I love it... Just make sure you pull the BMW service records before purchasing, stay away from any that has an electrical problem.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck on a new car!

 

kornercarver is such a passive bastard.. please stop giving advice. I know you're old, frail, and afraid of everyone, but some people actually try to get what they are owed.

the boss 302 is an amazing car for the price. get past the '40k for a mustang' bit if you haven't seen what it's capable of. the stock GT can give an M3 a run for it's money, the 302 would blow it away. incredible value at 40k.

 

So now that you've done it and were successful please do share how you came about the negotiation process.

Did you come with prices of local cars in similar condition?
Did they counter with NADA or KBB?

Thanks in advance.