So I crashed my car this past weekend and AAA may not cover it because I missed a payment (still working things out with AAA). I've never been in a car accident before and don't know how to approach this situation... I know that its going to be a $9k+ job if I take it to a body shop. Parts I'm assuming around $5k? maybe more? I have not taken it to a body shop to have it fully inspected but I did have the car just checked out from what was visible. One person quoted me around $10K, another quoted me up to $17k.

I can probably replace the metal and plastic parts around the front of the car and then take it in for all the electronics, air bag, windshield, etc...

My main question is if anyone would have more insight on the situation and to have more of a grasp on the damage cost. Also, maybe have a body shop order parts for me? I want the cheapest way out in case AAA doesn't come through...

I tried searching the forums a bit, but I'm not exactly sure what to look for.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1773/crash1ly0.jpg
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/6183/crash6hn8.jpg

Any information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance
-Gabe

 

That looks totalled to me. Your insurance company is probably going to totall it. Start looking for a new one.

 

I'm still paying it off

 

your insurance company will total the value of the car... pay off the remaining balance on your loan and give you the rest of the money to put towards aother car. I totalled a car back in October. Make sure you give your insurance company any reciepts of aftermarket products that are still on your car. Or if you can take 'em off, do it before the insurance company assesses the total value. It would be best to take 'em off and resell it, You'll get more money that way.

 

he probably owe the bank more than the market value of the car...

 

Sorry to see your car is totaled...

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you didnt pay your insurance and defaulted (and by defaulted I mean they sent you a letter stating your no longer covered) you are the new owner of a 350z brick.

What you can do is check via their website and if your policy # and information is still available then you might be able to pay your bill + late fees online and if thats the case you should still be covered if you pay that before they dump you. Its also a smart thing to get GAP insurance when you get your policy or even at the dealer when buying a car. GAP insurance covers you when you owe more than your car is worth so that you dont get stuck paying off part of your loan that the insurance isnt picking up. Gap is great to have especially the first 2-3 years of your loan as that is when you are generally upside down on the loan.

Best of luck and I hope all ends well and you post a few weeks from now pictures of your new NISMO <- (hint on what you should get with your check)

 

Missing one payment cost you a Z and like the guy above me said, you have a 350Z brick, becuase you will get nothing from the insurance company! Why would someone in their right mind miss an insurance payment, I just don't get it!

GL!

 

that **** will buff right out

 

yeah, I'm preparing for the worst and hoping for the best... I did get GAP when I bought the car so I'll have to see if the dealer can do anything...

*sigh*

Thanks for the input people.

 

It was a combination of Christmas, New Years, Dad's bday and My bday - A lot of time out of town... and I didn't have the auto payment setup...

 

Exactly... Missing an insurance payment can be costly. Murphy will always find a way to remind us "What can go wrong will go wrong".

 

Gl, now lets hope GAP works for you, GL!

 

I dont think GAP works as a stand alone coverage. It is meant to work in conjunction with an existing full coverage policy. I could be wrong but not likely. I take it your payment is more than 1 month late since you didnt comment on the advice i gave you about checking the AAA website to see if you can still pay online. Most insurance companies have a grace period of 10 days for late payments. You will also be getting hell from your finance company once they find out you dont have full coverage and the car is totaled.

GL

 

I'll have to try at home - I haven't setup an online account and have all my AAA information @ home. I payed the balance the same day of the accident over the phone.

bah! what a mess... at least I'm still alive... :-/

 

If you have a good relationship with your insurance agent... You technically can give them a pre-dated check and claim that they received payment but have not processed it...

 

Yes your right, thank your lucky stars your alive. By the looks of the car it must have been a really bad accident. If they let you continue with the existing policy Im sure they will help you work it out. AAA is a good insurance company.

 

good luck, it all comes down to the quality of your agent...

if he/she dont care and want to help then you are in luck...but normally insurance companies, if you thnk about it, will prolly stick to something if it gets them out of paying the money, and by someting i mean if you have gotten a notice about your insurance is no longer valid beucase of non payment...

also keep in mind, if indeed you ahve received such a notice, your insurance agent may risk his/her job by committing fraud with the pre-dated check thing...whcih prolly make him/her a bit shy...

i guess the important thing is, did you receive any kind of notice stating your insruance is canceled and you must find new insurance with in 30 days or htey will have to report you (i am not sure if this is how cali works, but its how PA worked)

good luck...i cant tell what year htat car is, but unless its very new, i would say its totalled, a 17-18k quote (with the end bill usually higher) on a car worth less than 25k will prolly result in in getting totaled...

 

I wouldn't trust that Z structurally after you have your Z "fixed". Sorry for your situation.

 

good luck on the repair, but that seem to be a total loss there...

 

So what did AAA say?