Lincoln Heaven

[Dallas Lincoln]

My Town Car will be going to the big junk yard in the sky. I was
re-end and with it been a 1989 the insurance company is not going to fix they will total it. At least that's what the adjuster said. I will add pics later. Anyhow, since they are going to total it out I thought I should sale any parts I can. I'm sure they will only give me the blue book value, which is any where between $655 and $1100. The retail price is much better but I do not think they use that number. If anyone has any insight on this, I would appreciate some info.

I will list the parts sale in the classified section of LOL. Following are a few things I have done to her.

Complete new A/C system
Complete new exhaust
Rebuilt Transmission
It now has the turbine wheels and I still have the wires hubcaps
New Brakes all 4
Plus alot more that I can't think of right now.

I will pull out my receipts before I put it in the classified section. Oh, please keep in mind that I am not too mechanical so it can't be too difficult to remove but I will give it my best shot.

Well to wrap things up, I'm still in mourning but I need to get as much as possible out of the car due to all the money I put into in her. If anyone knows how to get the insurance company to give me a fair amount I would love to know any information that can be beneficial. Thank you,

David Clinger

[Mr Wiggl3s]

Humm i can use some parts

What color interior?
What does the windows look like? I need the weather strips on the 2 front passanger, driver

[cason1]

You could probably buy the car back from the insurance company for under $500 and use what is left out of the insurance check to get another cheap and swap stuff over. That's what I would do. Ask your agent about buying it back. Depending on the extent of the damage, it might be worth it.

[CobraConti]

try to neogotiate getting paid AND them giving you the car. Since the value is so low I wouldn't see this being a problem. Hell, my neighbor got that but he's hell at neogotiating.

[cason1]

That's what I was talking about. Show them all your reciepts and get them to give you around $1500 for the car and then try to buy it back for under $500 which would leave you $1000+ for another Towncar to start swapping stuff off of and putting the newer stuff off your wrecked one onto the one you just bought and then selling/parting the wrecked one.

[Dallas Lincoln]

Intresting ideas...

What color interior?
What does the windows look like? I need the weather strips on the 2 front passanger, driver

Grey
All the windows are fine
The weather strips are in good shape as well

[Scarlitt]

My back hurts, thats the first thing Id tell them when they offered me less then i thought it was worth. It should be worth at least 2k by the looks of it. If you think this is wrong just go look at a few town cars in the insurance companys price range, and see what they are. Im sure they will be junk. Id take pics and argue what they are offering you. Thats just my 2 cents worth.

Good Luck
David

[CobraConti]

That's what I was talking about. Show them all your reciepts and get them to give you around $1500 for the car and then try to buy it back for under $500 which would leave you $1000+ for another Towncar to start swapping stuff off of and putting the newer stuff off your wrecked one onto the one you just bought and then selling/parting the wrecked one.

I meant giving him the car back for free.

[lairdt]

Running my '89 through Kelly Blue Book (www.kbb.com) in the good condition w/116k, I came up with almost $2000 for private sale. That doesn't take into consideration that the trans only has 15k on it, paint needs buffed out and waxed but is good, brand new tires, new stereo, new windshield, among other things.

If yours looks like that picture, I think they're way low, which is in their favor of course. It's because of this exact issue that I'm seriously thinking of insuring for "replacement cost" or "specified amount" and not "book value"

[DaKat]

Try to catch One_Way about your insurance questions - he might have some hints for you.

[Duck]

Let me know if you part her out. I am sure there are some things I can use.

Duck

[v8_dave]

Dont start taking parts off yet. Wait for the insurance company to come. Make sure you fix minor problems not caused by the accident beofre the adjuster comes. We had a car totaled out and they took $300 of bcause the headliner was sagging. If I knew I could have pinned it up beforehand! They will deduct the actual cost of minor issues and add the cost of new parts you put on. Fix missing emblems, seat rips, etc. Dont bother with anything that you cant fix for a few dollars though because they may not do what they did to me, but this is from my personal experience. Anyone else get screwed by them beforre from a sagging headliner type stuff?

[perfordmance]

Before anyone decides to get their ginch all in a knot (which has happened before), I'll let you know that I am here to help. I work as an estimator for the Insurance Corp.of B.C. to which is a public insurance co. Each insurance co.works off the same priciples but may vary from company to company depending on their policies. As for ours we look at what the "market value" is on the specific vehicle we are working on, not "blue book" or any other book, this gives an accurate reflection of what the vehicle's value would be in the market place. An average price is worked up from gathering numerous ads from the local papers taking only the same year, make and model (if the model is quite rare we will use a spread of a few years). The average mileage is then determined along with the average condition and options. Then this average template is compared to the specific vehicle being assessed and adjustments made accordingly. My suggestion at this step is to gather as many ads as you can reflecting your vehicle to work in your favour if necessary (but keep in mind that if, by chance, yours compares very similar to the average then bringing only ads for ones that are better will not be looked upon to highly, keep in mind to keep them relatively close, but a few that are higher doesn't hurt). Once a value is determined then this value is compared to the actual repair cost. Now how an insurance company works is that they will look at what the loss ratio is, in other words, what will be the total loss cost. This is determined by taking the amount they will be paying you out for the loss of the vehicle less how much they will recoup by selling off the salvage either to a wrecker or to a rebuilder (depending on local laws). This total loss cost is compared to the total repair cost and if the amount of repairs is over the total loss cost, well, you guessed it, the vehicle becomes a total loss. Now at this point, we "normally" will give such person four options, barring certian circumstances, as follows:
1.)total loss vehicle for the "agreed amount" of loss vehicle
2.)proceed with a "contract repair" signed by the owner of the vehicle, the insurance company and the repair shop that will be performing the repairs. This contract repair will set the limit that can be spent on repairs. The owner of the vehicle can then negotiate with the repair shop as to how much extra they will charge but normally "all" the listed damages will need to be adressed.
3.)self repair. This is probably one of the more popular options as it keeps the repair costs down and lets the owner keep the vehicle. Safety issues will need to be adressed and repaired to industry standards but safety issues will not contain major structural damage. Structural damage will usually deem the vehicle to automatically be a total loss. Cosmetic items such as paint or trim need not be adressed at this time. This is what we call a cash settlement.
4.)owner buyback. This one is usually only used under certain circumstances to which the owner wishes to keep the vehicle for a specific purpose of either swapping out parts or repairing it. The vehicle will get de-registered. This vehicle has usually sustained enough structural damage that it would have been declared a total loss. Should the owner wish to proceed with repairing this vehicle this would usually require the vehicle to be reinspected for a full safety after the repairs have been completed. Most people usually stay away from this one for repairability purposes but use it for parts swapping to another vehicle.

My suggestion is to "keep calm" when talking with your evaluator/estimator/adjuster when discussing the value of your vehicle. Have all your service records handy, receipts and copies of similar vehicles in ads that you can locate (expand your search to a larger area if necessary). From my experience people that try to pick a fight only make me harder to deal with, this is usually where you hear about some horror stories about insurance companies.

Don't start taking parts off the car until an agreement has been made to do such, you may run into a lot of trouble if you do before hand. The suggestion of doing some minor repairs though to boost the value is an excellent idea, if the cost to do such repair is minimal but will impact the value, go for it!

I know this was a little long winded but I'm trying to give you the best heads up as possible and go in armed. I wish you all the best of luck and if there is any further info that you may need please don't hesitate to drop me a question.

Do keep in mind that some of these items mentioned above may vary from state to state or province depending on local laws.

[Four Eyed Stangs]

If you do end up parting it, I am interested in the AOD.

[v8_dave]

thanks perfordmance. On your 'contracted repair' option, do they give you the money for the contracted amount to pay the fixer? I think here they do that and most people qet the highest repair quote then just junk their car and pocket the money, take it to a cheaper place, or fix it themselves.

[perfordmance]

thanks perfordmance. On your 'contracted repair' option, do they give you the money for the contracted amount to pay the fixer? I think here they do that and most people qet the highest repair quote then just junk their car and pocket the money, take it to a cheaper place, or fix it themselves.

For a "contract repair" the company pays the repairer the maximum repair allowance. On a further note, we are required to reinspect the vehicle afterwards to ensure that the repairs were completed accordingly. This should answer the question in regards to someone pocketing the cash and junking the vehicle. The repairs may not be beautiful but as long as the owner of the vehicle is happy with it, the safety issues are taken care of, all invoices for any replaced parts are issued and the repairs are at least at industry standards it will be paid. Of course, if the owner wishes to spend whatever extra to agree on a decent repair job that would be between the owner and the repair shop.

[Dallas Lincoln]

Wow, this is alot of great information. I really do appreciate all of your imput and a special thanks to perfordmance for his very insightful info.

I have taken new pic's of the car but I am on my way out and won't be able to post them until tomorrow.

[Dallas Lincoln]

Pic's

[Dallas Lincoln]

More pic's...as you can see the hit was hard enough to push me into the car in front of me

[Four Eyed Stangs]

That sucks!

I can see a lot of light damage that adds up to big $$$$ :(

[Mr Wiggl3s]

More pic's...as you can see the hit was hard enough to push me into the car in front of me
My mom ran into a truck with my TC (it was her's then) and the front end got FUCKED up, im working on it pretty slowly, but mines worse, trust me, heres a pic

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v380/sobman15/My%20car/maschippedpaint.jpg
You can see there are huge paint chips missing

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v380/sobman15/My%20car/damagedgrill.jpg
The grill is suppose to be flush with the front

I dont know what you can do about the back, but the front is fine, you can work on that

[perfordmance]

Ouch! Looking at the photos I can see the header panel should be broken likely with damage to the grille also but the front bumper appears ok? And for the back, well, I see the rear bumper, trunk lid and rear body panel are damaged but it looks as if the tail lights are ok. Good thing is it appears that there is no structural damage. This is going to add up to quite the repair price though, of course the price will depend on what recycled parts would cost, to keep the cost to a minimum. If you're wanting to keep the vehicle what I would suggest is to source out the price of the parts necessary for getting it back on the road, you might find that the parts alone are going to cost more than what they are willing to settle you out for, this would be on a self repair/cash settlement or on a contract repair. I would discuss all your options with your insurance company and see what they are willing to do for you. Just my quick estimate I see roughly $3000+ Canadian from those photos for repairs.

[Hensley]

For reference, I just sold my '89, which was in the same shape as yours (w/86K miles) for $1,900. I tried eBay, hoping for more $'s, but these things are a dime a dozen.

If you're up to it, I'd buy it back and have the rear parts swapped off by some independent mechanic (if you don't want to do). Too good of a car to let go to the boneyard.

[Swarm]

I also recently was in an accident that totalled my '89 TC Cartier. I got rear-ended. I stood in the road a cried like a baby.

The insurance company is giving me a fair price for her I think. She had some dead paint and some interior cosmetic issues. I've found an '88 TC Signature to purchase as soon as I get the check from the insurance company.

The insurance company is also letting me swap out the wheels and a couple of other things when I get the new one. Guess they're afraid I'll get an attorney involved. They've been very cooperative about paying the x-ray bills and for my time off of work.

Hope your situation works out for you. I hate to see the old TCs die.

[nailfoot]

....

The grill is suppose to be flush with the front

...

When you say that, do you mean the area I have marked in orange here?

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/1489/15wf4.jpg

Just so you know, the grill is not supposed to touch the bumper at all. Your (Mr Wiggl3s) grill does not look pushed out of place to me.

[the Andrew]

Hey ya know what the f***er rear ended you that means it was their fault, you should plead to say you back will hurt until they pay for the damages.

[dmh4k4]

Man. If my TC got rear-ended it would take everything I had to keep from beating the snot of that person.

Not only do I love that car, but it is now officially a family heirloom.

[Dallas Lincoln]

Well no word yet from the insurance...this thing is really screwed up. Okay the accident occurred on March 28th. It took 3 weeks to get the adjuster out to look at my car. Still no word on anything. The problem is that the guy that hit me works at a small car dealership and the insurance said they still had not confirmed if he was authorized to use the vehicle. But I do know that he was an authorized driver because somehow his insurance card ended up with me and his name is clearly showing he is an authorized driver. How long can they drag this think out. I’m ready to put it behind me but everyday I have to go out and see my poor smashed lincoln. Can I be compensated for all the time this is taking and the aggravation; or is this the norm amount of time.

As far as my back, I am hurting…one of the first things I did was call my doctor, which he prescribed pain medicine (super strong), muscle relaxers and physical therapy.

[CobraConti]

get your lawyer involved.

[Taran]

MAN...

if u like this car... get a donor and if your handy.. swap parts...

[nailfoot]

I agree with the Lawyer statement. Personal injury is a MAJOR industry and the lawyer will know exactly what to do. Should be no Out-Of-Pocket for you either. That's the insurance's bad.

3 weeks just to get an adjuster? My poor 1992 Honda Accordion was already repaired in 3 weeks! The adjuster looked at it at the repair shop the same day it was towed in.

Authorized driver? Who gives a crap!? He hit you in the rear and it is his fault regardless whether he had "permission" to drive the car. If I hit your windshield with a bat that was my brother's and I had no permission to posses it, does that remove my responsibility?

Lawyer up, and THEN call the insurance. Or better yet, let your Lawyer call the insurance.

Don't threaten the insurance, Just Do It (as Nike says).

[CobraConti]

OH SHIT!!! You know what I just remembered?? In my Law class I took last year, if an employee of a company/business gets in a wreck and they are performing a work duty........you can sue the company/business he works for. That is in NC atleast. This is a big deal; my teacher/lawyer told us. He told us one story of how this restaurant ran out of napkins or something and told one of their employees to go to the store and get some. Well, worker runs over somebody and ends up the restaurant gets majorly sued (cause that's where the moneys at) and the worker gets civily sued too. Bottom line: If that guy was on anything but his lunch break you might be able to go after the dealership too. Your lawyer will def. be up on this. Unless your state doesn't have that law.

[gadget73]

Sucks your car got messed up, but thats fixable. I don't see any serious damage on parts that can't be unbolted. A day or so at the junkyard and less than $500 in parts would probably put that thing back in shape again. Of course I'm a bit crazy, and I also don't pay people to do anything for me. That right there is a couple weekends with some friends and a few cases of beer to repair. After that, a trip to the paint shop is in order and its good as gold again. The paint would be where the money is spent, but then again I also know people who can hook me up there too.

[v8_dave]

Im with you gadget. If I cant do it, no one will be doing it. I'm still debating about trying to do my tie rods without getting an alignment...but I really should!

[perfordmance]

Lawyer up, and THEN call the insurance. Or better yet, let your Lawyer call the insurance.

Don't threaten the insurance, Just Do It.

I agree with this, get the big guns out! Three weeks is way too long to be held in limbo. I would consult a lawyer but make sure you bring all your info in with you, especially this insurance card with the info that he was an authorized driver. Then, if the lawyer wants to take it on and if you wish to retain the lawyer, have them call the insurance co, they are now representing you.

If the driver was definitely working at the time of the loss and was an authorized driver it will fall under the garage/dealership's insurance policy. Irregardless though your insurance co.is supposed to be working for you, not against you!

[Dallas Lincoln]

Ok, I have an attorney involved and finally the insurance company came out so I could give my statement. With that done, we are waiting to see what the offer is for the car. The adjuster said he is thinking around $2000...yea!! I'm going to see how much it will cost for me to keep the car and if it will be worth it. The attorney will not take anything from the car settlement, I get all that. He will get 33% of the medical.

I have gone to an orthopedic and he has taken X-rays and did an MRI...(he have me valium for that which was very much needed). He also gave me a prescription for Norco, a super strong pain med and Flexeril, a muscle relaxer. I am also going to physical therapy 3 times a week.

Hopefully in week or two, the car part will be settled and we will then move this conversation to the Classified section. I'll keep ya'll informed.

[v8_dave]

good luck getting better, and once you do, buy another TC...:D

[KATHRED]

It's such a great looking TC--that I can see, I hope you can fix her!!! Can you get the parts yourself and have a shop do the labor?? I can not get the damage pictures on my screen so I can not see what the damage is--??

[Dallas Lincoln]

UGGH, this accident has been a royal pain in the rear. The guy that hit me works at a small dealership that has a repair shop. So when the adjuster went to look at the car it had no damage. Now his insurance company is saying that I am trying to commit fraud and the damage was already there at the time of the accident. As you can imagine I went threw the roof. Unfortunately I did not get a police report at the time of the accident...really dumb of me. So now I have to prove the accident occurred. Fortunately the accident happened in front of a fire station and one of the firemen came out and told us to move the cars out of traffic. Tonight I went up there so I could get a statement from him but his team will not be on duty until Friday. I will let you know more as soon as I find out. Take care,

[v8_dave]

Basterds man! First thing I did in my hit and run was call the police. They never showed up tho, but they knew it was me who called incase that guy tried to say I ran. Seriously, Im I was doing alot of city drivin, I would get a dash cam for crap like this. Hope you can pull it off man.

[Dallas Lincoln]

I'm going to the wall on this. To have my car totaled then be accused of fraud. I will have my peace on this.

[87 town]

sorry about the accident...one of my greatest fears...
good luck, and if you do part it out be sure to let us know. i could probably use a good rear view mirror and some logos.

[bill0044]

Wow, the sleaze of some people... Maybe there is a traffic cam on the fire house or somewhere nearby that would still have a shot... it would seem worth a phone call or two... but then again, your lawyer may have some ideas on this phase two....

My sweet baboo just drove her brand -new- to -her ( 6 days) prius into a telphone pole. The INs co Said, sorry, no coverage, so we offered to call the insurance commissioner. Then, apparantely, a person "with more experience" determined she was covered after all, and she got well taken care of..... ... You insu co should take care of you, then they need to chase the other guy... tell them you are going to call the insurance commissioner. That really gets thier attention... then, actually do it.....

bill
i can tell they got your dander up... seems like they will wish they hadn't.eh