sidekickin Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 (edited) Last week someone rear-ended me and pretty much destroyed my hatchback. My back and neck are screwed up too. The other guy's insurance company hasn't looked at the car yet, but I know it is totaled. The passenger side rear is smashed in all the way to the rear wheel, the back window and side window are busted out, and the roof is buckled. Also the car will not track straight when I try to drive it. The unibody is noticeably bent and the rear driveshaft rubs against the exhaust. I'm sure they are going to try to screw me on the value of the car and want to haul it away. I'm wondering if I am better off keeping the car and trying to part it out. Mechanically the car is in pristine shape. Everything has been kept up on it and everything works. Tires only have 6000 miles on them. It's sad because the car has so much more life left in it. It purrs when you start it up and runs like a top. It's been driven easy its whole life. It has the legendary EA81 that is arguably the best, most reliable engine Subaru ever built. It even has the original clutch in it still. Anyway, I could ramble on forever about my baby. So what is everyone's thoughts about keeping it and parting it out? Is it worth it? What are the most valuable parts? Edited December 19, 2011 by sidekickin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Wow im sorry to see that . My advice to you if you have the means or the time is to find another EA81 with a good body and not much else and swap everything over from that car. I did that with my former coupe. It had low mileage but everything was wrong with it and it needed everything except a lot of body work. I just swapped everything over from my recently smashed sedan into it and had a great car again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Best so see what the insurance offers you for the car totaled, because it is! Try to see if you can find any comparable ones for sale here, Autotrader.com, Ebay etc. Information is very important dealing with insurance companies. Do be in a hurry to be cleared by a doctor or settle. Employee of mine was T-boned a year ago. Came back to work the next week and his wrist swells big time. They missed a broken bone in his wrist and ends up with surgery. He was out of work over three months. You want records of any work you missed, or could have worked such as overtime, miles traveled back and forth to doctors etc. I wish you well and good luck, Subarus are replaceable and you are not. Looks like you took a good whack so you could have issues show up a few days later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6 Star Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Just recently my dad was hit while he was driving his '89 diesel jetta. The insurance company we dealed with had to have proof that the car was in as good of condition that it was. (it had a rebuilt engine and all other kinds of work that we did to it) So we collected all the reciepts and everything, trying to sum up what it was worth to us (easily over a $3500 car) but they were not satisfied with that. We had to find a comparable car for sale somewhere in the US, it had to be the same year or newer, which didn't make much sence. Anyways, its kinda hard to find a '89 or '90 diesel jetta (for sale, and in as good of condition as ours was) and in '91 the body style changed. Long story short, you will probably have to find a nice '87-'89 hatch somewhere for sale to show as a comparison. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 You may want to consult a lawyer too. If you are sore, get it documented and handled legally properly or it may bite you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidekickin Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Thanks for the advice everyone. I have been looking online for another EA81 with a good body to swap everything into, but I am having no luck at all. And it would be nice to find one advertised somewhere to show the insurance company what it is worth. If anyone comes across one, please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Bratman2 and Uberscoober are giving you pretty good advice. I can't add too much too it but I will anyway. It's totalled. As such you can likely buy it back for $50 or so as salvage value; it'll cost them more to tow it to a wrecking yard and sell it for scrap. If you can find another in similar shape the parts in this one will be worth your while (IF you can do your own work for most of it). Establish a value for your car. Search online for NADA, Edmonds, and Kelly Blue Book; they will all have different values for your car. Don't let the estimator tell you that you have to prove the condition of your car; it's their job to dis-prove it if you can't agree with their estimate. Find comparable prices on-line (Auto-trader, craigslist, local classified ads and other sources). Visit your local dealers (Subaru and others if needed) and ask them what they would have your car on the lot for re-sale prior to the accident. Start a book of printed out comparables; as rare as your car is, establishing a fair and correct valuation for your car will take some time. If the estimator gives you a check for his estimate, DON'T cash it even if he says they'll give you another check if the value is higher--they won't raise the amount and they'll never give you another check if you cash the first one. Get the name and address of the person who hit you and make sure you have a record of it. If you have to file a small claims action for the car's value, you'll be suing the driver and NOT the insurance company. We were rear ended by a taxi driver in our Brat and it took a while for the police to serve the subpoena even though we had that information in our paperwork. Get in touch with your state's insurance commissioner and find out what the laws are concerning property settlement following a traffic accident. The insurance company will claim they are following the laws. In our case nothing they told us was true. One item is, if they can't repair your car they need to make you "whole". That is, replace the car with one of equal value and conditon; and if they can't find one you should get money for the established value along with the cost of registration, title change, and sales tax if you could find one. That's only the hassle of getting fair compensation for your car. Your injuries are another whole ball of wax. See a doctor, chiropractor, whatever you need to insure you'll also be compensated to get you back to your pre-accident condition. In any event, don't sign anything until you read and UNDERSTAND what you are signing. Consult a lawyer if you need to. Doesn't mean you have to sue, but someone on your side needs to advise you of your rights in this matter. Best of luck with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 And it would be nice to find one advertised somewhere to show the insurance company what it is worth. If anyone comes across one, please let me know.Don't wait for that to happen. Do the homework and search for it. The information is out there but it won't come back to you unless you actively seek it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 (edited) I took a peek into Auto Trader and found zero at any distance. Search Results You searched for: Car Type: Used Cars Body Style: Hatchback Make/Model: Subaru GL Year Range: 1987 - 1990 Price Range: $1 - $15,000 Seller Type: All Sellers Finding comparables will be tough; but also tough for the insurance company. Check with your local dealers and ask them if they can find a replacement for you. Edited December 19, 2011 by edrach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidekickin Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 edrach, thanks for your advice. I will definitely use it. If my other car didn't have a flat tire that day, I would have been in it instead of the Subaru. I would have MUCH rather had the accident in that car since it is more easily replaceable. I will keep searching for a replacement car. I am willing to drive a distance to get another one. I am fully expecting the insurance company to offer me an insulting $300 for the car. There is no way in hell I will accept anything even remotely close to that. So I am expecting to have a fight on my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 edrach, thanks for your advice. I will definitely use it. If my other car didn't have a flat tire that day, I would have been in it instead of the Subaru. I would have MUCH rather had the accident in that car since it is more easily replaceable. I will keep searching for a replacement car. I am willing to drive a distance to get another one. I am fully expecting the insurance company to offer me an insulting $300 for the car. There is no way in hell I will accept anything even remotely close to that. So I am expecting to have a fight on my hands.The initial quote and check from the estimator on our '82 Brat was $450. A fair value (from a local dealer was $1500 to $2500) which I agreed with but we had other comparables gathered over a period of 6 months. We finally sued the taxi driver in small claims courts where our comparables averaged over $3000; the taxi driver could not offer ANY comparable values to counter our data; after adding adding in expenses and such the judgement was for $3475. It was a tough fight (I filled a 3" binder with all the paperwork and such) and since the Brat was an "extra" car I wasn't pressed to settle any earlier. Part of the settlement was we got to keep the car which is still in use today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 NADA lists an '87 GL AWD hatchback for my zipcode: Pricing on a classic/exotic (pre 1990): Original Low retail Average High retail $8,293 $2,125 $2,650 $3,525 * This Retail price is based on a clean vehicle history report . Don't make a $2,650* mistake. Get a Free VIN Check today. Find out why AutoCheck is better than Carfax. KBB doesn't list anything prior to 1992. I love NADA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 (edited) Also, get a carfax or autocheck report to help establish condition. Here's a Seattle area junkpile for $500! http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/2759475312.html You might try searching a few west coast cities for a similar hatchback to yours. Best chances for finding a rust free version for you. Last time I saw one in the Seattle CL it was listed for $2750. Edited December 19, 2011 by edrach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidekickin Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Looks like I may have to take this guy to small claims court then. Even $450 is offensive, but I know how insurance companies are. Whatever the settlement ends up being, I want to be able to keep the car. Kelley Blue Book doesn't even go back to 1987 to get a value. NADA only lists retail...and low retail is around $2000. And that is classified as an exotic/classic car. I can't get a value on Edmunds either. And so far I can't find anything listed for sale around that year (at any distance) to use as a comparison. What a mess this is going to end up being... EDIT: Thanks edrach. You posted that info while I was typing my message with that info! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 im trying to buy that junkpile =p. very sorry about your hatch, and the pain thatll never leave your back now. good luck with the replacement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeky Moose Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 you have to be careful with the blue book, the ea81 hatchback was made from 82-89. the ea82 hatchback was made from 85-89. All ea81 cars were stopped in 84' except for the hatchback and brat. There is a HUGE difference in the cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zukiru Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 the ea82 "hatchback' doesn't list as a hatch back. I think it list as coupe or 3 door coupe. sorry for your loss, I can tell from the pic that it was anice car before it was hit. the adjuster ought to be able to tell that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 sorry for your loss, I can tell from the pic that it was anice car before it was hit. the adjuster ought to be able to tell that as well.Really depends on the adjuster and the insurance company. A major insurance carrier will usually have their own adjusters and can be relatively fair. Some of the "off brand" insurance carriers (don't EVER get hit by a taxi driver--their insurance is generally the cheapest they can buy) hire "independent" adjusters who are asked to minimize the cost to the company. But zukiru brings up a good point. Make sure the car is clean inside and doesn't look like a "junkpile." Also have the receipts and maintenance records available that shows the car has been well cared for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 NADA only lists retail...and low retail is around $2000. And that is classified as an exotic/classic car.Retail is the value you should get for the car. You will be paying retail for your replacement and that's where a fair evaluation should be. And in the condition I suspect it was in, average to high (not low) should be applied. That's why I suggested the carfax/autocheck since it gives a comparative index number to reflect the age/condition/mileage of the car which should help push the condition toward the high retail figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyfun Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 (edited) And don't forget that they owe you a rental car from the date of the accident until you actually receive a settlement check from them. And for each day that they don't give you a rental car, they do owe you for lack of use, which is determined by how much a comparable rental car would have cost you. There should be a few ea81's around on the forums for sale, just gotta dig around. Hell, if nothing else, get a few folks on here with ea81's to post fake ads for their cars with prices at like $5000. I wish you luck with dealing with them. Insurance companies have caused me more pain than the accidents. A drunken Indian ran into my car, my motorcycle, and my friend's Porsche 944 parked in front of my house in September and we're still going around in circles with the insurance company. They finally gave me a rental, but a few weeks later some wongleflute in a stolen Honda ran into it and my roommate's car. I got so stressed out over it all I haven't had time to finish dealing with them. Edited December 19, 2011 by Cyfun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Wow that is the cousin to my hatchie. Hope you can get things sorted out and back is not a longterm problem. If you decided to part it, I may be interested in some stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz ride Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 So sorry for your lose. Hope you recover soon. Having back pain is tuff at times. Hopefully things will work out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayoteq Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Glad you're okay. I had a similar encounter with a police cruiser with failed ABS to my '86 golf, got a replacement taillamp that stuck about 3 inches out of the dent, plastic sealing, it kept going.. insurance company gave about $500 below what it cost me to replace it with a 90 Jetta, cost me $100 to keep the car, sold it for $350 later. . anyway, Are you in northern or sourthern Ohios? There's a blue 82-87 (?) hatch nearby at a towing company.(TN) Probably a '87, it's got those same funky wheels. Looks to be mechanical failure. (front wheel is on hood, either a failed fix or parts-stripping (eek) I'll stop by and get you a price figure for your records. In this rare case a high figure would be good.. High enough and I'll get the offer notarized and send it to you. Low enough and.. well, let's just see, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidekickin Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 (edited) kayoteq, I would really appreciate you doing that for me. I am in southern ohio...Cincinnati area. Any info you could find out would be great. Thank you so much! Edited December 20, 2011 by sidekickin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayoteq Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Not a problem. Gives me an excuse to ask them about it. Will let you know if they are capable/willing to sell, then, if it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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