Update on my Avalon

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I'm sure Geico would like to hear all about it. Why don't you call them up and tell them you need $35,000 to replace a 12 year old car with over 100,000 miles on it?



I can just see that little Geico Gecko laughing it's tail off then making some droll remark in it's Brit accent.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine

I do not expect the insurance company to agree with me, but unless the cost of repairing my care exceeds the cost of a brand new one, I do not consider the car a loss.


Fair enough. From the insurance company's POV though, if the car is cheaper to replace than to repair, they're perfectly financially justified to pay you for the replacement (i.e. market value).

If the insurance company is only going to pay you the market value of the car, and the car is "worth" $35,000 to you to fix, then it shouldn't be a problem for you to pay the rest of the repair, right? (EDIT: ideologically, that is. Obviously money concerns could make it a problem but that's secondary to the argument at hand.)

EDIT: Note I'm not trying to get on you about being frustrated with what the insurance company gives you for the money you've paid them over the years. Most of us can probably sympathize with you there . To vent is understandable, but to expect any external entity to value the car more than market value (again, barring special circumstances) is unreasonable.

 

[c502cid]

I'd love to be this kids insurance agent, I can hear it now when shine calls, (agent says silently to himself).."There's got to be an easier way to make a living"

 

[PF52]

Hey, maybe if I bought some old junker, I could wreck it and get something brand new from Geico!

Sorry, Shining, we may seem to be a "mob" but we are all speaking as adults and have the cynicism that comes from a lifetime of dealing with the [censored] we get from insurance companies. Sure, we would ALL like something brand new after an accident, but it just ain't happening.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

Originally Posted By: rationull
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine

I do not expect the insurance company to agree with me, but unless the cost of repairing my care exceeds the cost of a brand new one, I do not consider the car a loss.


Fair enough. From the insurance company's POV though, if the car is cheaper to replace than to repair, they're perfectly financially justified to pay you for the replacement (i.e. market value).

If the insurance company is only going to pay you the market value of the car, and the car is "worth" $35,000 to you to fix, then it shouldn't be a problem for you to pay the rest of the repair, right? (EDIT: ideologically, that is. Obviously money concerns could make it a problem but that's secondary to the argument at hand.)

EDIT: Note I'm not trying to get on you about being frustrated with what the insurance company gives you for the money you've paid them over the years. Most of us can probably sympathize with you there . To vent is understandable, but to expect any external entity to value the car more than market value (again, barring special circumstances) is unreasonable.


Paying out of pocket for repairs beyond what the insurance covers is justifiable to me, up to the actual replacement cost, which is the cost of doing today what my parents did to obtain the car in 1995.

I do not expect any external entity in the world to value my car as I do. To me, it is irreplaceable.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine

I do not expect any external entity in the world to value my car as I do. To me, it is irreplaceable.


If it makes you feel any better, I felt the same way when I wrecked my first car, and was pretty broken up about it. That was probably even more unreasonable, given that the collision that caused the damage was at about 10 mph The car was an '88 Toyota Tercel with a 4 speed manual. Market value was probably around $500, and I ended up "fixing" it myself and just driving around with some cosmetic damage. In retrospect, it must've seemed pretty ridiculous to anyone outside looking in that I'd be so attached to such a POS.

But I digress. If you don't expect the insurance company to agree with you, then what's the problem? Just venting?

EDIT: Just saw your updates to your post. Fair enough. It sounds like some of us misunderstood what you were getting at.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: XS650
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I'm sure Geico would like to hear all about it. Why don't you call them up and tell them you need $35,000 to replace a 12 year old car with over 100,000 miles on it?



I can just see that little Geico Gecko laughing it's tail off then making some droll remark in it's Brit accent.


This bloody fool thinks he's goinna get a brand neeeew Kaaaaaaa. He's at least goinna get some bread with buttah n jam...

Hey shining, read your insurance contract...it doesn't pay for the depreciation and wear and tear. I thought that was just common sense though.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: XS650
None other.

Somehow the world just doesn't conform to his vision of it.


Wow, I can't believe I've spent the past hour reading that thread. Some good reading there!

 

[Drew99GT]

I'm laughing my butt off reading it! I was once that naive.............no I wasn't.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: XS650
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I'm sure Geico would like to hear all about it. Why don't you call them up and tell them you need $35,000 to replace a 12 year old car with over 100,000 miles on it?



I can just see that little Geico Gecko laughing it's tail off then making some droll remark in it's Brit accent.


This bloody fool thinks he's goinna get a brand neeeew Kaaaaaaa. He's at least goinna get some bread with buttah n jam...

Hey shining, read your insurance contract...it doesn't pay for the depreciation and wear and tear. I thought that was just common sense though.

What part of "it [my car] is irreplaceable" do you not understand?

 

[javacontour]

The bottom line is will you spend $35K on your car?

If you really feel it's worth this much, then tell the insurance company you want to keep the car, and fix it up yourself.

If it really is worth $35K TO YOU, then this would be a logical economic choice.

It doesn't matter if you think it's worth $35K when you are trying to spend the insurance companies money. What matters when it comes to value is what YOU are willing to spend.

So keep the car, and repair it yourself if the car really has this much value.

You can't force them to give you more than what THEY think it's worth. But they can't force you to sell it to them (total is) for less than you think it's worth. You can always keep the car if you think it has more value than they are offering.

Your actions will tell us how much you REALLY think the car is worth when we see how you spend YOUR money on it.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
It was a $3200 repair and Geico paid for it, minus a $500 deductible. The rental car costs were $660, so in total Geico paid $3360.


Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
I estimate that Geico has spent at least $6000 on the car this year, including the costs of the collision...


This part confused me - how did the $3360 turn into $6000? Was there an earlier accident involving this vehicle?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
I guess that is another reason that Geico wanted to scrap my car, which was that it had performed nearly flawless throughout its lifetime, requiring no monetary assistance from Geico due to the $250 mechanical breakdown deductible (it went through two radio antennas), until this year when its repairs required that Geico adhere to the terms of the mechanical breakdown insurance that my parents have had on the car for 12 years (13 next May).

Geico's MBI only covers the vehicle for seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

I have no clue why you still have MBI on your plan. You won't even be able to make a claim anymore given your vehicle's age and mileage.

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
. . .

Paying out of pocket for repairs beyond what the insurance covers is justifiable to me, up to the actual replacement cost, which is the cost of doing today what my parents did to obtain the car in 1995.

I do not expect any external entity in the world to value my car as I do. To me, it is irreplaceable.


But don't you see the logical inconsistency between your two statements? In the first paragraph, you speak of "actual replacement cost", whereas in the second, you assert the the car is "irreplaceable".

Respectfully, the error in your position is one of what replaces what. As mentioned above, as nice as your old Avalon may be (or have been), it is in no realistic sense the equivalent of a new Avalon. Apart from all the things already mentioned (age, wear, etc), about the only thing that remains the same now is the car's mission. The 07 car is larger, has a totally different engine, different set of features and options, etc.

A proper and realistic "replacement" in your case would be another similar-age, similar-condition Avalon (as hard as that might be to find).

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: XS650
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Is shine the same guy we went round and round in explaining driver error to? I see a pattern here.



None other.

Somehow the world just doesn't conform to his vision of it.


In another thread he said:

Quote:
I think you are right, as I drive a Toyota and I like it when my car starts in the morning.


Based on what I saw in that thread linked above he and everyone else on the road is better off if that car doesn't start in the morning.

 

[Shannow]

I suppose that the Avalon actually has far greater utility than a Veyron, so the insurer should spend at least that much getting a $3500 car back on the road.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
Based on what I saw in that thread linked above he and everyone else on the road is better off if that car doesn't start in the morning

 

[ekpolk]

OK now, let's not hit too hard here...

 

[Gary Allan]

I'm all for being gentle and somewhat polite in any spanking. But there sure is enough good material here to provide some chuckles from the cheap seats.

..you've also got to concede that he's continuing to engage from an indefensible position ... and I do enjoy seeing the background thought processes that are at work here (much like I'm sure I provide like entertainment for some).

ROCK ON SHININGARCANE!!!!!!

 

[ekpolk]

Well stated Gary; no disagreement with you at all. Just trying to keep it from crossing into "time to lock it" territory.