RE: [alfa] Total Loss?

["Jeff Greenfield" <alfaguy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You can choose to accept the settlement from the insurance company and then
buy the car back from (which is really just a paper transaction) for
'salvage' value. This usually a (small?) percentage of the settlement value.

The car is then yours to repair, or part out as you see fit.

Also, don't be so quick to accept the settlement that the insurance company
offers if it seems like it is too low. Book value on Alfas tends to be
pretty low and this is what the insurance company will base the value on. If
the car is 'better than normal' it might be possible to negotiate with them
to get a greater dollar amount out of them.

Be forewarned that this can be a long arduous process. Be prepared to show
lots of documentation such as repair records, adverts for similar cars in
the same condition, etc. Also, a letter or two from an attorney who is
knowledgeable in insurance claims can help too.

Of course, if your car is a clunker, or just an old Alfa in average
condition none of this really applies.

HTH,

Jeff - BTDTGTTS with regard to a totaled Alfa and fighting with the
insurance companies involved

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alfa@domain.elided [mailto:owner-alfa@domain.elided] On Behalf Of
tenkiller
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 7:54 PM
To: alfa-digest@domain.elided
Subject: [alfa] Total Loss?

The day before yesterday,  me and my '91 Spider Vel. were tooling down
the road with no problems. I had an errand to take care of.   We were
waiting for another car to pull out of its space so I could take it.
All of a sudden,  white smoke and steam poured out from under the hood.
A man standing on the street said "Man, your car is on fire".  I turned
the car off and got out.  When I got enough courage to look under the
hood,  I popped it open to find the coil and several wires were fried.
One of the radiator hoses was popped also and antifreeze was leaking.  A
few other hoses were crackled.  All I can tell is that the damage is
contained to the passenger side of the engine compartment and only the
wires and a couple of hoses.  The hood is smoked and blistered and maybe
a little warped (it is very slight if it is).  I never saw flames.  All
this and no warning.

I had to have it towed home.  It was almost 5 p.m. and no where else to
take it.

I called the insurance man and he started a claim.  An adjuster came out
to look at it today.  He said "I have to tell you that it is totalled".
"Wires going to the firewall are burned up and when that happens....It
is a total loss".

Does this sound reasonable?  It just doesn't look like that kind of
loss.

Alan
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