Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:37:09 -0800
Reply-To: sam mccarthy <sfcompost@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: sam mccarthy <sfcompost@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Insurance Questions For my Westi
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
I've had the opportunity to have learned this lesson the hard way, almost.
My 81 Westy was recently rear-ended and given a $7,500 estimate to fix. I had converted this air cooled van to water cooled 94 jetta engine a few years back. I did this using used, junk-yard parts and parts from a 82 diesel van. I had put lots of time and some $$ into the interior and suspension and all it needed to be extremely nice, was new paint. The insurance company of the other driver was Farmers, and though they were pleasant to deal with, they really weren't interested initially, in doing the work necessary to properly value the van. I had to convince them that the engine conversion was legitimate and that it added value to the van. Local comparison values?? Good luck in most locales. Fortunately, there is a local shop that installs Tiico engines and could give a value for the engine conversion I had done. Though the fact that I did not buy this conversion (had receipts) gave them fits!!
I spent a lot of time on the phone arguing that what I would accept would be replacement value, not blue-book. I had to use comparable vans found on the Samba and elsewhere,( not local at all) to help them properly value the van. I refused to accept the excuses they gave me about having local comparables and blue book values etc..
Look, people are going to come up with the offer they give to you, not GOD, so refuse to accept formulaic offers. These vehicles no longer fit into the formulas the insurance companies use, and thus, the first offers are generally going to be all wrong.
In my case, the first offer was around $3500, I refused, reminding them that vans like mine were selling for $5000 to $6000 with the air-cooled engines. Second offer was $6750. Again refused, the engine conversion alone would cost $7500 today.
I wrote up a nice and polite letter to them listing all the improvements and updates I had made to the van, with a detailed value given for the stock van, the engine conversion, and an average sale price for both similar stock and converted vans. My asking price was something like $11,500.
Farmers offered $9000, which along with my demand for rental car $$ for one-half of the time it took to negotiate, came to $10,000. I, happily, took the offer which did not include charging me anything to keep the van. They had waived this buy-back value early on and I wanted to keep the van to use parts for the next van.
This process took four months, mostly due to delays on the part of Farmers. They passed my claim off to three separate agents before settling. Each time I had to begin anew educating them about the world of Westphalias.
For the next van, I will definitely, get an appraisal, and cover the van with an appropriate level of insurance. Oh, and keep receipts for everything, especially engine conversions.
I was lucky, I hadn't insured my van for collision. I had no real idea of the value until I began to look at replacing it. If I had been at fault, the wreck would have meant starting over with nothing. I was very lucky!
Sam M.
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Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:55:00 -0800
From: Chris
Subject: Re: Insurance Questions For my Westi
I my experience [2 totals in 2 years] get the van professionally appraised by an auto appraiser and take that to the insurance company. That is the only way.
I have AAA best coverage and they wanted to give me 2500 for mine. fought it by doing my own local market equivalents which equals finding three comparable vehicles in my area and submitting the ads. I got 5700 instead.
Christopher Burfine
510.406.4669
ReboundLaptops.com
Jonce Fancher wrote: Hi all
Well Im dumping some coin into the 85 Westi and I want to make sure it is properly covered and not a total loss IF it may ever need it. For the last 5 years Ive
only had PLPD. Whish is the basics since I really didnt worry about cracking it up. If I did I would do a buy back and swap the usable parts to the next Victim.
But now that Im doing a motor conversion added a bunch of goodies and made it into being worth just a bit more to replace. Its crossed over to a big loss if it
gets toasted. So Ive presently got Hagerty Classic on All my other VWs including the 84 non Camper. But the 85 Westi is on standard Insurance with my Wifes
Honda. The Honda insurace is a bit lower since Ive got multiple vehicles on that policy. So Im looking for the insurance company to "Understand" it would cost
Quite a bit to "Replace" and that it is Only driven Occationally ( Mainly Camping and going to the park ) and not a Daily Driver.
So Any company suggestions? Goods and or Bads. 1st of this week I will be contacting the company Im using as well as hagerty but I dont think Hagerty will do
any thing.
I also dont want to start a Insurance Fight on the list so Be Nice!! Just looking for the goods and bads before a Tree Falls on it or someone runs the Ol Red
Light.
Thanks Jonce
Jonce Fancher
56 Single Cab
66 Sunroof Bug
66 Variant Squareback
66 Porsche 912
71 Sunroof Bus
84 Vanagon "Gottfried"
85 Vanagon Westi
2003 10 Passenger Sprinter
Fancher's Upholstery Inc. - www.fanchers.com
Not-A-VW Club- http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jaransont3/notavwclub/
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Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:57:39 -0800
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