Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General This just in..2G Sport is total loss-advice please

Just got off phone with other guy's insurance company adjuster...my car is a total loss. I was really looking forward to payoff in November '04. He says I can remove all aftermarket stuff, including EL gauges, K&N, door speakers, box(if it will come out!). I am also removing the SE sideskirts. I'll post any items for sale in classifieds. One thing I am fighting with him about is the alarm/remote start. He said I can remove it at my expense ??? It will cost $70 to have the shop that installed it mobile to the wrecker lot and remove it. It will be another $150 to reinstall in new car. IMO he should pay both, but at least removal!

Not really sure what to do at this point. I guess I'm going car shopping. Any advice? No SVT for me, I need an automagic. Looking at new or 2001-2002 used. Does not have to be a "race car"...baby is on the way! No minivans either... Test drove Mazda 6s w/SE1 sport package...love it but not $25,000 sticker! Trying to stay within 15-18K range if possible. $3000 down on whatever I decide.

The outcome:

2000 Ford Contour SE Sport V6
Deep Navy/Blue cloth
Automatic
64,200 miles
Payoff: $48xx.00

Adjuster says:

$7650.00 + 6.75% OH sales tax = $8166.33

Does that sound fair? Payoff may seem low, but keep in mind I am in the 4th year of financing. This is to settle the car only. The medical part of this claim will not be settled for at least another 2 years.

Thanks to everyone who ever helped me with my car! The knowledge and maturity(up until late ) on this board is unmatched! This is a great place and I plan on sticking around with whatever car I get.

Sorry to hear about the loss, but it woulda never been the same if they tryed to repair it...

I can help you remove and reinstall the alarm if you want, I've done a few.

As for new cars...All things considered (safety for the baby, performance, comfort, and looks) I'd be looking for either a Duratec Taurus or GTP (If a car that size doesn't turn you off).

Also, my Dad works for Navistar...they have a partnership with Ford and he gets X-Plan. It's usually good for a substantial discount. I believe with X-plan, it is good for friends and family, and all you need is for him to get a pin number. I'm not sure how this works; maybe someone on here with knowledge of this can give some input.
(edit: never mind about the X-Plan, It looks like only direct Ford employees can give out X-plan)

You probably don't need every little switch etc. for the alarm. Just take the brain and maybe any glass/motion sensors. You already have the key fobs. If there is a seperate horn, you might want to grab that as well.

Relays and door/hood/trunk switches are pretty cheap.

So I don't see why you need to pay $70 to have someone remove the alarm unit.

Cars, well if you like the 6, try it in the 4cyl form. Actually if I were to look at one, I'd strongly consider the 4cyl (stick in my case) over the Automatic because the weight difference here is much greater than comparing the Contour I4 vs V6. The Mazda 4 is an aluminum block/head engine just like the 6. (In the Contour the I4 is an Iron Block/Aluminum Head)

So the handling for the Mazda 6i (the 4cyl) is probably better than the 6s

You might walk away with a 6i for around 20K. Rebates on those as well.

TB

If you were satisfied with the performance of the 2G sport, a Mazda 6i should be comparable. There's going to probably be alot more aftermarket for the 4cyl, just because it's the only engine you can get in every other country.

You can also get it without the sport package and save some money, there's going to be quite a few cool body kits coming out soon.

I've seen Mazda 6's with four bangers selling for 17K, incuding discounts.

sorry for your loss :-(


pm'd ya about ur skirts tho

Here's a little advice based on 11 years as an insurance adjuster ...

Remember that the insurance company is actually contracted to the guy who hit you. That means they insure him for amounts that he would be legally liable for if he didn't have insurance. That amount is the Actual Cash Value of the vehicle ... best described as the amount you could have sold it for the moment before the accident.

Typically, the industry does not establish ACV based on Blue Books, Gold Books, Black Books, etc. Those are resources that are used to check ACV's or in situations where a car is rarer as one of the tools. Most insurers now outsource the actual ACV calculation to a third party and then may or may not adjust it themselves. Most of my third party experience involves a product called Autosource, which is provided by a company called ADP. The Autosource search will include all advertisements for like/similar vehicles in the recent past (less 10% obo), regular dealer surveys, etc. ADP will average these prices and condition of vehicle to establish a baseline. The baseline will be something like:

2000 Ford Contour SE Sport V6: $XXXX
Avergage Condition: Good
Average Mileage: XX,XXX
Average Tire Wear: XX
etc.

The evaluation the appraiser has done on your vehicle will be compared to create a series of adjustments:

Your Condition: Excellent (+xxx); Poor (-xxx)
Your Mileage: below (+xxx); above (-xxx)
Your Tire Wear: better (+xxx); worse (-xxx)
etc.

It was always my practice to share the Autosource, and any adjustments I may have made to it, with the customer, preferably face to face where you can walk through to get agreeemnt to the ratings, or discuss differences (better to know now than in arbitration or litigation). Typically, Autosource and its competitors will only provide an evaluation if they have 30 vehicles from your geographic area in their database. They will provide a partial evaluation if they cannot find 30 vehicles.

Generally, my experience is that ADP is pretty reasonable if it is a complete evaluation. The way to counter an Autosource or other evaluation that you do not feel is accurate is with research. Pull your local papers, esp. things like the Buy and Sell or Auto Trader (whatever your local equivalent is) and look for comparable vehicles. Make sure you agree with the ratings used for your vehicle or can provide documentation/reasonable arguments to counter the ones used. Most importantly ... ask to see the appraisal so that you are comfortable with what you are being offered.

Hope this is of some value ....

You are right on the money Johnny! He used Autosource to determine the value of the car. After reviewing the 15 page report I can understand where he got his numbers. Very helpful. He said he didn't even deduct for the cassette player that isn't there(removed my CD player at scene, tape player was removed first week after I bought the car and is somewhere in a closet).

Question: The adjuster says I can remove stuff from the car. Of course this includes my remote start/alarm, '99 SE sideskirts, EL gauges, K&N, and the custom trunk(if I can get it out), but how about things like my brand new battery I bought a few months ago? Does the salvage company check to see if stuff is missing? I'm not saying take the wheels off, but how about the wheel locks, plastic lug covers(8 spoke SE wheels), and stuff like that? Please advise. I am going at 10AM tomorrow.