Was rear-ended by a careless driver a few weeks ago Everyone was OK, so I can't be too upset, but my 1999 FRC was just deemed a "total loss" - great . Apparently there was frame damage beyond repair. Haven't talked to the shop yet, so I'm just going on what the insurance company said. I'm left with 2 options.

1. Take the money and find another Vette! They're offering something like 15K. I briefly looked around a bit and saw some things in that range, but most were much higher. Is this a realistic number? What are my chances of finding a nice '99 - '00 - '01 FRC in that price range? Good? Bad? I honestly have no idea.

2. Buy mine back. For what seems like an insanely high price of $5000 I can buy it back! Why so high??? That would leave me with $10K to do with as I please. But I'm guessing I can't fix it for that price. Maybe the cosmetic stuff, but if the frame is toast, I'd basically be buying the drive train.

The worst part about it is that this was a very sentimental car. It belonged to my father who passed away few years ago. I thought about him every time I drove it, and just figured I'd always have it. Bummer. Any advice from the community on where to go from here would be really appreciated!!!

Thanks!

 

What a lowball figure! Refuse it......make'em offer a more realistic value.

They offered that price hoping you were uninformed and didn't know, they obviously are looking to buffalo you.

 

Show them other FRC's with like mileage/condition/mods. They will move a little on the price. If that fails, tell them your neck hurts and see what they offer next!

 

Find a ton of comparable Vettes for sale and show them to your insurance company,,,,,,but don't "fix" a trully destroyed car of any type.


When you get right with the insurance company,,,ask them for a few pieces of the car that you can install in your next one. That way Dad 's car didn't die,,,,,just got rein"car"nated!

 

Good luck getting it all sorted out

Chuck

 

Thanks for the quick replies guys! Looks like I've got some homework to do! The car did have a decent amount of miles on it (112K), along with some wear and tear. It was a daily driver, so it saw it all! Still, 15K seems low to me too. Like I said, i found a few that were in that price range, but they were outliers and I'm afraid there's something wrong with them.

 

$15-16k is about right for a 112k mileage C5. I say take the money and use it as a down payment on a newer, less mileage C5Z or C6.

 

A 1999 with 112K and wear and tear, the $15K sounds like a good price. I would take the pay off and look around for a replacement.

 

Any advice on buying used? I'd love a C6 but I really can't afford taking on a car payment right now. Just got married, bought a house, grew up etc. Honestly, a more "responsible" person would probably buy a lesser car and pocket the cash. Not me

I've been checking out the usual places. AutoTrader, Vehix, etc. Any other places I should try? How about buying Vette's in general. Are there specific things I should be looking out for, especially if I'll be looking for a something around the same mileage? Check the codes, listen for engine trouble, drive it, anything else? Thanks again!

 

Most insurance companies will low ball. All you have to do and send them various vettes similar to your with the appropreate price and they should match it if its a good company. I have had the same thing happen to me on 2 of my cars in the past. I was always given a low quote at first. A little leg work goes a long way.

 

i would buy it back.. work them down on the price of course...and then once you get it back..part it out..and seel the drive train and engine..and i bet you could come up with more then enough to buy a nice frc or even a z06 if you perfer

 

If I had the time, I would completely do that. I suppose I could always buy something temporary to get to work with in the meantime, but I don't know, I just want things to go back to how they were 2 weeks ago. Impossible, I know, but still frustrating. I'm half tempted to buy it back just so I have an excuse to do something with the motor and drive train Not sure what, but I'm sure I could think of something.

 

With 112K miles on the car, $15K is not a bad offer. They may have a small amount of wiggle room, but not much IMO.

What Silverbullet00 suggests is a good idea - ask for some pieces that you can use on a different C5 - maybe some interior parts, FRCs, etc. Then you can still remember your Dad.

 

Try to buy it back at a lower cost and part it out if your capable. You will make more money.

 

Damn...I try to give you some sage and wise advice and then there are those who try to tell you, you are damn lucky to get $15,000 and walk away looking for something else!

There's bluebook and they are prepared to pay more if you fight them and supply pics showing how good it looked.

NEVER just say OK give me what you think it's worth.

My Insurance agent called the company and got a price of AT LEAST $25,000 pay out on my 98 IF it ever got totaled..... AND that was after I asked them if I needed to increase the coverage and was willing to pay the extra premium! They said no need we'll cover it at least $25,000 and no need for an increase.

THEY'LL PAY YOU MORE!!!! Just don't roll over and play dead.

 

I like Silver and Jack's idea about the parts from it for your next one. If its that bad a shape, it probably would not get sold at the auction as a full car and might get parted out anyway.

Ask your agent in person and tell them why you would like some of the parts. I mean, who in their right mind could deny such a proud and honorable request to have parts from a car their Dad once owned. Hell, that brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Bargain for the most they will pay you hinting that Vettes are not cheap cars. Then take the payoff and look for another Vette.

When you find a few you like, come here with all the specs and I am sure everyone will chime in on what they think about the car before you buy it.

As for a car to use in the short term...does your insurance offer any kind of rental car option? I know its usually just until you get yours fixed but since its totalled, if you have rental car coverage, tell them you might need a cheap rental car for a month or so until you can find a replacement for the Vette. And thats a good time to add that if they offer you more for a payout, you will be able to find a replacement car easier as you have more to spend on it and in turn spend LESS on the rental car as you won't need it as long.

 

$15K is not unreasonable for a 112K mile car, but you can probably work them up a bit, maybe $16-17K. Then look for something in that range.

I like the idea of taking some small parts from your Dad's car and incorporating into you new ride to keep the memories.

Here is a '99 FRC with 44K miles for $17900.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-c...-hard-top.html

Here is one with 74K miles for $13500

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-c...73k-miles.html

Here is '01 Z06 for $16,800

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-c...ilver-z06.html

Just a few from the forum.

Good luck. It is a blessing no one was hurt in the accident.

 

Make them find you a suitable vehicle comparable to yours and make them buy it for you!

 

Umm I think 15k for a '99 with 112k is a more than generous offer...

 

Found one that almost sounds too good to be true! 2000 FRC, 97,000 miles, 6-speed, $13,500! Right car, right price, right location, it's even the right color (Pewter/Black leather, same as my mine)! Less miles and I might even come out on top. The one weird thing about it is that it has Z06 body upgrades (including Z06 fender badges), but is NOT a Z06. Thoughts?