Hey all... anyone know someone who can do a diminution of value claim on my Honda near Seattle?

Some girls T boned me about 2 years ago, and I want to file a claim against their insurance for the loss in resale value of my car.

Thanks for any advice or tips!

Brian

 

Did you settle on the claim 2yrs ago? If so you are SOL, if not it will be a hard fight, especially on a run-of-the-mill car.

 

No, under Maryland law, I have 3 years to settle this up. That time expires in May of 07. They are already offering me 3,500 dollars but that doesn't cover things for the car.

I bought the car for 21k with 9,200 miles on it (it looked absolutely mint) and they hit me less than 90 minutes after I bought it 10,000 in damages later, it looks "fine" but I'm sure that when/if someone does a carfax, they will find something.

 

Counteroffer. it's called negotiations. counter offer with a higher amount than you think it will be and then negotiate down to where you want to be at. insurance companies will always low ball first offer.

 

I can't beleive they didn't total the car at the time.

 

The Diminuation of Value is a fairly new concept in property damage claims. I dealt with it a little bit when I was in Arizona. Basically what you need to find is someone to do an appraisal on the car to determine how the accident damage affected the value of your car. With new cars costing so much and depreciating the minute you drive them off the lot, when a car was totalled the settlement usually didn't pay off the loan.

Good luck!