Totaled car. What should I do?

[eddie]

I live in California so law’s here will probably vary. My car is currently getting looked at by the insurance company (not mine) to see if it will be claimed as a total loss. I fixed a lot of parts on my car and I have receipts for it. Will I be reimbursed for all my repairs? I rebuilt the engine along with the transmission about 40k miles ago. All suspension parts on both sides of the car have been replaced with new, not used from the junkyard, parts.

Anyone have any advice?

Topic

[Jonathan Stiver]

No, you will be sent a check for whatever the computer comes back with as the fair market value of the car. Depending on the damage, you may want to elect to buy the car back directly from the insurance company or from the insurance auction to repair or use for parts on another vehicle of the same model.

[Alexander B]

The “fair value” can depend on its actual state, if the car was immaculate and you have a folder full of receipts showing what was done to it, the value should be (a little) higher than a rusted out POS off craigslist. But in reality, they probably won’t care and pay you for ~the cheapest one they can find for sale, or whatever their devaluation-table shows it should be worth.

The same thing happened to me though, spend a years’ wage rebuilding a car from scratch, got $600 back after a SUV folded it in half, their insurance company didn’t understand that I put thousands upon thousands worth of parts on an “old” car. The guy literally said “Its not even a classic.”
Meanwhile, I’m still working on rebuilding it, I spent a multiple of that $600 already and its barely halfway done.

Or to put it in the form of a meme:

Needs an additional frame:

“What the other guy’s insurance pays for after he plows his SUV into my ride.

[Author]

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