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Before you accept a check from the insurance company for your wrecked or totaled vehicle, doing this one thing could mean getting thousands more dollars for your car.

Quote/Joke of the Week If the automobile had followed the same development as the computer, a Rolls Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year killing everyone inside. ~ Robert Cringley

Find out what your car was worth prior to the accident. If you have been in an accident and it has been determined that your car is a total loss, your insurance company will need to pay to replace your car.

Tim M’s 2014 Kia Sorrento was stolen in December 2018, never to be seen again! His insurance company offered to compensate him $11,329 for his total loss. Tim felt this was less than fair market value so contacted us to help him. We advised him to inform his insurance company that he wished to invoke the ‘Appraisal Clause’ in his policy. We all have one in our policies!

Q: Can I keep my car if the insurance company totals it? A: Yes. After it's been declared a total loss, you have the option to keep the car. The insurance company will subtract the salvage value from the car's market value. The salvage value is the amount a salvage yard will pay for the damaged car. If you keep the car, it will have a salvage title. If it is successfully repaired or rebuilt, you can apply to transfer the salvage title to a rebuilt title. Caution! A vehicle with a rebuilt title can be difficult and/or expensive to insure. Do your homework!

If you have submitted an insurance claim and feel the offer to replace your vehicle is inadequate, you’re probably right! Of all the Insurance offers we evaluate, there are only a few companies which make a reasonable offer and we can tell clients “you’re getting a decent offer.” It may be on the lower end of what the car is worth, but the cost of an appraisal isn't going to generate a sufficient return on investment.