The Death of my 1999 Tacoma

Any updates?

 

Alrighty, folks, I'm settled! Things actually turned out better than I anticipated. I set myself a goal that I wouldn't walk without at least $10,000. All said and done after tax compensations and other fees, State Farm just cut me a check today for $11,056.18!

What worked for me is that I was persistent, but polite. I remembered that I was dealing with a human being, and it was a negotiation, so I wasn't demanding. After they got back to me with the first value of $6,675, I hit them back with a counter offer of $13,468.17, which accounted for the retail value of all my aftermarket parts. Since this was twice as much, I knew they wouldn't take it, but I had documentation for everything, so I think it helped my bargaining power.

Her response to that offer was to hire a third party appraisal company to value the vehicle. It took them 2 weeks to get me the value for that, which ended up being $6,160 - even less than the first value. At this point, she said the only way to increase my settlement would be to go through my own insurance company, or provide her with listings of comparable vehicles. Since I had liability only insurance, my only option was to get comparables, so I sent her 5 listings of OEM 4 cyl manual 4x4 ext cabs over 150k miles, averaging $10,600.

Here's the crazy part - she considered my comparables, but pretty much ignored them and instead looked at the 30 comparables they provided in the first valuation (average price $9,095) and chose the one with the highest price at $12,950 as my comparable. Since I had previous body damage, a cracked windshield, and some other things, it brought my actual cash value to $9,863.

This is great, since I bought the truck (mostly built up) 4 years ago for $8,250, crashed it into a light pole the first year ($1,000 body damage), and put ~$1,000 of parts into it.

Since the comparable was an OEM Tacoma, I requested that I take some aftermarket add-ons off, which she agreed to let me do. Any part I took off must be replaced with an OEM replacement. I successfully removed my Warn M8000 Winch, secondary battery and wiring, and replaced my 4 speakers with OEM. I had gotten 2 OEM struts from a junkyard, and successfully removed one of my 2.5" Sway-Away Racerunner Coilovers. Unfortunately, the second one had a bolt that was seized in the Eyelet collars (even though I got the nut off and the bolt was spinning freely), and I forgot to bring my torch to the wrecking yard. So, anybody want a single aftermarket coilover? I think I'm going to make a badass workbench stool out of it. My Allpro bumper was welded on, or else I would have tried to swap that out, too.

In addition, my toolbox flew out of my bed, so I requested her to compensate me for that. I emailed her a listing for a Delta tool box at $454.99, and she gave me $300 for it! Which was a bonus, since it came with truck when I bought it.

Finally, I claimed some of the tools that flew out as well, and got $310.96 for them.

I have been driving a rental Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn for this whole time (~37 days), so it made no sense to me, at $100 a day, why they wouldn't just give me the extra settlement money from the get-go, but such is how bureaucracy works, I suppose. I requested the $13.99 a day damage waiver be paid by State Farm, but still haven't heard back, so hopefully I don't have to fight that when I have to return the rental on Monday.

So that's my story, and I'm glad I was able to come out ahead when dealing with a very scammy institution. I hope I never have to go through it again, but I also hope this helps someone in the future.

Also, I still have yet to settle my medical claim, which was at least $1000 + a day of lost wages. I feel totally fine, and was only stiff for ~3 days, so I think I'll settle with that.

On to the next Tacoma!

Sorry, I was lazy and cheap, so I didn't end up buying it. The comparables made a big difference, though, so thanks for that tip.

 

They sell them everyday of the week.....

 

Aint that the truth.

 

Glad it worked out for you. Being prepared and staying cool is the best way to deal with these companies. If you don't get angry and can make the adjuster your friend, then things go smoother.
As for medical, I'm sure they want to settle quickly. The more times goes by, the more pain you may experience (irregardless of the accident). They always want to get you to sign off on the medical settlement. Use that to your advantage and get back anything you may have lost in the vehicle settlement. Pain and suffering is punitive charges versus medical which reflect actual medical charges. These go solely against the "at fault" party, so don't feel bad about making them pay. You have spent a great deal of time and effort due to someone's negligence and that should be compensated.
Good luck and I hope you get a great new Taco when this is all done.

 

I finally have closure to this whole mess. After weighing the advantages of a 2nd gen vs 1st gen, and seeing the demand and inflated prices of 1st gens, I decided to upgrade, and join the ranks of the second genners.



2006 V6 6-Speed 4x4 TRD Sport with 101k miles, tonneau cover and step bars - $15,000 private party!

Every end is a new beginning, and I'm looking forward to many years of loyal service from this truck, both in stock form, and eventually modded.

 

Not sure if I would say upgrade...


Congrats though!

 

My neighbor got a 50k medical settlement for his wrist injury, the battle is not over.

 

Do you have full coverage on this one, I hope?

 

Weak. I'm glad you're alright, but I hope you get more money out of the deal. I'd strip the truck of everything that's worth anything including the front console and mud flaps.

 

This thread is 3 years old guys.

 

I want a 50K wrist injury settlement.

 

Easter Sunday = good day to resurrect dead thread...

 

Glad your ok, but I see a third gen on the horizon