vibe saved me in accident but was totaled - update: picked up new vibe 3/3

[craigernd]

update as of march 3 - replaced my totaled salsa vibe with silver vibe and car is running great thru the first 7 miles -received a good payoff from insurance agency and negotiated a good price for new vibe sitting on my dealer's lot (though I don't have ABS brakes on this model). thanks for all the good wishes and suggestions various folks posted below. now can anyone explain why they redesigned center console and removed the top lid in the '05 model? original post from feb 20th or so:for what its worth I was 4th car hit in a recent accident. fortunately my girlfriend and I survived a head on collision as the airbags did their job and the vibe did a tremendous job in absorbing and spreading the impact of the crash such that nothing crushed us. sadly the experts say the car cannot be repaired at a reasonable cost (though the engine still turns over) and now I must wait for how much the insurance company will give me for a 1 year old vibe with 30K miles anyone with a good guess for me? (I will be checking blue book values today)It hurts to see my vibe go off to the salvage yard in the sky, and hopefully I can figure out a way to get a new or used vibe without costing myself too much in the car value lost during the first year.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Cars can be replaced, it's good to hear the Vibe protected you and your girlfriend and you are both OK.

[kostby]

Here's something to think about, and ask your agent about...The purpose of insurance is to restore you to the same financial position you enjoyed (relative to the value of the vehicle) before the loss occurred. It's possible (but it obviously depends on the company and their how they write their policies) that the INSURANCE COMPANY can and will find you a replacement car (Vibe, I'm assuming) COMPARABLE in value to the one they totaled, instead of just writing you a check. A woman I worked with several years ago had that happen when she totalled her 2-year old Honda Prelude. Her insurance company found her another Prelude with comparable miles and equipment (actually slightly BETTER equipped) and replace her car rather than writing her a check and making her eat the 'gap' between what she owed and what the car was worth.Insurance companies have access to dealer auctions and the like, and quite likely will be able to find a comparable (used) car for far less money than you can.It might be worth a shot.

[urbanmonkeygod04]

That's an extremely astute & useful observation, Kostby.

[ragingfish]

Personally, I'd prefer the check and pay the penalty...I worked so hard to be able to afford a new car...being handed someone else's USED (and I MEAN USED) car would be an insult. I work so hard to make my car "mine" and keep it impeccably clean and care for it like a child. You never know what other people may have done to that car. Hidden accident damage that was never reported. Stains in the seats. "Unknown sticky substances" in the cupholders and on the e-brake. It's just creepy thinking someone else has owned the car before me.I work my (removed) off to pay for my car and it's mods...I will NOT settle for someone elses trash.

[cohocarl]

Glad the Vibe did it's job and you are both safe.

[joatmon]

all that matters is that you two are ok. Any pics of the car?

[simon]

Glad to hear you're okay.Check your insurance policy. Some have a rider that means you'll get a new vibe to replace the one that was totaled. That's how my insurance is written for the first 4 years of the policy. Of course I live in Canada and the insurance policies in the US may be different.

[sylvainber]

when my (old) car was totalled last year (beyond any doubt), i was lucky enough to get NADA pricing from the insurance co (the other party was at fault). my ex had a similar situation in the past where we had a car totalled and the insurance $ was just enough to by a used car of the same year (we ended up forking 1000$ extra to get a car that was a year more recent, with dual airbags).make sure the insurance doesn't give you just 'blue book'. my old aspire (now referred to as the 'expire') was 1000$ on blue book and 1600$ on the NADA list. That meant half my down payment on my vibe instead of a 3rd sylvain

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[POLO]

The important ,you and her been ok.

[Sputnik]

Quote, originally posted by kostby »Here's something to think about, and ask your agent about...The purpose of insurance is to restore you to the same financial position you enjoyed (relative to the value of the vehicle) before the loss occurred. It's possible (but it obviously depends on the company and their how they write their policies) that the INSURANCE COMPANY can and will find you a replacement car (Vibe, I'm assuming) COMPARABLE in value to the one they totaled, instead of just writing you a check. A woman I worked with several years ago had that happen when she totalled her 2-year old Honda Prelude. Her insurance company found her another Prelude with comparable miles and equipment (actually slightly BETTER equipped) and replace her car rather than writing her a check and making her eat the 'gap' between what she owed and what the car was worth.Insurance companies have access to dealer auctions and the like, and quite likely will be able to find a comparable (used) car for far less money than you can.It might be worth a shot.My insurance has gap coverage.

[zionzr2]

I'm really glad that the both of you are safe and werent hurt.If you had any GAP insurance that should make up any difference between value and your cost based on what you owed. or something like that!!!Good Luck on your replacement search!!

[craigernd]

just wanted to thank everyone for their support and idea regarding replacing my totaled Vibe - right now I have narrowed down my decision to purchasing a 2005 vibe available on my dealer's lot, a used 2004 Vibe or (I hate to admit it) a sx 5 in the ford focus familywill let you know how it all turns out - hopefully I will still be vibing

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »If you had any GAP insurance that should make up any difference between value and your cost based on what you owed. or something like that!!!The dealer made me get that insurance when I bought mine... Probably had something to do with being far upside down in the previous car, so even after rebates & down payments, I still had to pay $22,000 for a $19,000 car. It was around $400 or so. That's a lot cheaper than the $5,000 or more I'd have to come up with now in regards to what the car is actually worth vs. what I owe. And craigernd, I'll echo the statements that it's good to see you guys weren't hurt! Although the Vibe is lost, you're still here so that's what really counts. Good luck to you, and keep us updated on the process of finding a new set of wheels!

[Stang2Vibe]

To get a value close to what the insurance will give you, use the NADA guide (available online for free). That seems to be the standard that the insurance industry uses. I called my insurance co. a few weeks ago because I was considering purchasing GAP coverage and I wanted to know what the replacement value of my Vibe was so I could compare that to what I still owed on it. My ins co. told me that they couldn't give me that figure without actually filing a claim but to use the NADA guide as a close figure. Turns out that according to the NADA guide, my Vibe is worth more than what I owe on it so I won't be purchasing GAP coverage. You have to use the wholesale value from the NADA guide for comparison.

[fjf511]

Good Luck with that new Vibe