Thank you to EVERYONE for your fantastic advice!!!

At the risk of sounding ignorant, I had no idea that there were other
courses of action!

I will say this...
Even if Blackbeard's days are over (fingers are crossed), he will make way
for the next family Vanagon.

Keeping the glass half full,

-Drew

On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 11:40 AM, azsun99 <azsun99@earthlink.net> wrote:

> There is a lot in the archives on this, but basically, time is on your
> side. They want
> to settle quickly and cheaply. Stand your ground.
> Good luck!
> Jerry in AZ
>
> Here is a quote from Mark in AK:
>
>    "Take possession of your van, it is still your van and will remain so
> until you
> settle with the Insurance company.  Therefore they have no right to deny
> you access to
> it, the towing company however may deny access until the fees have been
> paid.  This
> may or may not be legal but it does happen.  A pretty face and a sob story
> may help in
> getting to the van for personal effects, but not for removal of attached
> parts.
> Storage fees add up quickly so the sooner you get it back the better,
>  later you can
> negotiate these expenses into the settlement as the crash was caused by the
> other
> driver and their insurance is obligated to cover your losses within reason.
>  Call the
> tow company, pay the fees, and have it towed home or wherever you can store
> it, and
> save the receipt.  If they argue you can tell them that you did not
> authorize it to be
> towed anywhere but to your house and were not given the option on where it
> went(an
> assumption on my part based on years of experience).  Compile all
>  of your receipts for the engine, rack, tires, engine, awning, etc., it is
> possible,
> though difficult to get reimbursed for them should the van not get
> repaired.  Save
> these for later in your negotiations though, start with hitting them for
> real market
> value, not NADA, Kelly, etc., book value.  They will hit you with "Book"
> value, we all
> know that "Book" value is low on our vans.  I checked value on both of our
> vans
> recently and it showed high book on my `87 Syncro around $8300.00 and the
> `87 Westy
> Syncro was $8900.00.  Get on line and find every comparable van you can,
> try
> Autotrader, TheSamba, GoWesty, and every other place you can.  They will
> argue that
> some of your comparables are from outside of your market, you position will
> be that
> this is where you had to look to find real comparables and if they do not
> like it they
> are welcome to find a replacement van for you.  One that is truly
>  comparable, not
> just the same year or model, they hate this and would rather write a che
> ck than spend resources replacing your van.  For every comparable you find
> list and
> describe every difference, ie; your GoWesty engine has less miles, body in
> better
> condition, the accessories you added, etc.  Again, the Insurance co. won't
> want to
> talk about the accessories but they are part of your financial loss and the
> longer you
> hold out the better you will do.  Do not let them tell you that they only
> have to
> settle for market value of the van without the accessories, they are not
> your
> insurance company, it was the other drivers fault, so you do not have a
> contract with
> them stating what they have to pay for your loss.  Option "B" for the
> accessories is
> to settle on the van but get them to let you pull those items(shoud they
> total it and
> you not keep salvage rights).  While you are at it, track the hours that
> you spend on
> researching the value and negotiating with them then submit a bill for your
> time, they
> won't like it but your time has a value and their client has caus
> ed you to spend "X" amount of your valuable time dealing with this.  Make
> them provide
> a rental car, they hate to pay for them but since you can no longer drive
> your vehicle
> they have to provide one.  This gives them incentive to settle quickly as
> rental fees
> add up fast, the longer you hold out on for your price on the van, the more
> they spend
> in rental fees.  Should they total your van consider buying back the
> salvage, it is
> worth very little to them as they know that salvage yards only want late
> model,
> popular vehicles, not 20 year old niche market Vanagons.  A recent example
> of salvage
> value that I came across was on a `91 Westy Syncro with a reported 38,000
> miles on it,
> after an engine fire it was sold by the insurance company for a reported
> amount around
> $3,000.00.  Yes the buyer knows what he has, no he won't sell it, I've
> already tried!
> Should you not be in the position to deal with parting out your van maybe
> ther is
> someone on the List nearby that can help, or that r
> ecognizes the value of the parts and is willing to purchase the carcass for
> a fair
> price.  Where are you located?
>
> The bottom line is that you are in the drivers seat, it is your loss, but
> someone else
> has to make it right, within reason.  Check your State laws, talk to your
> insurance
> agent, document everything, including time spent, and do not settle until
> you are
> satisfied."
>
>
> Mark in AK
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Matt Drew" <t3vanagon@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 10:23 AM
> Subject: HELP! Blackbeard Update-Not Good.
>
>
> > Adjuster just came.
> >
> > This sucks. Based in part on the prices of similar vehicles for sale in
> the
> > area (and this is Vegas, so good luck with that) the value of Blackbeard
> is
> > $2,649.
> > Cost to repair (minus the radiator, because he couldn't actually get to
> the
> > radiator to look at it) is $4,500.
> >
> > Total labor per his report is over 22 hours.
> >
> > Even with the additional value given the new (<75,000 mi.) engine, the
> > massive number of hours PLUS parts is just too much.
> >
> > Alright.
> > Never been through this before.
> > Aside from the new damage, Blackbeard is in FANTASTIC condition.
> > Interior is very clean. Cruise works great. Power mirrors, windows, door
> > locks, AC (needs to be replaced though), and the OEM carpet covers are
> even
> > in good shape.
> > No rips/tears. . .
> >
> > Do I take the total and have 'em haul it off?
> > Do I have it towed to a recommended shop for an estimate?
> > Anyone else dealt with this before?
> >
> > HELP ! ! ! !
> >
> > -Drew
> > '90 GL "Blackbeard" (Life Support)
> >
> >
> > --
> > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > Checked by AVG.
> > Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.8.5/1758 - Release Date: 10/31/08
> 8:22 AM
> >
> >
>
>