Not defending the insurance industry here, but your
agreement with the insurance company (and I am sure if you actually read your
policy you will find it) is for them to compensate you for the value of your
vehicle at the time of the accident. So if, for example, my 1999 pick-up
with over 200,000 miles suffers damage totaling $3,500.00 while it is only worth
$1,500.00, the insurance company is under no obligation to pay any more that
$1,500.00 at which point, having virtually paid for the vehicle, the insurance
company has a right to its possession, and can, in fact, take the vehicle in
exchange for the payment.
That having been said most, if not all, insurance
companies will allow you to purchase the vehicle back for what amounts to very
little money (because they are not in the parts business) but in that case,
many states require that a salvage title be issued, to inform any
future purchasers that the vehicle has sustained more damage that it is
worth. Whether a car is "totaled" is a decision to be made by the insurer
and is, in fact, based on the value of the vehicle at the time, versus what it
would cost to repair it. It doesn't mean that the vehicle cannot be fixed,
only that the cost of fixing it exceeds the accepted value of the
vehicle.
As noted, you can always just have the vehicle
fixed on your own, and avoid the question completely but, if your state requires
a salvage title, if your car is "totaled" you may have a problem in collecting
from the insurance company without accepting that salvage title.
Pete Fitch
In a message dated 5/4/2015 10:22:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
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