Need an Expert

MarsBar said:

........... don't know if he sold it or the ad expired and he hasn't re-listed it yet. Hope he sold it, nice guy that put a lot of work into a previously neglected B4V.

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Well try to find out. Insurance only considers sold vehicles for comparable. Ads are no good.

I know you can go onto Ebay and get 'sold' cars to show up. That is a 'real' comp.

In the end, with such a well-maintained engine, it's something that should be considered for a 'buy-back'. After all, if the adjuster is going to low-ball you, maybe you could get him to make the purchase of the car a real steal.

I remember one engine we put back together about 5 years ago, that no sooner did we get it back to the customer, but his son drives through a stop sign at a 'T' intersection and totals the car. That engine was PRISTINE.

I told the owner to buy it back, which is within your rights under insurance company rules. Before he could move on it, and I mean in just a few days, Allstate grabbed it up and delivered it to the salvage resale lot. I bet the buy-back on this car was no more than $500, on an engine that just had $4000 of work done on it. The block/ head were perfect.

So, if they aren't going to consider the engine's value for settlement, neither should they on buy-back.

Moral of the story: An engine removed is often worth more than the car it came out of.

Know your legal rights. I hope it's not already gone...check and see. Let us know.

Why are you talking to his insurance company and not yours?


You pay them to take care of this and if you have uninsured motorist they will cover under insured motorists and get you more money than you can get yourself!


You should always carry uninsured motorist coverage if you do not already.
This covers you if people aren't insured, or have a lower coverage than your vehicle is worth.

He has plenty of insurance. He was driving his boss's van. I've got this weird sense of right/wrong that it's his insurance carriers responsibility to pay for his negligence, not mine. Plus, Geico has a bad habit of jacking rates up when they have to subrogate. From dealings with the Bodily Injury side of things out of San Diego, I'm beginning to think the problem lies with the Portland, OR, commercial property damage office. BI has been very fair and on top of things.

After removing the sedan from the equation, the offer is now up to $5,300. It's getting to Fair Market Value, slowly.

I went through this with Liberty Mutual a couple years ago. The way I made out was by switching carriers after they wouldn’t budge on their offer. Another $500 and I would have felt like they were taking care of me. AAA is costing about half of what I paid LM.
In your case, Geico should be trying to get you whole. If they don’t perform they are the ones that risk losing the business.