RIP to my 2011 L.C.

[jbyrd78]

Don't know if it's possible, but maybe see if Ed Martin Toyota (@Eric Sarjeant) can give an anonymized list of what similar LCs have sold for? (I doubt they would do that, but can't hurt to ask.) They're at least in the same state as you and probably have the best idea of price.

I'm glad that you mentioned this. I live in Noblesville, and I'm actually over by Ed Martin Toyota. So I will stop in and see if Eric is available.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Personally, i would take the new offer. Loan appraisal and insurance appraisal never equate because the focus is different on the adjuster for each purpose. Pay off your loan and use remaining toward another vehicle. This is not a camry that every adjustor knows about. Power and ignorance is a sure chance of a s*** show.

 

[kcjaz]

$30K seems a bit low. How many miles on this 200? A total loss settlement should be pre-accident vehicle value plus sales tax and fees. Idea being they give you a total sum that allows you to buy an equivalent replacement. So if they are saying the vehicle value is $30K they need to add tax and fees for the settlement check should be around $33K depending on your local tax and fees. Here is a copy of my initial settlement offer based on the stock value)

Ask for details of the valuation. They should be going to a third party like CCC to do the comp valuation. State Farm may just be lowballing you based on KBB or something. Ask to see the comp vehicles they used as reference. Here is the valuation of my 2013 (keep in mind they gave me credit for a lot of mods). They initially valued my LC as a stock rig at $38K. (my own eval said $35K - $39K)

You don't need to rush this so don't let the insurance co pressure you. The threat that the current offer could go down is likely just a tactic. You know the condition of your vehicle in terms of how clean it is. Spend a couple hours compiling your own "comp vehicle" list. Maybe look at 2010 and 2011 MY. You can throw in 2013 but there are differences from 2011 (there is no 2012 MY). You need to have data that backs up your own valuation to present to them. If your math says its worth $35K, show them and argue for it (nicely).

Lastly, keep your cool. There were times during my ordeal that I wanted to jump through the phone and smack someone but I focused on being extremely polite and never getting mad and lashing out. I was empathetic to and never got personal with complaints. In the end, I think this helped them help me. If you are a dick, no one at State Farm will want to help you and you need them to help you.

 

[kcjaz]

Some of these are very low but there is always a story. Cherry pick (be reasonable) to support your case. At a glance, there seems to be a lot here to support more that a $30K valuation:

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Autotrader - page unavailable

Used 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser for Sale (with Photos) - CarGurus

Browse the best September 2023 deals on 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles for sale. Save $8,119 this September on a 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser on CarGurus.

www.cargurus.com

 

[shelby95]

Personally, I wouldn’t accept that offer. I would expect the premiums you pay are based an a value greater than $30k, certainly more than $25k.

 

[Artie]

While reading your update I can’t help but get mad for you… ugh!

Is the State Farm agent yours or the fast and furious driver guys?

The short time frame they are giving you is definitely a tactic to get you to accept and move on.

The idea of even pretending to indemnify has been completely lost on insurance companies these days, I say this as a prior 10 year commercial property and causality agent… so glad I’m done with that stage of my life.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Anyone ever used the services of this outfit in such a situation? Seems like a relatively low cost/high potential benefit.

Collision Safety Consultants

 

[onemanarmy]

You will be suing the party that caused all of this correct?

 

[ryanCA]

You don't need to rush this so don't let the insurance co pressure you. The threat that the current offer could go down is just a tactic.

Having dealt with insurance company for many years from the inside and out, this is the best advise.

I wouldn't take the offer. Let the inspector come out. If he lowballs you, so what. I would stick to my guns on it.

Adjuster wants to close the case as cheaply as possible, and move on.

Then again I am a dog with a bone and will make their life a living hell, till they pay me the real valuation. I am not rolling over.

If not totalled, I have gone after diminished value claims and have won them all.

Fight them

 

[mcgaskins]

UPDATE ON MY CURRENT SITUATION:

Mud Brothers help me out here!

A State Farm total loss agent called me this morning, and informed me that they are categorizing my vehicle as an "Expedited Total Loss." After going thru all of the questions w/ the agent, they offered me a payout with everything all said and done at around $26.5k. I explained to the agent that I couldn't accept that offer and I explained my reasons why.
The first being, is that my loan payoff amount is around $32k, the second being, that when the bank appraised the vehicle two years ago before they approved the loan, they appraised the vehicle at $40k.
I also explained to the agent that I had spoken to the bank this morning and made them aware of the current situation.
I informed her that the title department of the bank I have the loan with gave me appraisal numbers of $33.5k on the vehicle this morning.
I mentioned to the agent as well that this vehicle has been meticulously maintained since my ownership. I explained to her that the price numbers for these vehicle's in my area and nationwide are allover the place, and that their are a few Toyota Land Cruisers in my area with around the same mileage as mine, that are selling for $40k...one of them being a 2011
The agent then did some more calculations and came back with another offer of $30,100.00 and told me that, that is as high as she can go payout wise, until they actually see the vehicle in person. She told me to keep in mind that if I wanted to wait until they send an appraiser out see the vehicle in person. That if the appraiser deems the vehicle not to be worth what they are offering me, then they will only offer me what the appraiser says it worth, and that will be there final offer. She also informed me that, since they are expediting this, that my rental coverage is only good for 7 days from this day moving forward.
I know insurance wants to pay me the lowest dollar amount possible for my vehicle. That is why part of me
is saying "don't accept the offer they are giving tou.",but the other part of me just wants to bite the bullet, and accept, but I feel like that is what they are wanting me to do.
At the same time I'm worried and stressed about this whole thing. I have never been in this situation before, and I don't want to wear my welcome out on not being paid out to where it comes back biting me in the rear.
If you guys have any advice you can offer, let me hear it, or feel free to private message me.

How many miles are on the 200? I noticed some rust in one of the collision pics, so the adjuster may or may not notice that as well and consider that in the valuation. Year, miles, and overall condition are going to be the biggest drivers - unfortunately they couldn't care less about maintenance history (though they may ding you if the vehicle history shows any prior accidents). Make sure they include sales tax on top of whatever settlement amount they are offering, and if you have another car to drive, there is no need to rush the settlement. Insurance companies want to settle and close it out as fast as possible, but I played the long game years ago on a total situation because I had multiple cars to drive. From the initial offer to the final settlement, the insurer came up nearly 40%, so it absolutely worth the ~3 months of back and forth with them.

 

[jbyrd78]

$30K seems a bit low. How many miles on this 200? A total loss settlement should be pre-accident vehicle value plus sales tax and fees. Idea being they give you a total sum that allows you to buy an equivalent replacement. So if they are saying the vehicle value is $30K they need to add tax and fees for the settlement check should be around $33K depending on your local tax and fees. Here is a copy of my initial settlement offer based on the stock value)

View attachment 3434426

Ask for details of the valuation. They should be going to a third party like CCC to do the comp valuation. State Farm may just be lowballing you based on KBB or something. Ask to see the comp vehicles they used as reference. Here is the valuation of my 2013 (keep in mind they gave me credit for a lot of mods). They initially valued my LC as a stock rig at $38K. (my own eval said $35K - $39K)

You don't need to rush this so don't let the insurance co pressure you. The threat that the current offer could go down is likely just a tactic. You know the condition of your vehicle in terms of how clean it is. Spend a couple hours compiling your own "comp vehicle" list. Maybe look at 2010 and 2011 MY. You can throw in 2013 but there are differences from 2011 (there is no 2012 MY). You need to have data that backs up your own valuation to present to them. If your math says its worth $35K, show them and argue for it (nicely).

Lastly, keep your cool. There were times during my ordeal that I wanted to jump through the phone and smack someone but I focused on being extremely polite and never getting mad and lashing out. I was empathetic to and never got personal with complaints. In the end, I think this helped them help me. If you are a dick, no one at State Farm will want to help you and you need them to help you.

Thanks for all that you shared and the words of wisdom you provided. My 2011 has 163,300 miles on it.

Personally, I wouldn’t accept that offer. I would expect the premiums you pay are based an a value greater than $30k, certainly more than $25k.

Someone else mentioned something similar to this earlier today. They said you pay these premiums to be protected and walk away whole from incidents like this.

While reading your update I can’t help but get mad for you… ugh!

Is the State Farm agent yours or the fast and furious driver guys?

The short time frame they are giving you is definitely a tactic to get you to accept and move on.

The idea of even pretending to indemnify has been completely lost on insurance companies these days, I say this as a prior 10 year commercial property and causality agent… so glad I’m done with that stage of my life.

State Farm is my Insurance company. I spoke to the individual's Insurance company yesterday who caused the crash. After they took my statement and I informed them while being recorded, that their client pretty much admitted to me, that he caused this accident. They advised me to file the claim with my Insurance company, and let my Insurance company contact them. They told me that their client doesn't have enough coverage to cover repairs and damages for all the vehicles involved in the crash, and of all the vehicles, they were worried more about mine because of how expensive of a vehicle it is.

You will be suing the party that caused all of this correct?

Funny that you mentioned that b/c I was thinking about that earlier and if I could sue them after I settle. I guess that's another question I can ask claims tomorrow.

Having dealt with insurance company for many years from the inside and out, this is the best advise.

I wouldn't take the offer. Let the inspector come out. If he lowballs you, so what. I would stick to my guns on it.

Adjuster wants to close the case as cheaply as possible, and move on.

Then again I am a dog with a bone and will make their life a living hell, till they pay me the real valuation. I am not rolling over.

If not totalled, I have gone after diminished value claims and have won them all.

Fight them

Sounds good! Thank you for your advice.

How many miles are on the 200? I noticed some rust in one of the collision pics, so the adjuster may or may not notice that as well and consider that in the valuation. Year, miles, and overall condition are going to be the biggest drivers - unfortunately they couldn't care less about maintenance history (though they may ding you if the vehicle history shows any prior accidents). Make sure they include sales tax on top of whatever settlement amount they are offering, and if you have another car to drive, there is no need to rush the settlement. Insurance companies want to settle and close it out as fast as possible, but I played the long game years ago on a total situation because I had multiple cars to drive. From the initial offer to the final settlement, the insurer came up nearly 40%, so it absolutely worth the ~3 months of back and forth with them.

Thanks for all that advice, it's much appreciated!
My 200 has 163,300 miles on it with no prior accidents. Yeah so that area where the rust is in the picture, was just bubbled paint that I kept mariner grease applied to all year round to keep it from getting worse. As you can see, when she took a hit there and knocked the bubbled up paint off of it to reveal what we now see. I have been meaning to getting around to repainting that area, but I guess now I can cancel that now lol.
I do have another vehicle, it's a 2004 LX470 w/233,000 miles on the ODO. I have already decided that I'll be driving that until we can get this whole situation resolved. Surprisingly, I just finished up some repair work on the Lux last Friday, so when my rental is up I'll switch over to that. Only thing that sucks, is that, I'm a traveling surgical tech, and my current commute is a 2hr round trip. Hopefully ole Lexi doesn't let me down in this time of need

 

[Sandroad]

What a bummer that accidents always seem to turn into battles with the insurance company. It's really insult to injury (either literally or figuratively). It's like negotiating with sales at a dealer, only worse because insurance isn't the one whose been hurt (again either literally or figuratively).

 

[kcjaz]

Is the State Farm agent yours or the fast and furious driver guys?

This is a good question. If not yours, get your agent involved. Especially if your insurance isn’t State Farm. I’d expect the at fault party’s adjuster to be all about low balling the offer.

 

[jbyrd78]

I also wanted to take a minute and give a shout out to Eric Sarjeant up at Ed Martin Toyota in Noblesville, IN. After going up there, and explaining my situation to him in person. He dropped what he was doing, no questions asked, and took the time out of his day and printed me out some comps to turn into my insurance claims to hopefully help me out a little better with this whole situation

 

[ryanCA]

I also wanted to take a minute and give a shout out to Eric Sarjeant up at Ed Martin Toyota in Noblesville, IN. After going up there, and explaining my situation to him in person. He dropped what he was doing, no questions asked, and took the time out of his day and printed me out some comps to turn into my insurance claims to hopefully help me out with this whole situation

I have been a part of the “Land Cruiser” family for 35+ years

LC family (worldwide) rocks

 

[jbyrd78]

This is a good question. If not yours, get your agent involved. Especially if your insurance isn’t State Farm. I’d expect the at fault party’s adjuster to be all about low balling the offer.

The State Farm agent is from my insurance company.

 

[jbyrd78]

I have been a part of the “Land Cruiser” family for 35+ years

LC family (worldwide) rocks

I've been told, we are an odd breed of vehicle enthusiasts

 

[mcgaskins]

Thanks for all that you shared and the words of wisdom you provided. My 2011 has 163,300 miles on it.

Someone else mentioned something similar to this earlier today. They said you pay these premiums to be protected and walk away whole from incidents like this.

State Farm is my Insurance company. I spoke to the individual's Insurance company yesterday who caused the crash. After they took my statement and I informed them while being recorded, that their client pretty much admitted to me, that he caused this accident. They advised me to file the claim with my Insurance company, and let my Insurance company contact them. They told me that their client doesn't have enough coverage to cover repairs and damages for all the vehicles involved in the crash, and of all the vehicles, they were worried more about mine because of how expensive of a vehicle it is.

Funny that you mentioned that b/c I was thinking about that earlier and if I could sue them after I settle. I guess that's another question I can ask claims tomorrow.

Sounds good! Thank you for your advice.

Thanks for all that advice, it's much appreciated!
My 200 has 163,300 miles on it with no prior accidents. Yeah so that area where the rust is in the picture, was just bubbled paint that I kept mariner grease applied to all year round to keep it from getting worse. As you can see, when she took a hit there and knocked the bubbled up paint off of it to reveal what we now see. I have been meaning to getting around to repainting that area, but I guess now I can cancel that now lol.
I do have another vehicle, it's a 2004 LX470 w/233,000 miles on the ODO. I have already decided that I'll be driving that until we can get this whole situation resolved. Surprisingly, I just finished up some repair work on the Lux last Friday, so when my rental is up I'll switch over to that. Only thing that sucks, is that, I'm a traveling surgical tech, and my current commute is a 2hr round trip. Hopefully ole Lexi doesn't let me down in this time of need

There are only three 2011 Land Cruisers with no accidents in the country right now on Autotrader which are below. Based off these comps, $30k seems a bit low, and your payoff plus taxes seems like a reasonable settlement. If I was in your shoes and was fine with just getting pay off, I'd probably send them the listings for the $39.9k and the $33.9k vehicles and say you just want to be made whole and these are the only comps, though the black one is less desirable than what you're giving up which is why it's marked as a great price and has seen price reductions. The key words are "if you can do $xx,xxx + tax, I will settle today and we can close this out". When you're very specific and show reasonable comps, it shows them they can be done with it and not waste any more time or money on the case. It's expensive to keep the file open, so make it easy and clear and hopefully you get a reasonable person on the other end.

 

[jbyrd78]

There are only three 2011 Land Cruisers with no accidents in the country right now on Autotrader which are below. Based off these comps, $30k seems a bit low, and your payoff plus taxes seems like a reasonable settlement. If I was in your shoes and was fine with just getting pay off, I'd probably send them the listings for the $39.9k and the $33.9k vehicles and say you just want to be made whole and these are the only comps, though the black one is less desirable than what you're giving up which is why it's marked as a great price and has seen price reductions. The key words are "if you can do $xx,xxx + tax, I will settle today and we can close this out". When you're very specific and show reasonable comps (which is more important than prior sales data IMO because you can't purchase something that's already sold), it shows them they can be done with it and not waste any more time or money on the case. It's expensive to keep the file open, so make it easy and clear and hopefully you get a reasonable person on the other end.

View attachment 3435013

Here is the comp sheet that was provided to me today, that I emailed over to the claims agent. When I called and check to see if they had recieved it, they informed me that they had submitted this to CCC and it could be two to three days before I hear. Once again, thank you for your advice and on how to word it. So far, all communication has been over the phone. I am thinking about sending them an email and wording it how you mentioned and seeing if I have better luck that way.

 

[onemanarmy]

Those are asking prices.....will probbaly sell for less

regardless, you should be after the guilty party to make things right.....due to negligence they took time and money from you.....added stress and potential health concerns.

seems like $100k is due......or something like that.

Time is worth what to you?
Your family's safety that they carelessly put at risk is worth what?

your insurance company only has 1 thing in mind....low ball you.