Whata Crappy Day **Wrecked My Truck** PICS

[old Rusty C10]

the law is that the insurance company does not have a "right to salvage" any vehicle they do not directly insure.... in other words they cannot take your vehicle as part of the settlement.
the law states that you can have the vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice, it just has to be a licensed auto body repair shop.
YOU need to go get a couple of estimates at a couple of local guys.
In that estimate you need to include color matching paint blending replacement of the rocker, replacement of the running board and hardware, allignment of body panels, matching the reflective stickers, pinstripe and lettering ( painted yours is painted and not cheap stickers) wheel allignment, replacement of the fender and both doors and repair to the rear quarter replacement of the wheel trim ring, a rental car for at least three or four days while your truck is being repaired etc etc
At that point you tell the other insurance company you want your truck fixed for the higher of the estimates and if they tell you no say ok no problem and sue the owner of the car that hit you. You DO have the right as the owner of the vehicle to have it repaired to the same condition as it was prior to the guy hitting you. This means used parts as your truck is far from new. You can give the estimates with new and used parts if you want..
Think of it like selling your vehicle you list it for $5000 and someone offers you 2500 do you say ok or do you dicker back and forth??
the insurance company can try to slow you down and lowball you but thats why we have courts. You do , however need to present a reasonable and viable case to the court. This means if you do sue the owner of the other car you not only need estimates but you need proof of what your truck is worth. Get copies of like trucks in Hemmings craigslist and ebay as well as local listings. Argue that your truck is a classic and being its an old firetruck you wanted to restore it to that grandeur for use in parades and as a classic vehicle in car shows.This establishes the value of your vehicle as a classic as opposed to some piece of crap the city threw away after they were done abusing it and its no longer a $300 truck. You also need to show proof of all mods and repairs done to the vehicle to show its worth more than the average city throw away.
All of this has been said now,,,, do your homework and what you have to do or forget it all and accept the paltry $1290 the insurance is offering. Youve been told several times here what to do and how to do it..I know if that was my truck id be walking away with about $2500 or more.
You can also bear in mind that every day i serve legal process , have worked for insurance companies as an adjuster/investigator( where i tried to lowball people like this insurance is doing to you), work for lawyers doing accident investigations(trying to maximize payouts like im doing for you) ,and have had several accidents where i was hit not at fault and have always maximized my payoff.. I know what im talking about...
PS i just gave you the advice a lawyer would give his client hes getting paid to represent... you just saved yourself a minimum of $350 on legal advice