My truck got hit yesterday

[treveiger]

Sorry to hear they are trying to blame it on you. Seems like it happens a lot...

[wahl4m]

the major problem i see here is -what you have it insured for ?? full coverage & or a agreed priceon the truck or have it insured by a speciality insurance company ?? im not a insurance specialist BUT have seen lots of these accidents ! it can get very interesting -before all is said & done ?? good luck

[1SG.Rob]

Originally Posted by wahl4m

the major problem i see here is -what you have it insured for ?? full coverage & or a agreed priceon the truck or have it insured by a speciality insurance company ?? im not a insurance specialist BUT have seen lots of these accidents ! it can get very interesting -before all is said & done ?? good luck

I have full coverage through USAA as a daily driver. They agree that it is not my fault and are on board with going after the other insurance company to pay for it. Things will get very interesting.

[1SG.Rob]

Just wanted to give you all an update. The other driver was uninsured, because of course. So my insurance is processing it, luckily I have uninsured driver coverage. The place they sent me to laughed and said they don't work on vehicles that old. I took it to a highly recommended restoration shop here locally and got quoted about $4000 for the damage. now I'm just waiting to hear back from my insurance company on whether or not they agree.

[SIXTY9]

The USAA insurance is great insurance. They will treat you right. had them over 20+ years.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by 1SG.Rob

Just wanted to give you all an update. The other driver was uninsured, because of course. So my insurance is processing it, luckily I have uninsured driver coverage. The place they sent me to laughed and said they don't work on vehicles that old. I took it to a highly recommended restoration shop here locally and got quoted about $4000 for the damage. now I'm just waiting to hear back from my insurance company on whether or not they agree.

I see your are in Washington state, so don't know the law there, but here in sunny California, driving without insurance and crashing gets one's license revoked, I think for one year. I hope your insurance company covers it, because it is then up to them to collect from the bad driver.

[bill3rail]

Originally Posted by SIXTY9

The USAA insurance is great insurance. They will treat you wright. had them over 20+ years.

I have not been with them for 20 years however I have homeowners and daily driver insurance with them.
Yes, they are great! One claim on the homeowners policy without issue.

I transferred my '70 C10 from USAA directly to the company they were using, American Collectors Insurance Agency. I pay them once a year and it is very cheap.

Bill

[Aberdare]

Originally Posted by 1SG.Rob

Aaaaaaaaand the other driver is claiming it's my fault. People just suck sometimes, I even changed their tire for them so they weren't stranded on the side of the freeway (it was a couple of older ladies that didn't even know if they had a spare in their car). Comically, they are claiming that I hit them while they were stopped in traffic. Oh really? If I hit them while they were at a standstill then please explain how my front bumper got bent FORWARD!! Good thing I took a boat load of pics of the whole situation. I've got USAA and am confident it will work out in my favor. Now getting their rinky dink auto insurance to pay out? That will be the real challenge.

Spf 79 and HO455, thanks for the tips on local body shops!

Innit this typical? Older drivers who have been driving for years without an accident... then when they do have an accident, they claim it must be someone else's fault. Just think of all the roadway carnage they've caused in the past, driving with blinders on.

[70 shorty]

Well, I for one am SHOCKED than an uninsured driver would claim it was your fault! Sorry this happened, and hoping for the best possible result for you.

[Aberdare]

Originally Posted by 1SG.Rob

The place they sent me to laughed and said they don't work on vehicles that old.

Seems to me that they don't have anyone on their staff who has the experience to properly repair your truck... so it is their loss that they turned away your business. Just be sure to pass it along to your insurance company and they won't be sending THEM any business in the future.

[Rich69shortfleet]

Originally Posted by 1SG.Rob

The place they sent me to laughed and said they don't work on vehicles that old.

Originally Posted by Aberdare

Seems to me that they don't have anyone on their staff who has the experience to properly repair your truck... so it is their loss that they turned away your business. Just be sure to pass it along to your insurance company and they won't be sending THEM any business in the future.

You wouldn't want to have that shop work on it anyway since they probably only know how to replace parts and are not good at actual bodywork.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by factorystock

I would probably take the insurance money for the whole repair and only replace the bumper and molding myself.

Update to this comment : Not probably any more, I would take the insurance money for the whole repair and replace the bumper and molding myself. I would accept the minor dings on fender as a battle scare from other peoples carelessness in society. However watch out at 4K in repairs, sounds like this repair shop wants to get your title salvaged. Your insurance company will come out at look for itself if it is a 4k repair.

[kiwikid]

Originally Posted by stsalvage

calif has so many rules and you have to pay throw the nose.its so expensive here as it is.if i had a 1969-70 and driving in calif i run a rail road tie the smaller one.one guy in riverside has a hitch in the front of his truck with a push long bar on it.its saved his truck 3 times from kids or people blowing stop lights or stop signs.

He told me he waited 30 sec and the guy behind him honked his horn he went some kid in a rice burner runs the red light he clipped the side of his car put a jagged rip down the side of the car be he kept on going.

Its so bad here in calif no one wants to stop and there just looking to kill you or your family

agreed i live in so ca i see it everyday sucks

[1SG.Rob]

Uh oh, USAA might want to try to total it. They just told me they are doing extended market research to find the value of the vehicle.

[clay68c10]

If they total it, just buy it back.

[Steeveedee]

If they total it, you have salvage rights- they can not take it away from you. Don't let them try that. I also frankly think that the truck is worth more than the estimate ($4k)? When my son's car was totaled ('70 Dart) we bought the salvage for about $68. For a dented fender, wheel cover and some scratched paint. Some knuckle head sideswiped him, trying to get to an on ramp that he had missed.

[WannaBe68]

USAA rocks! And good luck...

Try Mar K for the side trim -
www.mar-k.com

[96blazr]

Originally Posted by 1SG.Rob

I've got USAA and am confident it will work out in my favor.

USAA is the REAL DEAL.

[smith]

1SG Rob- What ended up happening with this? I just posted a ? about insurance for an instance just like what happened to you. What did USAA end up doing? That's who I've got my insurance through also but I haven't had a wreck in my 71 Jimmy yet and hope I don't ever but you never know.

[rustytruck50]

Sorry to see that happen to such a nice truck! Glad everyone is ok and that you were protected by some good old American iron! Hope the insurance company gets it back to it's old self again quickly

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by 1SG.Rob

They just told me they are doing extended market research to find the value of the vehicle.

Here we go again, that VALUE question. Asking price vs. selling price of the same model, same feature, same body and same mechanical condition. So how much will it cost you to negotiate a deal for another basically indentical replacement? How long will it take to find this replacement? Add in inspection and transportation costs to vehicle cost if not found locally anymore. Time to do your own market research!

[mrtoni]

I had to hire an independent appraiser. 300 bucks. Insurance will not accept auction prices even eBay fight fight fight

[old51sedan]

That's a crying shame, these ins. companies are so quick to take our money and so slow to give any of it back. This is why people need to insure these vehicles with companies such as Hagerty, Grundy, or other companies that deal in antique vehicles.

[HO455]

None of those companies (to my knowledge) will cover my truck as a daily driver. That is the problem with them.

[jocko]

Originally Posted by HO455

None of those companies (to my knowledge) will cover my truck as a daily driver. That is the problem with them.

That is my experience also. The two options nowadays seem to be either full coverage with limited mileage -or- just basic liability. Very frustrating - because these old truck last forever, and we like them, and some prefer to have them as a daily driver WITH full coverage - because generally speaking, we have more $ sunk into a dd truck than the blue book value would indicate. Having said that, Grundy was fairly easy to work - and my preference for coverage is an agreed value policy. But they are limited mileage as mentioned. Quite the dilemma.

Very interested to hear what USAA comes back with on their research - but it isn't rocket science. In the end, they have to choose to stand by a customer or choose in favor of the bottom line. Most choose the bottom line. Having said that, my experience is that they are a good company, I've been with them for about 30 years, but my allegiance hasn't been put to the test as in this case. My very few claims haven't been older than a 2001 truck. Watching closely... Good luck.