Damaged my Viper... What should I do?

[95_RT10]

I live in Cincinnati and was driving my Viper home to put it away for winter storage on my dad's farm in late October. With 5 miles to go before I got to the farm, I took an "S" turn in too low of a gear and spun the car out. It was late and raining and my tires weren't in the best of shape As I was spinning out I wasn't too concerned because I was between two cornfields. As luck so has it, I hit a telephone pole that seemed to come out of nowhere...

Upon impact, the hood popped open and I heard the headlamp bust. I got out, looked at the damage, pinched myself, then finished driving to the farm. I was pretty heated because it was something stupid

To make a long story short, I pleaded with the insurance to not total the Viper. I asked on more than 10 occasions to not total the car. The estimate to fix from my local body shop was just under $19k ($15k of this was for the hood!). The insurance somehow didn't listen to me and issued my car a total loss due to the cost of the damage.

It wasn't until last week I finally settled with the insurance company. I bought my car back but the insurance required I send a salvage title. Sooo... I'd like to know what to do with my Viper. I can get a used hood from Rick (Viper Member) and put used parts on the car... this appears to bring the estimate down to $11k to fix the car BUT it now has a salvage history.

Does anyone have some good guesses at an approximate selling price for this car now? I'm thinking I can take the money off this and put it towards the same exact car or maybe getting the B/W GTS I've been wanting. Thoughts?

[MarkRx]

Did the insurance tell you what they would have paid out had the vehicle been accepted as a total loss?

[dave6666]

Document everything. Paperwork, photos, parts receipts, the repairs in photos, EVERYTHING to the nth degree.

Put it in to a presentable portfolio. That will keep your loss to a bare minimum come sale time.

Yeah, you'll take a hit, but not near as much as if it only comes with a big mystery. Honesty pays big!

Oh yeah... You dumbsh1t!!!

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by MarkRx

Did the insurance tell you what they would have paid out had the vehicle been accepted as a total loss?

It was deemed a total loss... thus my situation... this is why it took til just last week to get it settled. They were only originally offering $27k?!?!

[V10SpeedLuvr]

A salvage title Gen 1? Prices for clean title Vipers is in the toilet. I dont even want to think what you'd have to sale the car for Without knowing the mileage, I'd think somewhere around $20-22k is all you can expect to get for it. Lucky for you its yellow and not red like most Gen 1's, so that may help resale a little

[MarkRx]

Originally Posted by 95_RT10

It was deemed a total loss... thus my situation... this is why it took til just last week to get it settled. They were only originally offering $27k?!?!

I guess we misunderstood each other. I meant had YOU accepted it what they would have paid out. I get the fact they wanted to total it, just curious on numbers.

Good luck with it, wreaking these things hurts really bad.

Been there, done that.

[V10SpeedLuvr]

At this point, you may be better off parting it out yourself or seeing if one of the vendors (Jon B, X2, etc) would buy it from you and not worry about getting it fixed.

[JonB - PartsRack]

ALL VIPER OWNERS PLEASE NOTE HOW MANY OF THESE STORIES BEGIN WITH: "my tires weren't in the best of shape "

Here is the problem: You wrecked in OCTOBER and you ask for help now!!

I am 100% confident we could have crafted a perfect solution in October. Or November. But your deal is niow signed and sealed UNLESS YOU DID NOT CASH THE CHECK !!! ???

Now, we can provide parts for your rebuild. Fix the car and drive it. Enjoy it as before. Looks like an easy-fix. Or, we can provide you a NICE, clean-title, 2-top, never wrecked Yellow 1994 for $32k, and take the wreck in part trade...

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by JonB - PartsRack

ALL VIPER OWNERS PLEASE NOTE HOW MANY OF THESE STORIES BEGIN WITH: "my tires weren't in the best of shape "

Here is the problem: You wrecked in OCTOBER and you ask for help now!!

I am 100% confident we could have crafted a perfect solution in October. Or November. But your deal is niow signed and sealed UNLESS YOU DID NOT CASH THE CHECK !!! ???

Now, we can provide parts for your rebuild. Fix the car and drive it. Enjoy it as before. Looks like an easy-fix. Or, we can provide you a NICE, clean-title, 2-top, never wrecked Yellow 1994 for $32k, and take the wreck in part trade...

JonB... I got in contact with you back when the problem evolved ... We exchanged emails & phone calls and I faxed you the damage estimate as requested. I completely understand you're very busy but you never got back in contact with me.

No harm done, though. I did get what I wanted out of the Viper and things got settled as needed. It just took quite some time because I had to argue with the insurance company.

I am interested in the clean-title '94 and part trade, also interested in a 96-97 B/W GTS. Do you prefer email or phone call?

[Shandon]

Man Im sorry to see that happened to you!

[mbccenter]

Sent you a PM

[FrankBarba]

You could have kept the car from being salvaged if you did not report it. You could have purchased the parts a few at a time.

So did you put the viper in first gear & run thru the s or did you don shift to 2nd thinking this would be fun????

[RTTTTed]

Like previously stated, keep all pics and damage repairs to minimize the lessening of the "salvage title" value.

My car was completely destroyed in front of the windshield and in Canada the HOOD is worth $28,000! They write off cars for less than the value of replacing the hood. GTSbud (VCA member) had a Gen 2 hood for sale for about $5,000, I think. Headlight from ebay for about $300?

You could buy a Roe supercharger with the money left over.

Ted

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by FrankBarba

You could have kept the car from being salvaged if you did not report it. You could have purchased the parts a few at a time.

So did you put the viper in first gear & run thru the s or did you don shift to 2nd thinking this would be fun????

Down-shifted to 2nd ... it was wet

[JonB - PartsRack]

Originally Posted by 95_RT10

JonB... I got in contact with you back when the problem evolved ... We exchanged emails & phone calls and I faxed you the damage estimate as requested. I completely understand you're very busy but you never got back in contact with me................. I am interested in the clean-title '94 and part trade, also interested in a 96-97 B/W GTS. Do you prefer email or phone call?

Hmmm.... We make a living by replying. I dont miss many, and IF I had a fax It would be in a rebuilder file. Dont see it! I love insurance 'issues' so we did not discuss that for certain.

Your profile shows your DOB but does not list your NAME so I cannot call you. Call me?

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by JonB - PartsRack

Hmmm.... We make a living by replying. I dont miss many, and IF I had a fax It would be in a rebuilder file. Dont see it! I love insurance 'issues' so we did not discuss that for certain.

Your profile shows your DOB but does not list your NAME so I cannot call you. Call me?

Not to be a smarta$$ JonB, but if you check your email outbox, you replied to my inquiry on Nov 30th 4:04pm est. You asked me to call you and fax the parts estimate. I faxed to 360.837.3974 with the subject "Parts Estimate '95 Viper," it was a four-page fax. I got the impression that you didn't want to deal with me because I never bought from you and/or I didn't post much to the VCA community. Completely understandable...

As I've said before, though, I'm not concerned because I was able to fight the insurance and got what I wanted. It just took a little while.

...
As an update, I'm very appreciative of the over-whelming response from the Viper community on this issue. I've gotten many PM's and people stressing their concerns and giving their opinons on what to do. Thanks!

[InjectTheVenom]

Originally Posted by 95_RT10

As I've said before, though, I'm not concerned because I was able to fight the insurance and got what I wanted. It just took a little while.

Does that mean you were able to "undo" the salvage title? Or did things work out differently?

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by InjectTheVenom

Does that mean you were able to "undo" the salvage title? Or did things work out differently?

It worked out as good as it could have regarding the circumstance... Meaning, yes, it does have a salvage, but I argued the value of the car and got it. What's so funny is the only reason I argued the value of the car is because I wanted to show it should be fixed and not totaled (70% of ACV)... they (insurance company) just ignored me and ended up paying out alot more than they should have because of their ignorance.

In the end, it was my stupidity that got me here. New tires should have been on the car, I shouldn't have been driving while it was raining (well, that's up for debate), I shouldn't have gotten anci on the back roads... yadda yadda yadda

[jpa99acr]

now what? you have your damaged car, with damaged title and money I assume?

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by jpa99acr

now what? you have your damaged car, with damaged title and money I assume?

Yea... didn't get much money because I bought the car back. I'm working on a part trade right now for a '97 B/W GTS. Will post pics if the deal goes through as planned...

[95_RT10]

I'm happy to say I now own a 1997 B/W GTS! If it were not for the Viper Club, things wouldn't have turned out as good as they did. I received many PM's with offers and part trades. Many Viper owners were offering parts at a great price to help me repair the car. In the end, MBCCENTER and I traded and I paid the difference. He is a stand-up guy and I feel sorry for what he had to go through when initially trying to sell is '97 B/W. I've now driven the GTS more than a handful of times. It is CRAZY the power & handling difference the GTS has over the RT/10!!! I couldn't be more happy the way things turned out. I'm looking forward to seeing the Yellow RT fixed up again .

Well, THANKS Viper Club!

[jpa99acr]

well I am very glad it worked out for you. Nice choice and you upgraded for sure. Looks like you got some Belanger headers as well... how many miles?

[jpa99acr]

dang how did you get that thing home with that trailor??

[95_RT10]

Originally Posted by jpa99acr

dang how did you get that thing home with that trailor??

Car has 28,000 miles on it...

The trip was crazy from Minnesota to Cincinnati... remember that Packers game and the snow storm... I drove through that

Before I got home I stopped at a carwash and cleaned her up!

[RoadiJeff]

CRAZY the power & handling difference the GTS has over the RT/10!!!

I'd say going from a 400 hp Gen I to a 450 hp Gen II had more to do with it than anything else.

[Got_Vnum]

Looks like your '96 has the newer front bumper ('98 and up) that didnt have covers for the fog lights. Past accident maybe? Looks good though. Try to keep this one out of the cornfields

You'll have to change your username now too.

[Shandon]

Congratulations!!! I love that color combo! We need to cruze the 275 Loop some time if it ever warms up around here!

If you want to dyno it some time there is a shop over here in NKY that I would highly recommend, They are working on mine right now.

[RTTTTed]

Originally Posted by RoadiJeff

CRAZY the power & handling difference the GTS has over the RT/10!!!

I'd say going from a 400 hp Gen I to a 450 hp Gen II had more to do with it than anything else.

Since the GTS shows headers (at least) there's probably more than 450 'rated' hp. And if his Gen 1 had Gen 1 tires on it that would easily explain a huge handling difference. However, the Gen 2's had a much better suspension (not using Dakota parts), 18" wheels and the GTS is stiffer than the 'vert should also show a significant difference.

Ted

[RacerSRT]

Originally Posted by 95_RT10

I live in Cincinnati and was driving my Viper home to put it away for winter storage on my dad's farm in late October. With 5 miles to go before I got to the farm, I took an "S" turn in too low of a gear and spun the car out. It was late and raining and my tires weren't in the best of shape As I was spinning out I wasn't too concerned because I was between two cornfields. As luck so has it, I hit a telephone pole that seemed to come out of nowhere...

Upon impact, the hood popped open and I heard the headlamp bust. I got out, looked at the damage, pinched myself, then finished driving to the farm. I was pretty heated because it was something stupid

To make a long story short, I pleaded with the insurance to not total the Viper. I asked on more than 10 occasions to not total the car. The estimate to fix from my local body shop was just under $19k ($15k of this was for the hood!). The insurance somehow didn't listen to me and issued my car a total loss due to the cost of the damage.

It wasn't until last week I finally settled with the insurance company. I bought my car back but the insurance required I send a salvage title. Sooo... I'd like to know what to do with my Viper. I can get a used hood from Rick (Viper Member) and put used parts on the car... this appears to bring the estimate down to $11k to fix the car BUT it now has a salvage history.

Does anyone have some good guesses at an approximate selling price for this car now? I'm thinking I can take the money off this and put it towards the same exact car or maybe getting the B/W GTS I've been wanting. Thoughts?

Dude that sucks. My father use ot own that same year, color, and with tan interior. Thats a very rare combo! Did you buy it in Illinois?

[mbccenter]

Glad you like the car. I hope you enjoy it as much as my wife and I did. I will be posting pics of the RT soon as I get it finished.