Car likely totaled

[golfcart]

Hate to write this post but my 2018 silver metallic unicorn model 3 performance with FSD, homelink, lifetime premium connectivity, tint, PPF, and a dash skin is likely totaled.

Was yielding to make a left turn when a car blew through a stop sign (probably going 50 in a 25 zone in my neighborhood). That car tboned the car I was yielding to and sent it rolling into my Tesla. Air bags deployed, front end is trashed, likely a total loss.

No idea what insurance is gonna pay me but I won’t be able to replace it for that price and it’s unlikely I can find another silver performance with the stuff I had.

The icing on the cake is that the kid who blew the stop sign is (according to the cops) an illegal with no license, insurance, or verifiable income… so me and my insurance will be footing the bill for this.

Good news is that aside from some burn marks on my arm from the airbags and a slightly sore neck I’m ok. The lady in the tboned car went to the hospital but I’m hoping she’s ok too as she did walk away.

 

[Carolina Karl]

Very sorry to hear this. Be sure to check your policy for uninsured motorist property damage coverage in light of the likely uninsured nature of the at-fault party.

Depending upon the law in your state, also look at going outside of the traditional claims adjusting resources, such as KBB, to get your actual vehicle value. In these times of extremely high demand for used cars, it may be worth paying a couple of hundred dollars to get a valuation from an expert in the field who could qualify if you need to go to arbitration or litigation.

Also, it may be worth contacting a lawyer in your area who is well-versed in bad faith denial of insurance claims if the insurer is unreasonable in adjusting your claim.

Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[golfcart]

Very sorry to hear this. Be sure to check your policy for uninsured motorist property damage coverage in light of the likely uninsured nature of the at-fault party.

Depending upon the law in your state, also look at going outside of the traditional claims adjusting resources, such as KBB, to get your actual vehicle value. In these times of extremely high demand for used cars, it may be worth paying a couple of hundred dollars to get a valuation from an expert in the field who could qualify if you need to go to arbitration or litigation.

Also, it may be worth contacting a lawyer in your area who is well-versed in bad faith denial of insurance claims if the insurer is unreasonable in adjusting your claim.

Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.

I appreciate the advice. We’ll see how it goes with USAA then go from there.

 

[M3Posh]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, glad to hear injuries were not worse. Def keep us posted of USAA’s response, they too insure my M3P. Good luck

 

[Westsail]

Glad to hear you’re ok! Sorry about the car. A guy up the street from me is trying to sell a similar one: Tesla Model 3 (P3) Performance Package - cars & trucks - by owner -...

 

[Carolina Karl]

FWIW, in my neck of the woods, USAA has one of the best track records for adjusting claims. Or, put another way, it's not one of the worst.

 

[Aellinsar]

Sorry to hear about you accident. I was hit by an uninsured motorist years ago - it sucks that you eat the deductible on your own insurance, but my company (Allstate at the time) at least did a good job processing the claim.

 

[3Volts2aTes]

Will be interested to see how USAA treats you on this one. Hopefully you let us all know. Glad you are OK....and hate that it happened!

 

[golfcart]

Any thoughts on whether or not it'll be a total loss (see attached photo)? It seems like some of y'all work in the industry and might have some insight.

I am really unsure what to do if it is a loss. If they give me a good settlement I could get another one but used ones cost a fortune and new ones are $63,000 now which is ridiculous.

Plus my city charges personal property tax on vehicles annually.

Current Tax Rate: $4.00 per $100.00

Tax Relief on first $20,000.00: 50.80%

That makes annual taxes on a $63,000 car an additional $2100 a year on top of the cost of the vehicle itself which makes the Model 3 really expensive to own in my city.

Part of me just wants to get an old 5-speed civic and call it a day. I only drive about 6k miles a year anyways. When I had a 60 mile round trip commute it made more sense but now that my job is remote it is hard to justify the expense of the Model 3.

 

[golfcart]

Sorry to hear about you accident. I was hit by an uninsured motorist years ago - it sucks that you eat the deductible on your own insurance, but my company (Allstate at the time) at least did a good job processing the claim.

I have uninsured motorist property damage coverage so I am hoping that will cover the deductible because I am obviously not getting anything from the at fault party. I'll be shocked if he shows up to court, I am still amazed he didn't get hauled away in handcuffs.

 

[Need]

Insurance may not be that bad. My brother just total his 2018 or 2019 Prius Prime. Insurance paid him $2000 less the price he paid to buy it back then. Plus he got like close to $10K in Fed tax credit + CA tax rebate at the time. So pretty much he was paid $8k to drive the car for 3 to 4 years.

 

[Cozy41EF]

Press charges, and file a civil suit against the guy.He may not have anything today, but if her ever does there's a hope.

 

[Paddy3101]

...

Was yielding to make a left turn when a car blew through a stop sign (probably going 50 in a 25 zone in my neighborhood). That car tboned the car I was yielding to and sent it rolling into my Tesla. Air bags deployed, front end is trashed, likely a total loss.

...

The icing on the cake is that the kid who blew the stop sign is (according to the cops) an illegal with no license, insurance, or verifiable income… so me and my insurance will be footing the bill for this.

Sorry to hear about the accident.

But shouldn't your claim be against the car that hit you (the car that you were yielding to and got t-boned), rather than the car that ultimately caused the accident. Then it's down to that car's insurance to claim all of it from the un-insured kid?

It may not be their fault, but their insurance is probably liable since their car hit yours, rather than the un-insured kid?

 

[Hiline]

Many things can happen. Your car may get repaired, or the insurance may pay you the price of an equivalent car on the market with deductible covered by uninsured motorist provision. I know it's overwhelming right now, but I would not try to plan too far ahead. You just need to prepare for contingencies. Get a traffic lawyer now who can help you navigate the process and step in to deal with insurance when necessary - it's worth it for the value of the property involved.

 

[golfcart]

Sorry to hear about the accident.

But shouldn't your claim be against the car that hit you (the car that you were yielding to and got t-boned), rather than the car that ultimately caused the accident. Then it's down to that car's insurance to claim all of it from the un-insured kid?

It may not be their fault, but their insurance is probably liable since their car hit yours, rather than the un-insured kid?

I have no clue how that works in a chain reaction situation but it is a good point, his car actually didn't hit mine. I just need to wait on my insurance and see what they say then I'll go from there. I have collision coverage so I guess I'll be taken care of one way or another.

 

[vegetaban]

Hate to write this post but my 2018 silver metallic unicorn model 3 performance with FSD, homelink, lifetime premium connectivity, tint, PPF, and a dash skin is likely totaled.

Was yielding to make a left turn when a car blew through a stop sign (probably going 50 in a 25 zone in my neighborhood). That car tboned the car I was yielding to and sent it rolling into my Tesla. Air bags deployed, front end is trashed, likely a total loss.

No idea what insurance is gonna pay me but I won’t be able to replace it for that price and it’s unlikely I can find another silver performance with the stuff I had.

The icing on the cake is that the kid who blew the stop sign is (according to the cops) an illegal with no license, insurance, or verifiable income… so me and my insurance will be footing the bill for this.

Good news is that aside from some burn marks on my arm from the airbags and a slightly sore neck I’m ok. The lady in the tboned car went to the hospital but I’m hoping she’s ok too as she did walk away.

So sorry to hear this.

 

[vegetaban]

I have uninsured motorist property damage coverage so I am hoping that will cover the deductible because I am obviously not getting anything from the at fault party. I'll be shocked if he shows up to court, I am still amazed he didn't get hauled away in handcuffs.

Wow, would have at least expected they locked his ass up.

 

[Carolina Karl]

Definitely looks like a total to me.

Rarely will an insurer of a vehicle that is not at fault pay anything. Generally, there should be some semblance of fault before that intervening car's insurer will pay. BUT, states vary, and some have some rather odd nuances in the vehicle liability laws.

As noted by others, with the various rebates and credits you may have initially received, you could turn out okay. Again, it's the fair market value of your vehicle at the time of the loss, less your deductible.

Also, in many states, if your carrier goes against the at-fault driver for what is called subrogation, you can insist that you get back a pro rata share of your deductible. Many people overlook that when negotiating a UM (uninsured motorist) claim.

 

[Need]

Before you accept the money for the total loss (if it is), check out the used Tesla inventory pricing at New & Used Electric Cars | Tesla

Currently there is only 1 2018 M3P available and it is priced at $67500. I don't think insurance will pay that much but at least you could start your bargaining there.

 

[golfcart]

Definitely looks like a total to me.

Rarely will an insurer of a vehicle that is not at fault pay anything. Generally, there should be some semblance of fault before that intervening car's insurer will pay. BUT, states vary, and some have some rather odd nuances in the vehicle liability laws.

As noted by others, with the various rebates and credits you may have initially received, you could turn out okay. Again, it's the fair market value of your vehicle at the time of the loss, less your deductible.

Also, in many states, if your carrier goes against the at-fault driver for what is called subrogation, you can insist that you get back a pro rata share of your deductible. Many people overlook that when negotiating a UM (uninsured motorist) claim.

I have uninsured motorist property damage coverage so I am hoping that'll get my deductible covered. The appraiser contacted me today and asked for the original window sticker and about any mods I had on the car so I figure I will hear from them in the next couple of days. Fair market value is probably actually more than I paid for the car since I got it used in Jan. 2020 before COVID and all this price inflation.

Before you accept the money for the total loss (if it is), check out the used Tesla inventory pricing at New & Used Electric Cars | Tesla

Currently there is only 1 2018 M3P available and it is priced at $67500. I don't think insurance will pay that much but at least you could start your bargaining there.

You are right, KBB has it at around $55k private party sale and I can't find any comps for sale below $60k but I just have to wait and see what they say.