Finkikus
Ready to race!
Hey everyone,
Looking for some decent advice from my fellow GTI drivers. Really need good opinions, and not uneducated, immature responses so please leave your "sever the kids head and lynch him" comments out of this.
My girlfriend and I bought a fully loaded Nissan Altima 3.5 SL two weeks or so ago on December 15th. Since then she has put less than a thousand miles on her brand new car. She is a recent graduate with a criminal justice degree and works in an accredited law firm in downtown Charlotte (congrats to her).
New years day she was hit by a 19 year old college student in his 4 runner with his badass super swampers and what not that would not grip in the rain while she was on the way to come visit me at work. Basically he fish tailed and over-corrected and T-boned her car in the outer turning lane and really screwed her car up (I am guessing 5 grand in damages but it is not anywhere near totaled).
We are currently waiting for the Travelers agent to come up with an amount as far as damages but I know the car will not be totaled. Travelers (the kids insurance agency) has admitted complete fault of the accident. He was put down as the driver at fault by the police officer and all, not worried about that.
The car is at a body shop and the agent said in plain words that "Travelers does not typically do diminished value claims" to me in person when we went to take some stuff out of the car like per parking pass for work and what not. I do not believe this as we have looked up a lot of laws regarding this subject in NC.
We are truly not trying to screw over anyone, but the fact is, my girlfriend had a nice car before, then someone rear-ended her on a highway and totaled her old car, insurance screwed her over then and did not cover the full amount of the car, and she was forced to buy a crappier car she hated and drove it for 5 years until now, when all her hard school work (school+40 hours at work+20 hour internship) has paid off, and she can comfortably afford another (badass car to her) that she can get.
We JUST traded in her old POS which had a diminished value due to another accident (not her fault) and it took a solid couple grand off the value of the car due to (not original paintwork and parts on the car). I am worried that this will obviously happen when we go to get rid of this car and want to completely be compensated considering we just spent (if you go by MSRP) 32 thousand dollars on her new vehicle. I do not know if she will want to keep the car for the complete time of the loan amount as it is now tainted, and no longer a new car to her (know what I mean?), she might want something new within the next year after I graduate and get a job.
I feel terrible for her, and focused on the fact that this is a new car, it has less than a thousand miles on it, someone hit her, and she will no longer have that satisfaction of getting in her brand new car and feeling happiness versus anything else regarding the fact that it is now damaged goods. It is no longer new to her, it kind of ruins this whole experience for her..know what I mean?
We have looked up cases in NC and there are not any instances of an insurance company buying a car and giving someone a new one unless it is totaled, but the less than a thousand miles and it not being her fault at all freaking kills man. There are no precedents set as far as an insurance issuing a new car to someone who bought a new car. Should we take this case to court? like a higher up court and try and get something done about this? Or am I crazy and should just go for more money as far as diminished value...
Just really inexperienced in all of this. I would like some realistic advice as to what will happen in the end.
Thanks for reading, If you can provide some educated advice I would love to hear it.
Fink
Looking for some decent advice from my fellow GTI drivers. Really need good opinions, and not uneducated, immature responses so please leave your "sever the kids head and lynch him" comments out of this.
My girlfriend and I bought a fully loaded Nissan Altima 3.5 SL two weeks or so ago on December 15th. Since then she has put less than a thousand miles on her brand new car. She is a recent graduate with a criminal justice degree and works in an accredited law firm in downtown Charlotte (congrats to her).
New years day she was hit by a 19 year old college student in his 4 runner with his badass super swampers and what not that would not grip in the rain while she was on the way to come visit me at work. Basically he fish tailed and over-corrected and T-boned her car in the outer turning lane and really screwed her car up (I am guessing 5 grand in damages but it is not anywhere near totaled).
We are currently waiting for the Travelers agent to come up with an amount as far as damages but I know the car will not be totaled. Travelers (the kids insurance agency) has admitted complete fault of the accident. He was put down as the driver at fault by the police officer and all, not worried about that.
The car is at a body shop and the agent said in plain words that "Travelers does not typically do diminished value claims" to me in person when we went to take some stuff out of the car like per parking pass for work and what not. I do not believe this as we have looked up a lot of laws regarding this subject in NC.
We are truly not trying to screw over anyone, but the fact is, my girlfriend had a nice car before, then someone rear-ended her on a highway and totaled her old car, insurance screwed her over then and did not cover the full amount of the car, and she was forced to buy a crappier car she hated and drove it for 5 years until now, when all her hard school work (school+40 hours at work+20 hour internship) has paid off, and she can comfortably afford another (badass car to her) that she can get.
We JUST traded in her old POS which had a diminished value due to another accident (not her fault) and it took a solid couple grand off the value of the car due to (not original paintwork and parts on the car). I am worried that this will obviously happen when we go to get rid of this car and want to completely be compensated considering we just spent (if you go by MSRP) 32 thousand dollars on her new vehicle. I do not know if she will want to keep the car for the complete time of the loan amount as it is now tainted, and no longer a new car to her (know what I mean?), she might want something new within the next year after I graduate and get a job.
I feel terrible for her, and focused on the fact that this is a new car, it has less than a thousand miles on it, someone hit her, and she will no longer have that satisfaction of getting in her brand new car and feeling happiness versus anything else regarding the fact that it is now damaged goods. It is no longer new to her, it kind of ruins this whole experience for her..know what I mean?
We have looked up cases in NC and there are not any instances of an insurance company buying a car and giving someone a new one unless it is totaled, but the less than a thousand miles and it not being her fault at all freaking kills man. There are no precedents set as far as an insurance issuing a new car to someone who bought a new car. Should we take this case to court? like a higher up court and try and get something done about this? Or am I crazy and should just go for more money as far as diminished value...
Just really inexperienced in all of this. I would like some realistic advice as to what will happen in the end.
Thanks for reading, If you can provide some educated advice I would love to hear it.
Fink