Safe but wrecked! need input

I bought my 2002 Linear sedan about two months ago. Yesterday an SUV hit the Saab from the passenger side with impact from the wheel well forward. My husband, who was driving, sustained a minor scratch to his knee. The Saab itself is a mess. The SUV, comparatively speaking, sustained minimal damage only to the grill, bumper and one fender. The passengers, however, seem to have sustained severe injuries, with some of them taken to the hospital in an ambulance. If anyone ever has any question about the safety of Saabs, I am happy to attest that they are indeed incredibly safe!

I do need to ask for help from all of you. Saabs are fairly uncommon in our area. When the insurance adjuster comes Monday, I would like some advice on possible issues he might not notice or look for due to lack of experience.

If it helps you picture any possible damage, the SUV was heading North at a minimum of 50mph and the Saab was heading East at about 10 mph when the collision occurred. The right front wheel on the Saab was lifted off the pavement and the Saab ended up facing north, about 12 feet from where it was when hit. Damage to the exterior is as expected at the impact point, wheel well and fender crumpled and torn. Headlight shattered but in place. The grill doesn't look that bad, but is sitting at an angle. The entire front end of the Saab is tilted to the right (if you are standing and facing the front of the car) about 3 or 4 inches with the fender on the driver's side crumpled to the point that the driver's door can't be opened. The headlight on the driver's side is intact but popped out of the body. The hood is shoved back up towards the windshield, more so on the driver's side than the passenger side where the impact occurred, and will not open. In the interior, the console between the front seats is skewed (as if it was twisted), to a point that the hinges for the lid popped off on one side. The Saab started and ran (we only kept it running about 5 min). We did determine that the air conditioning and the night panel display no longer work, but have not had the opportunity to test any other systems. We were advised not to start it again due to the possibility of something sparking and starting a fire. The firemen at the scene pulled the smashed fender away from the wheel, but it is still extremely difficult to turn in either direction.

I apologize for the length of this post, but you all are the only ones I know who might be able to educate me about this. Thanks

Reply to
mrsegg961
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I should have described the shifted front end as angled or skewed to the right, rather than tilted. The orginal verbage implies that the front end slopes 3 or 4 inches, which is not the case it just looks as if the front end is beginning a left hand turn, but the rest of the car isn't.

Reply to
mrsegg961

The car is most likely totaled. Be prepared to go get a new one

Steve B.

Reply to
Steve B.

I agree. It's done it's job properly and saved its people! Twists, stresses and misalignments probably extend beyond the immediately visible. At least you'll know what to replace it with hey? Glad he's ok. Cheers

Reply to
hippo

I concur. Sounds totaled, even without seeing a picture. You'd need an entire nose on the car and the frame straightened. They rarely drive correctly after that kind of work, even if it can be done. Not to mention, safety after that is questionable.

You don't say where you are located, so it's hard to give you specific advice on dealing with the insurance co. You need state (country?) specific information on how the insurance process works in your state.

In most areas in the USA, you are entitled to the cost to replace the car at a dealer (that's list price, they can't assume the dealer will discount the listed price) plus sales tax and other related registration costs. Sometimes you have to ask though, Insurance Co's don't give money away even when you are entitled. FYI - they also like to sit on claims so they can hold onto your money longer... don't let them get away with it.

In many areas, you are entitled to get and estimate from the body shop of your choice. The body shop then deals with the insurance company. I would suggest finding a top quality shop in your area - someone who specializes in european cars and knows Saabs. Tell them to spare no expense in the repair estimate. You can then use that to argue with the insurance company. If you can't get it to a shop, let the Insurance Co look at it... if they say it's repairable, then spend $100 have it towed to the shop of your choice, let them do an estimate, and let them argue with the insurance co. The insurance co will often intentionally leave out necessary items, use unrealistic labor rates, skimp on repairs, specify used parts, etc. You need a body shop to work that angle for you. And, if you do end up getting it repaired, have it done at the shop you select, not the one that the insurance co selects.

Last but not least, the Insurance Co is NOT your friend. No matter how nice they seem, they are all about saving the company money. They deal with people like yourself every day and are very good at what they do. Remember that they are personally rewarded based on minimizing payouts, not maximizing them. Don't let them have the upper hand. You have a policy, they are required to honor it, they are not doing you a favor - they are fulfilling a contract.

Post again when you have some additional info and we can help guide you to the next step.

Reply to
still me

( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

RIP, car.

It'd need a new bodyshell, and that's before any mechanical damage. On a

5yo car? No way. It's a write-off.
Reply to
Adrian

I do not intend on bursting your bubble, but pretty much any 2 cars in the accident configuration you describe would have had the same results. In a "T-bone" the softer passenger side absorbs a lot of the impact and since there were no passengers, the driver gets off with minimal if any injuries. The frontal impact, like the SUV in your situation, is far more severe to the driver and any passengers, especially if they should be so foolish as to not be wearing seat belts and/or have a non functional airbag.

You won't have to worry. The car will be a total loss. With that kind of an impact the car would never beable to be straigtened again.

When discussing the compensation terms with your insurance company, assuming from your description of the accident that the fault was fully with the SUV driver, you should insist that they do not subtract the deductible from your payment as the other guy's insurance company is fully liable for his negligence, and will pay them the full value of the loss, regardless of what your deductible is.

If your ins. co. had subtracted the deductible from your compensation, they would still receive the full value on the car and would then be making a profit on your misfortune, hardly an equitable situation...

Reply to
Fred W

Wow sorry to hear that the car was seriously damaged but good that your husband wasn't seriously injured.

As much as have respect for other people, SUV drivers (even those in 9-7X's) probably think they're invincible on the road. They do here in Sydney. We're lucky that Hummers and the really big Ford F-series trucks are extremely rare. Hummers actually are more common in the more well-off highly-urban parts of Sydney which is a bit of strange co-incidence as they're less useful and less manouverable there. Ah but it's the status! 8-)

Anyway that's all beside the point. Do you have any pics of the damage to the car? Make sure you get plenty of pictures before the insurance man comes so that if they try to dispute something you have lots of evidence to back up your argument(s).

Regards,

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site

In message , Craig's Saab C900 Site writes

And not just the damaged bits: if you have a digital camera take a few pictures of the whole car from different angles, tyres and the interior, in case it comes to a dispute on agreed value. Hopefully you won't need it but the insurance adjusters always adjust value down - you want some arguments to adjust up.

Reply to
RCC

Hi and thank you for all the input and advice. You were all correct, the insurance company did total the car. They also quoted a payment that will barely cover the loan, leaving nothing for a down payment on another car. Considering the original condition, which was near perfect, I hoped the ins co would at least cover what we paid for the car. Silly me. I can say that if any of you are in the Memphis area and are looking for parts for a 2002 Linear Sedan, there will be some available from whomever sells parts from wrecks for the insurance companies. The interior was like new, and most of it still is. I did as suggested and photographed the interior and undamaged parts of the car, as well as extensive photographs of the damage. We hope to be able to discuss the low replacement figure and these pictures will help I am sure. I am so thankful that it was a Saab, though, and that I'm not dealing with injuries and doctors and well as insurance companies.

Again I appreciate all your comments. Best

Reply to
mrsegg961

And speaking of which, do your own research on "value". You can look at placed like KBB and NADA, but the what you really want to know is what they are selling for at dealers in your area. Find very comparable cars, get their *list* price on a *dealer* lot, and use that as your yardstick. The Insurance company has to pay you true fair market value to replace the car, not what the book says your car is worth. There's a difference. If the other driver is clearly at fault then you will find the going easier.

Reply to
still me

They may try to pretend their first offer is their final offer but it isn't. You may have to do some homework and have prices of replacement cars available but you can get more out of them. If all else fails bring up the L word (lawyer) and that usually changes their tune.

Steve B.

Reply to
Steve B.

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