It was side-swiped at a pretty fast speed by another car. The passenger door is smashed in, with the top of the door sticking out now(and a Taurus shaped dent in the lower part of it). You can not close the car door and it is open to the weather inside.
The glove compartment inside is bent up as well(it was going pretty fast). The engine runs still and I was(barely) able to drive it home. While the engine works, I believe the frame has been bent and the wheels are off center. It is not safe for the road.
It is(was ) a '91 Dodge Monaco with 125,000 miles on it. It had a Kelly Blue Book value of $750.
How can I get the most money for it? I’d like to get a hundred dollars or so to put to a new car. Anyone know the best way?
The best way is to have as many records as possible. When my '89 Civic was totalled in 1998, it had 150,000+ miles on it…but it also had brand new tires, new air conditioning system (that I was still paying for, dammit), and new radiator. It hadn’t missed a single oil change and was in excellent condition. I had every record in a file to turn over to the insurance people, which helped, although ultimately it comes down to their inspection of the car.
When all was said and done, I actually got more for the car than I paid for it 2 years before. (I bought it in 1995 for $4000, and insurance valued it at $4200!)
Find every piece of paper you have about that car and make copies of it for them. Sell your car in the best way–what was new in it? How had it been cared for? How often was it serviced? …etc.
In Memphis there is a junkyard that buys cars, working or not. They advertise in the auto section of the local paper. I got around a hundred dollars for my junker, without tires. I sold the tires for 40 bucks. If there was anything else worth selling I’d have taken that off too.
So check your paper or call around junk yards.
Create a phony identity for yourself, then sell the car on EBay to some poor schlemiel, without mentioning the damage.
Just curious, but, seriously, was the accident your fault? If not, then whether you have collision insurance or not is irrelevant - the other guy’s insurance should pay you for the sucker.
Michigan is one of the few states where we have “no fault insurance” laws. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is(it was his), each driver’s insurance pays for their own car.
In 1994(when I last had this situation), I was told that only 3 states or so have laws like this. Very annoying.
Our junkyard pays more per pound if the car is stripped out. I guess that’s because it’s just metal (no rubber, plastic, etc.). We take everything out of a vehicle: seats, glass, every piece of plastic & rubber we can find. Last week we took a pickup truck cab and a hay conditioner and collected about $75. We can sell the engine & tranny separately, as well as the wheels & tires.
I just searched the net for a company that sold parts of my car. Asked them what they wanted & guess what? Mailed the stuff to them, that’s not very practical…
Or give to a thrift shop & take the tax write off.
Find some Dodge enthusiast message boards (make sure their TOSs don’t forbid “for sale” postings) and post “Parting out 1991 Dodge Monaco.” Then people can email you and tell you what parts they want, and you can take them off and ship them. Of course, this requires effort, but it’s the only way to get any real money for the car.
If memory serves, you are entitled to collect up to $500 under limited property damage against the other driver’s insurance, since they were at fault. It takes a little legwork, collecting a copy of the police report and getting an estimate for damages and submitting it to their insurance company. Ask your insurance agent if that is still the case. Maybe you knew about it already.
) a '91 Dodge Monaco with 125,000 miles on it. It had a Kelly Blue Book value of $750.