My '91 XJS got totaled last week. A dingbat in a Subaru did not know that a green light does not give you right of way to make a left turn in front of on coming traffic. She was so sure she was right she gave the traffic officer her dash cam video to prove that she had the green light! The officer was nice enough to give her tickets for expired registration and making an unsafe left turn.
It did not do very much damage to her car - ripped the plastic bumper cover was about it. The XJS was a different story- front frame members are bent, front bumper, grill, and every panel except the trunk lid and left rear fender had some damage.
Now I get to argue with the insurance companies about whether a 26 year old Jaguar has any value.
Dave Christensen
1965 E Type OTS
1991 XJS Convertible - DEAD
2013 XJ
What can I say??? indeed. sad. And at the hands of a ding bat.
Unfortunately, not a rare specie !
Of course, 26 year old cars, including Jaguars have value. Trouble is folks see it differently!!! There comes the rub.
So:
Did you purchase collision insurance for that beauty ? Perhaps not. I am aware of that logic. If so, prepare to deal with their appraiser and adjuster. Might be different folks.
Hopefully, Ding bat had liability insurance. Same advice. Prepare to deal with them.
If no, on two, your .Uninsured or under insured motorist cover might apply. Same advice. Prepare to deal with them.
Data and support for that data is paramount. Needed:
A. Value of your Jaguar in the moment before the collision. AKA ,ACV. Actual Cash Value. At best defined as that price
a willing buyer would pay a willing seller. Seek as many sources for sales of similar cars.
B. Cost to repair the damage. A detailed estimate by a competent damage appraiser is best. Some shops better than others for various reasons.
C. Salvage value of the damaged car.
Analysis of the gathered data. Does the cost of repair less the
value of salvage exceed the ACV? If so, a financial constructive total loss.
One does not pay more money to repair a car than it is worth in terms of money !
Although auto claims were far from my favorites, I handled more than a few in my 50 year career in Insurance claims in various lines and at various levels.
The above are absolutely gratuitous. And can be ignored.
But, if asked, I will help.
Very sorry to hear that, Dave. Not that is any comparison, but my XJ-S was hit by a shuttle bus while parked at Laguna Woods a week or so ago. Surprisingly, there was no damage.
After you thrash it out with insurance company. …if you aren’t going to fix.
…put a low buck salvage value. …about 200 dollars. …part it out and recover some extra bucks …I am sure some of us would sell you a replacement car
That’s a shame. I bent the subframe on my first XJS when I was 20, and the insurance company screwed me. My parents were so glad to see the car gone they didn’t tell me I was getting screwed. Fight fight fight and keep the wreck.
Stephen,
I am in Tucson, AZ. I don’t want to buy the car from the insurance company. I don’t have a way to move it or a place to store it. If you are interested I will see if I can get a contact at the insurance company to talk to.
The front lights, bumper, grill, fenders, hood, and etc are useless. The engine turns over but won’t start. I am guessing that crash sensor in the passenger door jamb is tripped.
The engine with 80K miles runs great. Fuel injection hoses are all new. Injectors all cleaned and balanced. A/C compressor rebuilt, all new A/C hoses.
New tires.
New wood for the interior.
New shocks.
New steering rack.
Seats are very good.
Carpets very good.
I would greatly appreciate the information. Does the car run and drive
enough to drive onto a shipper’s truck ? I am located about 10 miles South
of Pittsburgh, PA.
I have a clean 91 convertible body with no engine. I have a 700r4
transmission and conversion kit waiting. I also have an acquaintance with
an 89 convertible that could use a few things too.
If you would buy the car from the insurance company I would send you funds
for that purchase upfront. I would also be willing to pay you a fee for
your trouble. I would also arrange the shipping of the vehicle from you to
my location. Of course I would want to negotiate the amounts if possible if
you would be open to this arrangement.
Dave, It is your car to do with as you please. Once you get an opinion from the insuror on the value as salvage, deduct it from the ACV along with your deductible. Sell t for what ever you please.
But, your insurer may not have a number at hand, in theory, yes it is needed value in total loss calculation. But, they might just take title, and dump it off to a salvage pool and take a pittance after fees are deducted. Useful info for the negotiations.
Or, just counter the offer. My car was worth 10K before the accident Number as an example only, I’ve no realistic idea.
I sold it for junk at $500.00. Same comment as number. So, my deductible is $500. (?). 10k =1k= 9K. Pay me…
I am not going to buy the car from the insurance company. (At this point I couldn’t take it if they gave it to me free) I don’t have any way to move it or anyplace to store it. The body shop it is sitting at wants it GONE and will start charging for storage. Sorry, but I just have too much other stuff going on now to deal with this car.
After I get a settlement from the insurance company I will let anyone that wants it know who to talk to.
For anyone in a “total loss” situation it pays to argue with the insurance company over the value. Find ads for similar cars, get the NADA and Hagarty values, any recent receipts for parts and labor to justify a higher valuation. They finally paid me 65% more than their initial offer, which was $1000 MORE than I asked for in my value estimation.
Sadly I decided not to get another XJS. That was my third one. I still like the cars but the A/C on the XJS’s is not quite up to modern standards. Even with R14 in a clean and properly functioning system it does not cool very well when the temperature is over 100 F. Living in Tucson that happens quite often. I have my eye on a white 2012 XK convertible for the replacement.
The listing says it runs and drives - NOT true. It won’t start. I believe the crash sensor is tripped and the radiator is pushed back into the fan. The RF tire is pushed into the wheel well also.
Dave Christensen
Thank you very much. I have just registered and I hope that I can get the
car at a reasonable price. It will enable me to complete the 91 XJ-S
convertible I have sitting in the wings.
For sure XJ-S owners in the States are blessed.
Taking a look at the Copart photo spread of the car I would bid around US$2,000 if it were in Australia.
If it was a “Buy Now” at US$2,500 I might take it.
That is because it is very rare for an XJ-S with relatively minor damage to come up for auction or sale.
If insurance companies inform anybody of the availability it will be spares dealers only. Once a dealer has it he needs to make a decent margin.
Having twice bought 2nd hand HE V12s, the interior from a 1985 coupe and sundry other used parts from dealers, bidding US$2,000 would be a bargain. Right now I do not need any of that car, but if I had storage space I would bid anyway.
