I’ve run into the same thing with my old Accord. Babied it for years, kept every service record, even had a binder with photos. When it got rear-ended, the adjuster barely glanced at any of it. They just pulled up a couple of rough listings and called it a day. I pushed back, but honestly, it felt like arguing with a wall. Maybe some companies are better, but in my experience, they all seem to play the same game. It’s frustrating when you actually care about your car and it gets treated like just another beater.
It’s frustrating when you actually care about your car and it gets treated like just another beater.
Yeah, I totally get that. We’ve got a 2010 Camry that’s been in the family since new, and I swear it’s in better shape than half the cars on the road. But when my wife got sideswiped last year, the insurance adjuster just looked up “comparable” sales online and barely cared about all the maintenance we’d done. They said it’s all about “actual cash value,” which basically means what they think they could buy another one for, not what it’s worth to you.
From what I’ve read, they usually total a car if the repair cost is like 70-80% of that value. Doesn’t matter if you’ve kept it spotless or put in a new transmission last month. It’s all numbers to them. I tried showing receipts and photos too, but it didn’t really move the needle.
Honestly, unless you’ve got some rare collector car, it seems like most companies just want to settle quick and cheap. Super annoying, especially when you know your car’s been taken care of way better than “average.”
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had a different experience with insurance. When my old Accord got rear-ended, I pushed back with detailed records and even got a mechanic to write up a condition report. Took some back-and-forth, but they did bump up the payout a bit. Not saying it’s always fair—definitely feels like a numbers game—but sometimes being persistent helps. Maybe depends on the adjuster or company? Still, yeah, it’s frustrating when they treat your well-kept ride like just another clunker.
I’ve only just bought my first car and the whole insurance thing is still a mystery to me. My cousin’s Civic got totaled last year and she was shocked at how low the payout was—they barely looked at her maintenance records, just ran some numbers and called it done. She tried arguing but didn’t get far, maybe just bad luck with her adjuster? Makes me wonder if it’s even worth putting extra into keeping an older car nice, when they don’t seem to care.
Makes me wonder if it’s even worth putting extra into keeping an older car nice, when they don’t seem to care.
I get where you’re coming from. My ‘92 Miata is babied, but when my buddy’s old Accord got rear-ended, the insurance just looked at “market value” and called it a day. They didn’t care about his new tires or all the receipts he’d saved. It stings, but that’s how most insurers roll—if repairs cost more than what they think the car’s worth (usually based on local sales), it’s totaled. I still keep mine in good shape for my own peace of mind, but yeah, don’t expect insurance to reward you for it.
