Well I came back into town this week to find
my Lightning missing from the Airport parking lot. I called the police, filled out a stolen car report then call the spouse to pick me at the airport. I received a phone call about 4 HRs later from OKC police stating they have found my truck but it had been wrecked very badly. After seeing the truck you wouldn't believe your eyes. They idiots that stole it must have been going around 100 when they hit a curb. It must have rolled 3 times, not a straight piece of metal on the whole truck. The idiots were hurt pretty bad because of the blood left in the truck. The police said the vehicle was abandoned when they found it so the idiots did get away. I had it towed to Ford Body shop the Manager told me that he would have the estimate done by Monday but roughly estimated the damage around $18,000 to $20,000 but it would be up to the insurance if they were going to total the vehicle.

I've never been in this situation so I would like some input on what to do? Please comment on any previous experience with insurance companies. I need help very badly because I do not want this truck rebuilt, it is totally destroyed in my mind. You can reply to this post or send me a e-mail at
asdeman@mmcable.com.

Terry ****ey
99.5 Lightning (Almost totalled ???)



[This message has been edited by asdeman (edited 01-14-2000).]

 

Terry
Really sorry to read this. I sure do hope that there is a NEW Lightning in store for you. Good Luck.

------------------
BABolt
SVT#290

 

sorry for your loss,
the insurance company will probally total it anyway,BUT,if they do not want to, demand a replacement.There are alot of laws that the insurance company wont tell you.Explain it was a limited production vechicle.And you are very picky.If the truck is not fixed to your satisfaction you will not accept it.it would be cheaper for them to replace it than to fix it and you not be happy, because YOU HAVE THE FINAL SAY!!!! i JUST WENT THROUGH THIS WITH MY LIGHTNING.On the way home from picking up my truck, somebody bumped me in the rear bumper and put a little scratch on it.I demanded a new bumper from the start of this long story.They would not give me a new bumper. they decided to paint it against my better judgement.i got in a huge argument with the adjuster at my house.he would not take into concideration that this could interfere with resale value of a limited edition. i ended up throwing him off my property!he told me right at my house the estimate which was $130.00. i told him i would only accept a new bumper.I decided to go along with it, and i would open a law suit.so i at least wanted it semi-fixed so it wouldnt be scratched . I went to the body shop (my very good one).The truck had a slight shadow where the repair was fixed. Idid not accept the truck. i called the insurance company and after alot of threats of law suits they not only paid for the 1ST repair they also sent me a check for a brand new bumper,all installation prices and a little in my pocket.The point is get it strait from the start and you will have alot of legal action if it is not fixed to your satisfaction.also where your truck was stolen and abused , it is a federal law for them to completley give you msrp for the truck if it has 15,000 or less miles on it. or retail NADA if it has more than 15000 miles on it. forget about the repair just say from the start because it was stolen and abused you do not want it anymore.they cannot by law refuse you , PERIOD!!!!!!!!I DOUBT THEY WILL EVEN TRY. IVE SEEN THIS WITH JUST A LITTLE SCRATCH ON A STOLEN VECHICLE. Because it was stolen, they got a brand new one . ITS THE LAW!

 

asdeman,

I had a 99.5 totaled and from the sound of it for a hell of a lot less than the damage you describe. I will be glad to post or evn send copies of the pictures. Maybe I could provide some paperwork from Farmers insurance. I had about 8000 miles on it.I'll get the pictures scanned in and posted asap. I have been meaning to post so everyone could see anyway. Yes , Demand a replacement. I have No idea about any Federal law that dictates replacement for vehicles with under a certain mileage but your agent may. I doubt they volunteer any info that would help you. Mine took some convincing and a letter from Sal seemed to sway them towards totalling the truck. Plus the limited edition thing and the fact that parts were as of then in very and I mean very short suppy. Mail me at <lightning@zebra.net> or <fn_darkness@hotmail.com>

How did they get past the anti-theft system and what does ford have to say about that. I am really curious about this perticular point as would most Lightning owners be I'm sure.
I'll help if I can.

Jeff

------------------
Red 99 Lightning (Totaled)
Black 99 Lightning
White 88 SVO Merkur Xr4ti
Sand Gold 88 Xr4ti
Silver 95 SHO



[This message has been edited by Twisted99 (edited 01-14-2000).]

 

I am so so sorry ASDEMAN. I hope they help you out and take care of this!

 

I really didn't want to mention how they stole the truck because it was all my fault.

I was running late on my way to the airport
& when I arrived I jumped out of the truck preceded to unlock the tailgate then left the damn keys in the tailgate. Your average person would have seen the keys in turned them in but these a@*holes took the truck for a one time joyride. I sure hope that they are in more pain then I am right now. I made sure I had a box of tissues to wipe the tears when I seen this travesty. I would like
too see your papers from Farmers Ins. I have GEICO Ins, so it would benfit me to have all the ammo I can to demand a new truck. The officer estimated their speed from around 90 to 100 on a road with a 40 mile speed limit.
I look at like this: They could have killed someone & I could have been responsbile for payment on any damage they did so it could have been alot worse. It make me feel a little better by thinking this way but I'm going to miss the Red Beast. If they total the truck I will be going to Ford ASAP to put my order in for a 2000 I HO Silver Beast.

I will post pix as soon as I can get the nerve to look at this again.

Later,
Terry

 

asdeman,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I hope you can get the new one fairly quick, as it could be a long summer!

------------------
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
PFA
'99 WHITE LIGHTNIN'
#0873--1 of 866--
RHINO, Soft cover, LoJack, Valentine 1, Mobil 1
Superchip, Water Wetter, Phantom Boost Gauge
Best ET to date-13.54 @101.51MPH--10/29/99
Best MPH to date-102.33MPH @13.68
Best 1/8---8.70 @80.82MPH
NEWEST ADD.--16" SNOW TIRES
SuperChip out for now

'98 Red Lincoln Continental
1/8 mile--10.25 @69.64MPH
1/4 mile--15.82 @88.16MPH

 

asdeman:

I too am very sorry for what happened.
From your description of the wreck and the vehicles condition, I doubt you will have a problem getting it totalled, it will probably be more a question of how much you get for it.

As well, I just posted a note to Thunder in Manila, PI, who is looking for a wrecked Lightning to take out the power train and computer related stuff for his Expy.

You should contact him and see if the two of you can work a deal with GEICO whereby he might be able to purchase the "carcass" directly and skip the wrecking yard part of the process.
Again, sorry for your troubles.
Bill

------------------
Bill Murray
99 Lightning #247
PSP Chip & Filter
Spare Superchip
Bassani full system TBI
Oxford White w/normal options.
98 Lincoln Continental Stock
56 F100 Big Window 272 w/TBird intake headers Fordomatic
56 F100 small window w/built 300" I6
69 Belair 390/427/400 Built
69 C10 Panel Stock
Soon: 92 Town Car
Tamiya 1/10 Lightning
Lightning & Thunder Rag Doll Cats.
E-mail MOSTOYSINC@AOL.com
htuken@BellSouth.net
HobbyTown1@WebTV.net
Kennesaw (Atlanta) Ga.

 

Sorry to hear about your situation. Here's my suggestion:
I am not a big fan of lawyers, but I am less of a fan of insurance companies. Sorry to all of you guys that are either of these!!
If they come back to you with anything less than a total, I would inform them that you will need to seek the advice of legal counsel before proceeding. I would suggest that you get a GOOD (the best you can afford) attorney to represent you. And whatever you do, don't sign anything with your insurance company, and do not accept any payment from them until you have the final agreement. In fact, I would have the attorney review the agreement. Key reason-your insurance company really doesn't represent you, they only represent themselves, and their objective is to minimize the claim. Both adjusters and agents are compensated according to claims filed by their customers. And their strategy is usually to wear you down by hounding you and trying to get you to settle quickly. They figure that you need to have your transportation replaced, therefore you need money quickly, and time is on their side.
Oh, another point. You don't know what the idiots that stole your truck are going to do if they get caught. In today's world, the idiots are liable to sue you for negligence.

------------------
cowanml1
Build Date: 6/24/99, Build #: 2704, Delivery Date: 7/8/99
White, Stock, all options

 

Boy, I'm really sorry to hear of your misfortuine Asdeman. Great post, Radarlove, Right on the money. As for the info from BADASSSVT, now there's a real good example of how not to handle a claim.......BADASSSVT, please explain why your insurance company would not only pay for the repair, then pay for a new bumper, and then give you cash to boot....What insurance company are you dealing with, so I can sign up too. Heck, I can throw an agent off my property as well as the next guy.....as far as hiring a lawyer goes, unless your brother is an attorney, and will work for free, you had better re-think that one. Your dealing with property here with a set value, and no one but you cares that your vehicle is "special", and/or limited production. The attorney's fees alone would out-distance the value of the Lightning twice over before you would even scratch the defense thrown up by the insurance companies legal department......Good Luck!!

------------------
Mark Swaim
1999 Lightning (sold)
1997 Cobra (deceased)
1993 Cadillac Allante

 

Hey Mark, good to see your post. I figured you were long gone since you sold your Lightning. Hope all is well and hope you bought that VIPER!!

 

Hey asdeman, sorry no advice but since I have GEICO ins I would like to know how it comes out! BTW, if you dont mind telling me how much you pay for your ins, where are you @, & your family (i.e. married, kids etc) I would like to know if we are paying roughly the same rates. E-mail me quikbolt@uswest.net
BTW go to the dealer today & tell them to put a NEW silver Lightning on hold for you !

 

HEY MARK,
Glad to know you think people on this board lie, Well guess what , I DONT!.I shouldnt even explain it to you but i guess i will so maybe you will see clearly through your square head!When the appraiser came to my house, he was equipped with a computer to give me a appraisal on site.After he gave me $130 to paint and repair the bumper i told him i would not accept it.We got into a verbal argument and YES i told him to leave. All along i was fighting with the insurance company to get me a new bumper because if it was chrome , they would have to replace it. RIGHT? . You cant repair chrome!!!!So why repair my bumper??!!So when my truck was completed i told them i would not accept it.I did not ask for a rental because i am a deaaler and i just drive my cars.So when they wanted to play hard ball i told them that i now will not accept the truck until it is fixed to my satisfaction and i NOW want a rental untill it is fixed.I told them that if there was any difference between my truck bumper and a new one, they would fix it a third time.So i told them if they would have givin me a bumper from the start i would have been happy . Until i am happy i will continue to be a pain in the a$$. MY TRUCK HAD 15 MILES ON IT WHEN IT GOT HIT!!!!I had the right to a new bumper.So we settled for a new bumper and installation and the first repair bill paid and money for a rental for three days which i did not use!! SO you see now dinlo Everything i said is true so go pull your crank (pully that is)my insurance company is arbella .You seem as though you are suffering from small mans desease or limp biscuit desease .Ms know it all. Im just trying to give good information , you are just trying to be an a$$h@1e.I ended up with a check for over $700.00 and a $150.00 repair bill paid. See even the $130 wouldnt have covered the repair . All for a $400 bumper!!! Because they wanted to play!!

 

1: I currently have Geico Insurance and pay around 3K per year. $1,500 @ 6 month intervals. Please let Yoda & I know how it turns out Asdeman!

2: I think that Mswain & Badasssvt should probably handle this new issue off of the board. Posting here could cause problems for both members. Roger is not as easily impressed as Moderators on the LS1 board would be regarding flame wars/personal attacks.

Just my .02 cents

I like both of you guys, and don't wanna see something happen.

 

I pay $50.00 a month for 100,000 & 300,000 coverage with a $500.00 dollar deductible. I'm 33 years old married with no kids I say no to boys but yes to toys. We also own a 96 4 Runner which we pay around 52.00 a month with the same coverage. I qualify for the senior level goverment discount (15%) since I'm ranked higher than a GS-13 goverment employee. I have no tickets on my DMV report so that helps too.

Thanks for all the info guys. I still have a few questions about ACV. I paid full MSRP for the truck with 3000.00 downpayment. Also had lots of extras in the truck including Sal air filter setup, rhino liner,bugshield & light covers is this reimbursable?

Should I use the excuse that it took nearly 4 months to get replacement rims from the dealership because its a limited production vehicle. The rims also were destroyed with all 4 tires flat and like I said the picture with the guy that hit the moose in ALASKA is not even comparable to the damage that these idiot did to my bolt.
I will be ordering a silver one for sure if they don't give me a hard time about totalling this bolt.

Later & Thanks,
ASDEMAN

[This message has been edited by asdeman (edited 01-15-2000).]

[This message has been edited by asdeman (edited 01-15-2000).]

[This message has been edited by asdeman (edited 01-15-2000).]