The good thing is that it was not the 996 turbo, the bad thing is that it was our brand new Cayenne turbo.

A 80 year old man just plowed into the car as it was standing still. The damage is not horrible but it will need to have a wheel, fender and bumper replaced. As you can imagine, I was pretty pissed. The guy was so old that he tried to tell the police that I hit him. Well that did not work well since I was not in the car and the police officer was right behind him when he hit our car.

My question is what should I do? My car will never be the same and will probably lose considerable value due to being in a accident. I would prefer just to get rid of it and buy another one if I could recoup the money.

Let me know your advice guys.

 

I traded two cars (one of them a Porsche) that had been damaged and repainted, including a new front end on one of them. Neither dealer asked, or cared, or reduced the trade-in value of the car in question.

I would get the Cayenne fixed and not worry about it.

 

If you have a great body shop,then have him buy original new parts,and have them painted off the car...as long as the frame is ok,then you should have no worries!!good luck

 

Loss of value is compensable from the insurance company. Get 2 estimates of the car's value after repairs. Fully disclose the extent of damages and repairs to your adjuster. Then compair the estimates to the blue book value of the car. If the estimates are lower (which they very likely will be) send the insurance company all the data and a claim for the difference. I have successfully collected on this before.

 

Yes,

It was very sad. I actually felt bad for him even though he kept saying it was my fault. He just could not get the fact that I was out of the car and 2) the police officer say him do it.

I just spoke to my dealer and they said that they would reduce the value of the car because of the accident.

 

I've had several cars damaged while unattended, although none seriously. In each case I've had the damage repaired by the highest quality shop available, included the repair invoice with the maintenance records and disclosed the repairs to the potential buyer. In no case was that disclosure detrimental to the sale or price asked. Being up front with that info and showing that quality repairs have been made has always worked for me. Also, I insist that the buyer (even when a close friend) have the car inspected prior to purchase. That just paid off when I sold my '99 996 cab with 17k miles to a close friend and the inspection discovered an RMS leak which was repaired by my Porsche dealer (Carlsen) at no charge, even though one year past warranty (thanks Brian).

 

I agree, this is not biggie. As long as repairs are done in a professional manner, your car shouldn't suffer. Especially in the mid-longer term. Now if the frame was bent ... that would be another whole story.

 

I had a similar incident with another car (745i) and here's some advice.

1. Go to the best shop that is licensed in your state, you are entitled to go to the shop of your choice. A top quality shop will use all the correct materials and procedures to repair your car properly. Ideally you should get this shop through recomendations by other Porsche guys. Recommendations from other people have often been the best barometer for finding good resources. Ask people on the this board for a recommendation.

2. Find out what the other party's insurance limits are for property damage. If it is a large amount (say 50K), that should cover your repairs and allow for you claiming diminished value (as explained by another board member earlier). This will allow you to receive the loss in value of your vehicle due to the accident. If his limits are low, you will need to claim the accident through your own carrier which will usually not cover diminished value.

Most important thing is to find the right repair facility that will do a great job with the repair. Someone will pay for it, you should take it to someone who will do it right the 1st time and do a factory quality job. Good luck, hope things work out for you. No matter what this is a time consuming and frustrating process.

 

I tried unsuccessfully to get a diminshed value claim against Allstate back in 1998 when one of thier insured hit us while we were stopped (and believe me..I fought diligently). Have things changed???

 

Actually I think the laws in California require more frequent testing for citizens over a certain age; 70 I think?

However remember that statistically you are much more liable to be the victom of an 18 to 30 year old male driving over his head. I know this is no consolation to 996TTR!

 

Almost the same exact thing happened to me three times. Always with a new car too...

Best advice is bring it to the best body shop, get it fixed and forget it... They can do such great work, you will never think about it again.

Seems like Carfax is so weak, it may never get picked up.

As long as there is not frame damage, I doubt value would dimish much. Of course the car dealership just loves to share bad news for some reason...

Good luck!

Mark

 

you just called the dealer and told them you got in an accident








WHY?

 

I was wondering the same thing...

 

Everything was resolved today.

The car is being repaired next week. I am receiving a additional settlement of $5500.00 due to the damage caused on the vehicle. The actual damage on the car was an additional $7500. His insurance company decided to settle since there was the potential of legal action.

The reason my dealer was contacted was to determine how much less in value the car would be. The interesting thing is they had a independent Porsche dealer in the area come up with a quote too. Their quote for loss of value on the car was $8000.00!!!!


My personal opinion on purchasing a car that was in a accident is this: I would prefer to purchase a perfect car over a car that had been in a accident if the price is the same. I am suprised that so many on the board would buy a car that was painted or crashed unless it was cheaper.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

I've not been able to collect diminished value from State Farm, in fact it was difficult to come to a settlement since they were only paying for a portion of the repair bill (100% other guy's fault). Something about SF only covering up to a set hourly labor rate, and if the shop charges more they won't pay.

A good friend of mine was involved in an accident. Again 100% other guy's fault. He was not able to collect diminished value from All State.

Seems like quite a few people on this board were able to settle with the other party's insurance company. Did anyone successfully do that with State Farm or All State? If so how long ago and what did you have to do? Who knows this information may come in handy someday...