I was driving home a week ago and a United States Postal Service truck (small mail truck) pulled out in front of me and I had two options: (i) plow into the USPS truck broad side with a potential airbag deployment or (ii) avoid the USPS truck and mount the high curb and prevent a direct collision into the driver door of the USPS vehicle. THe USPS driver was totally at fault which was verified from the police report. My 911 turbo did not suffer structural damage but the two front fenders and the lower bumper needs to be replaced. Also two of my wheels and one of the 911s radiators needs to be replaced. I do not have an estimate on the repairs yet but I am guessing it will be a large amount. The biggest issue for me is the diminished value of my 997 turbo. Since it was totally USPS' fault I have the ability to make a claim against USPS for the diminished value. However, I am aware that in a soft car market which we are currently in I will probably not be able to sell my 997 turbo because of the large amount of other un-damaged 997 turbos for sale. Even if I were hypothetically to receive $20,000 for diminished value on my 997 turbo I am afraid that in a soft car market I would not be able to sell the 997 turbo because the buyer of a used 997 turbo would avoid buying a wrecked 997 turbo even at a substantial discount. Any advice or similar experience?

 

i havent ever handled a strictly diminished value case, or had a wrecked car myself with that issue. However, i do have some general thoughts.

i don't think that there is an exact science to calculating diminished value. USPS will undoubtedly not want to pay any diminished value, much less $20,000+. You have to keep in mind that the only way to force any sort of payment of money damages in a civil context is to take the tortfeasor to court. Typically, you can only extract the maximum sum only through having admissible proof and showing an unemotional willingness to file a lawsuit and see it all the way to conclusion before a judge and jury. However, i doubt any lawyer would take your case on a contingency basis, and it probably would not be worth it to pay a lawyer by the hour.
So, that may leave you to fend for yourself. You must develop proof of your diminished value. This may mean getting an affidavit from your local Porsche dealer that sets out not only his capacity and qualifications, but also his opinion and the basis for his opinion. this should be signed before a notary. (if all of that freaks him out, just get him to write a statement. that will not work as good, but you need to take what you can get) You will need to show purshase prices for damaged Porsches as compared to non-damaged similar models.
USPS will undoubtedly negotiate in the traditional, start low and resist movement by makeing small incremental moves that appear to be based on some sort of logical calculation. For this reason, you need to start high. Be sure that event though you start high, there is a logical explaination for your number, you dont want to lose credibility. If you dont start high in your negotiations, you may very well be pulled down below where you want to settle just for the sake of compromise.

 

Great advice from fastlaw. Boy that sucks. If you can, I'd now keep the car, fix it and DRIVE it. Since over time the diminished value will itself diminish as the car depreciates, but you will have at least got complete use out of it.

 

yeah, that doesnt sound like too much damage....maybe $13-18k tops. IF you were planning on keeping the car anyhow, Id get as much dimished value that you could, be happy that you or anybody else was NOT hurt, take the monies and buy a boxster and drop a3.6 in it, mod the turbo or keep the change...

make sure you get the BEST guys in your town to do the work...

 

Going to court is going to cost you! The lawyers do not work for free.........

 

By all means use one of the Porsche certified collision centers.


About The Porsche Approved Collision Center Program
Information for Porsche Owners

Porsche vehicles have earned the reputation of providing one of the most exciting driving experiences known to automobile enthusiasts. But when your Porsche vehicle is involved in a collision, only the most exacting repair and reconstructive techniques and materials can assure that your "Porsche perfect" driving experience is not diminished.

The Porsche Approved Collision Center Program responds to this need. The program encompasses a network of factory-approved collision facilities, each trained and equipped to provide collision services that match the quality of your Porsche automobile.

Assuring Porsche's high standards of performance and quality requires skilled and trained professionals who adhere strictly to Porsche restoration procedures. Porsche Approved Collision Centers commit to these procedures, and to the use of genuine Porsche parts, materials, tools and equipment. Porsche Approved Collision Centers are also continuously supported and monitored by factory technical personnel.

The program is the natural answer to the question "having suffered an accident, where should I have my Porsche repaired to help assure that neither its performance nor its value is diminished?"

Just insist that the car is repaired at one of the centers and you should be fine. If you trade it into a Porsche dealer in the future it will be hard for them to say your car is radically devalued when you used there service to fix it.

Stay away from the legal end...

 

Well, I understand your problem. The damange may be more extensive than you think. I ran my car off the road thru tall grass. Although the damange was external a lot of parts were required/ replaced for the repair- 34k. They even replaced the headlights which were not even damanged. The reasoning behind this was to insure a complete front end replacement. After replacing most Q panals, complete front bumper, etc the car depreciated with the repair shop replacing anything with a scratch or ping. I was actually surprised that insurance covered all items. This helped for tax purposes - property tax, and removed any barriers for the arguement against mods under warrantry. So, I now have a modded car for the track and no worries. By the time I decide to sell the car value will no longer be a significant difference from other 07's.