o make a long story short, I was on S Marietta Pkwy and let this minivan (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=924002#) merge in front of me when the lanes went from 3 to 2. She then (ingeniously) slammed on her brakes. I slammed mine, hit her from behind, then a Dodge Ram Dually smacked me from behind on the right hand side. His tow hook dented right below my rear taillight and smashed my bumper in. I have minor front damage which I ghetto mended. The car is still drivable and the insurance adjuster came out and said my car is totaled. The driver of the Dodge will pay for rear damage.

So at this point, the insurance will give me a check for the NADA value and take the car. right? unless I decided to keep it. Will they subtract the auction value from the NADA value and then pay me?

The car is a 1993 525iT, 150k, good condition.

Any advice on the road I should take, I will get the total quote tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll get somewhere between 3 and 4 grand.

Buy it back from the wreckers, part it out and start over with a fresh canvas

not some low ball offer. If you know the car well, like all the new parts, mods and you have room to keep it, buy it back save everything that you might need. Every single expensive switch, control and anything else you can think off the rest to the crusher.

By the way thi only makes sense if you have a place to keep it(free), if you pay storage is not worth it.

Then get yourself a nice clean one.:)

As of now, I still have the car until they give me a check for it. So I guess my next question would be: if the insurance company deems it a total, and it's still road worthy, can I take the total minus what they would get for salvage and still drive it? Or, do they flag it as a salvage and there is no way to get it registered. As of now, the title is in my name and clear.

Typically a car that's declared totalled will get a salvage title, and to get the vehicle retitled it will at the very least have to go through an inspection. A lot of states want to see photographic evidence of the repairs made to a salvaged vehicle to prove the effectiveness of the repair. It sounds like your car is pretty light in the damage, but I'd start snapping pics now.

Your title will be salvage, but your buy back will likely be less than 500 bucks. You need to ask them and talk to them about it before they finalize everything and they cut you a check.

Insurance companies want to total everything - are you talking to your company only? Maybe see how much the guy with the PU truck's company will pay - as long as it is only dented panels and no frame/suspension damage, you should be able to get it fixed with used parts for MUCH less than an insurance quote. I'd think about taking a check from the PU truck guy's company and not filing a claim with my insurance company - then either fixing or parting the car (depending on the damage).

Insurance companies want to total everything - are you talking to your company only? Maybe see how much the guy with the PU truck's company will pay - as long as it is only dented panels and no frame/suspension damage, you should be able to get it fixed with used parts for MUCH less than an insurance quote. I'd think about taking a check from the PU truck guy's company and not filing a claim with my insurance company - then either fixing or parting the car (depending on the damage).Agreed. If you're not satisfied with what the PU truck guy's insurance company is willing to pay, DON'T settle with them; he's "at fault", so don't jump at the first offer. :nono

A similar thing happened to my wife several years ago - while we did not have a new car, it was worth a whole lot more to us than what they wanted to pay. The other guy's insurance company ended up coming up with a little "pain and suffering" money, which upped the ante. Just keep saying the word "indemnify"; they'll get the message.

What do you have it valued for on your insurance? That may be some good ammo to use if it's a figure you can live with. Good luck!