well, I would say ask for more for the car if totalled.

But personally, If they were going to be around the same, take the money and the car and don't total it. If you need a new car, put the Tempo up for sale for $500-800 and see what happens. You could end up with more. Even if you only got $300-400 for it, it would still be more than they are offering for a total loss. And, if you can get the parts to fix it cheap, (say under $200) get them, swap them yourself, and sell it for $900-1300 and use the combined money to buy a new car.

or fix it and drive it.

hans is right that you can negotiate with them...
Log on to www.kbb.com
Fill in the information for your car and print out the screen showing the value of the car.

door panels... what are they worth at a junk yard? $20 each maybe? knock that price off the kbb value and ask for that.

kbb doesnt go back to 1984, unless i missed something :?

If you cant show them the vlue of it your probably screwed. My experience is that the insurance company hold all the cards and you "need" their service.

As far as value of it is concerned. My friend has owned lwo late eighties tempos. Each was less than $500. It may be in good mechanical shape but if it looks like a piece of crap or is missing anything already, they'll total it and give you jack for it. They wont look at it like a normal person would. You see reliable transportation, they see a piece of crap. They're not in business to cut you a fair deal. Fair deals aren't profitable.

find some way to prove the cars worth or you're probably up this one certain creek without a paddle.

Prolly gonna take the money and run. then I can sell the car later, or at least get more money for it if it gets wrecked again

This is wreck #3 by the way

try here: http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/used/ford/index.html

Link at bottom of dates.

Or here: http://www.nadaguides.com/default.as...a=1&y=1984&da1
(Yes, NADA considered is a classic car)

Well, I took the no total option. Amt will be $797 + tow. Never did find out what insurance values the vehicle at, because if it turns out to be lower than $1k, than i will be in worse shape. Last time i checked kbb <back in 2004> valuue was about $450 private party.

Gonna put new radiator and tranny cooler in, and straighten out radiator support, and throw bumper from the parts car on. Get it ready for the next time someone wants to tango

If I remember right, a new core support isn't that hard on those cars. You can probably swap it over from the parts car pretty cheaply/easily. Of course, if you can get the radiator in after straightening that one, then you might as well leave it.

Well, tomorrow is the big day, when I start pulling it apart and straigtening it out. wish me luck!

Sig time!

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Good luck I gotta say, that car held up much better than I thought it would in that kind of accident... I thought it would crumple like a stale saltine cracker