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please help with insurance

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Benadkins

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My mom owns an 1988 K5 Silverado given to her by my grandfather. Recently hurricane Harvey put it under 8 feet of water. Allstate says it was only worth $4100 because it is a V10 model, per the title(which is true). NADA list a V10 Suburban around $4000 and a K5 around $14000, with no other choices to pick from. How do I convince allstate it's a K5?

Thanks for any help.
 
The insurance company will usually want comps proving your case. I would start by asking Allstate what type of comps are required to challenge the vehicle value.
 
The VIN # will prove its a K5,they have a different code for the Blazers than Pickups or Suburbans...

When my '69 GTO got hit 3 times in different accidents (rear ended twice,and a tractor trailer tire & brake drum came off on the highway when I was behind it and it wiped the passenger side out)--the insurance companies all tried low-balling me saying "we're sorry about the loss of your '69 Pontiac--and they offered $500 for it!..
I called the company up and told them "you left off three important letters -G-T-O !...book value on the car then,was well over 5,000 dollars...maybe a '69 Bonneville would be a $500 car,but not a GTO..

They kept jerking me around for months,and raised the settlement each time slightly...finally I told them "I'll have my lawyer contact you--I have had pain in my back since the accident,and un-paid medical bills" (I didn't have a lawyer--yet!).....3 days later they called me back and offered $2,000 for the car (and I keep it)--plus pay all my hospital bills..I accepted that offer,the car was nice,but not "mint"...(wish I'd kept it now too)..
 
They have the vin. I could post it here if that would help. I have looked over the Internet as far as I can tell it just says blazer. I don't actually know what allstate is looking at
 
Slosh.com has digital copies of each year factory brochures to help establish the model. Unfortunately, I believe the "K5" label had been dropped by GM by this point.

You can also search Craigslist, classifieds, eBay, etc and save similar model and condition trucks to establish value. Not just 1, several examples.

That said, any KBB or NADA listing showing $14k as a value is without a doubt a misprint. Seriously, do you think there's $9k difference in value between a blazer and a Suburban? We'd all like to think they are that valuable but realistically, an unrestored but excellent condition 88 Blazer is probably worth $7k-$9k tops. $5k-$6k would be average.
 
You might be able to print and show an early 80's brochure stating "K5", then print an 88 brochure to show they are the same body style.

The VIN is going to show "V10" as the model for all 87+ blazers. The VIN should also show it's an SUV and not a truck (which could also be a "V10").
 
There is very little difference on NADA in price between an 1988 and a 1987 K5, so it doesn't seem like a misprint. I don't want to be rude, but nobody wants an old suburban but K5's are popular vehicles. So it seems there would be a significant difference in price. Can I take insurance to mitigation in Texas?
 
Well, of $14000.00 was a reasonable and realistic price for one I would think classified listings in that price range would be commonplace, they simply are not. Go to the bank and try to borrow $10k for one using it as collateral, it won't happen
 
If the insurance says it is a suburban and not a blazer then they are mislabeling it.

Simple as that. It is a V10 ( half ton) blazer not a V10 suburban. Should be simple for a lawyer to get that changed. I have no clue how much that costs.

Simple fact is V10 means half ton. That's it
 
I just looked on NADA and was surprised to see 88 K5 retail from $7,500 to $27,000, with average retail about the same as the $15k MSRP. Don't you wish you could buy a new one for that now?

88 Suburban $2,500, to $7,000. These Sub prices seem realistic, so I think the K5 rates are an anomaly. You can't compare on KBB because that only goes back 25 years. But no way insurance will pay $14k for a vehicle that old unless you had it appraised and insured at a value like that. I would expect $5k unless you have it certified low miles, mint, original.
 
Here you go. Clearly shows V10 and Full Size Blazer:

chevy19.jpg


From http://brochures.slosh.com/index.shtml?1988
 

"I just looked on NADA and was surprised to see 88 K5 retail from $7,500 to $27,000"

And that's what a dealer would charge-it will always be the highest price as dealers have to absorb costs of overhead, advertising, reconditioning the vehicle, etc. The insurance company is likely not going to want to pay full boat retail.


That 14 grand value seems high unless we're talking a mint condition vehicle in excellent operating condition with potentially some partial restoration at least. The insurance company is not going to see it as a concours classic, they're going to see an old truck going on 30 years. If you don't have insurance for an appraised value, be prepared for a fight, as they're going to point out what a K5 typically goes for (and that's nowhere near 14 grand). You'll have to prove that your vehicle is the anomaly that is worth that much and that there's a market to support that value.
 
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They gave her $4,600. With $1,000 buy back. But told her she would get a ORNR title. Which as far as I can tell means you can never drive it on the road again. I am already stuck with a jeep that has the same designation so letting it go.
 
Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you and your mom. If it's any consolation, you probably didn't do too bad. The sentimental loss is probably far greater than $4600, though.

All in all it wasn't a super desirable year, although I've been keeping my eye out for one. I'd say for one to go for that much around here, it'd have to be in great shape or modified.
 
Is that something that can be sold to someone out of state where they have different requirements to get it on the road?

As long as it wasn't in sewage, can't imagine there is really that much damage to the thing if it was just underwater. Yeah, axles, engine, trans are all full of water, but the majority of electronics should be fine, dried out the interior should be ok, just not seeing why it can't be roadworthy because of being submerged.
 
Trust me, you do NOT want a vehicle that has been flooded with salt water, everything corrodes and/or rusts. All of the electronics, to include the harnesses, will have corroded connectors, boards, etc.

I don't know what an "ORNR" title is but I'm sure it's basically a "salvage" or "rebuilt" title. As far as I know, moving a vehicle from state to state to "wash out" the title to a clean one is illegal but it's certainly crooked. Lots of totaled vehicles used to get transferred fom Ms to Al to clean up the title, it usually happens when the new state doesn't have a matching classification for the original state. Many times vehicles with this cleaned up status are sold to buyers with no knowledge of it's tainted history.
 
No, not talking about doing something crooked. Some states have different laws on what you can do with a vehicle that has been totaled, if you can't put it on the road in X state, but can in Y state, be honest about the circumstances, just saying it seems like a waste to (assuming) scrap a complete vehicle because the state won't let you put it on a road from something that has little(?) bearing on it's integrity for future accidents.

No experience with salt water submersion, I know salt water is really bad, just no experience with what something looks like that has gone in for a bit. With these trucks, I'm guessing that does a number on the inside of all the panels/pillars. Need to drive it into a freshwater lake. :)
 
We had a few salt water flood cars at the junkyard--they all stunk like death..like the smell near a clam processing plant..dead lobsters..fish..poop..you get the idea..

We got them running to see if the engines survived and they did,tried selling them as repairables,was not much wrong with them other than the flood water,but no one would buy them,we ended up stripping them of the drive trains and crushed them..

One yard near my house had an 80's Dodge Daytona that was found at the bottom of the Taunton River where it meets the Atlantic near Fall River MA during a dredging operation --the car must have been there a long time,it was completely encrusted in barnacles about 4" thick...they had to be chiseled off to identify what kind of car it was.
It looked like part of a coral reef!..
.
They stuffed it way in the back of the salvage yard,where it sat for probably 10 years,it may even still be there..many of the barnacles came off in that time period--and they still reeked as bad as day one too...that is one car no one will ever steal parts from!..
I think the only reason they kept it was for entertainment value..:)
 
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