I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS IT TRUE AN INSURANCE COMPANY CAN MAKE ME KEEP MY CAR AFTER IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS?

I GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT AND MY CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS. THE INSURANCE COMPANY IS TELLING ME THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CAR AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF THATS LEGAL?
ALSO I WANT TO KNOW CAN I APPEAL THE AMOUNT THAT THEY ARE OFFERING ME FOR MY CAR?
WHAT HAPPENDS WHEN A LIEN IS PUT ON A CAR?

I NEED HELP. IM A FIRST TIME CAR BYER.. WITH SOME BAD LUCK!

Lynne W

If your car was declared a total loss, the Insurance "buys" your car and gives you the book value for it.
They own it then and dispose of it.
A lien is a legal contract placed on a car when the owner owes an unpaid amount to "a Mechanic" for example.
From what you story sounds like, it seems that your car had a Lien on it prior to your accident and you are now unhappy with the amount the Insurance is offering you.
They would give you less and tell you to keep it if you owed money on it to someone else (the Lien).
The person or Company that put the Lien on it has done so, so you can not sell it or profit from it until they are paid.

Thats weird because my car was declared a total loss and the insurance company wouldn't let me keep the car. They came to my house and towed it away.

CwboyBill

Take a breath, get ready to call your adjuster back tomorrow. They can't make you 'keep' your totaled car. Once it is declared a total loss it must be disposed of through auction or other means. What they are probably telling you is you still owe money on the vehicle and it is worth less that the pay-off, meaning, YOU are responsible for paying the difference.
Or.. maybe they made you an offer and you refused. Then you ARE responsible for the car and any storage fees that may be piling up.
You can only appeal the offer they made you if you can prove the car was worth more than they offered. Remember, any car loses 20% or more of it's value the minute you sign the papers so you are always on the hook for at least that amount.
Just call him/her tomorrow with a list of questions. Don't be afraid to ask for explainations, i.e; how did they arrive at a value, how did they determine the car is totaled, etc. Just remain civil and calm and keep an open mind. Remember, auto policies are NOT replacement cost but ACV (actual cash value) policies. Whatever the car was worth prior to the crash is what you are due.

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