wife's car was struck by another...am afraid her vehicle will be totaled, which

The insurance company isn't going to put a lot of money into a vehicle that isn't worth a lot (especially not more than it is worth). Why would they?

If the car is damaged enough to total it out, maybe it's time for a replacement anyway. About how much is the car worth? You could potentially found something solid for the same value.

Thanks guys...I don't imagine the car to be worth more than 5 to 7K, tops...It is is 1998 BMW Z3 roadster with about 160,000 miles, was recently re-painted, was having the interior (little as it is) re-done - in fact, we picked up interior door panels from ups on the evening the vehicle was struck...we have taken pretty good care of the vehicle and has a pretty sterling maintenance record

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is there a way to negotiate the repair of this vehicle, most of the damage is to the exterior of the vehicle

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If it is totaled, your only two viable options are to give up the car or to keep with salvage title. Salvage payout will be less than total loss and giving up the vehicle, but you could keep the car and you'd have money to repair.

will it be enough for repairs? that is the question

Mu uncle bought a Toyota truck in the mid 80s. Drives it every day. During Katrina, a tree fell the back of it, caused some fender damage and messed up the tailgate. They totaled it out and I want to say offered him something like $800 bucks for it (it was almost 20 years old at the time).

He negotiated (not sure of the exact specifics) but ended up getting a smaller amount, but got to keep the vehicle, with a salvage title. He can't carry comp or collision on it anymore because of the salvage title, but he can carry liability. He got the tailgate fixed and declined to fix the fender damage (it wasn't much).

To this day, he still drives that truck every day. I think the only original parts are the body... but he estimates he's driven it 340K miles (the odometer stopped workings at about 260K which was about 7 years ago.

just remember it will likely no longer "run like a champ"

sorry for the situation man

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.it was their policy holder, in the midst of a temper tantrum, who has potentially altered our standard of living so why should we be penalized

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Legally, the other insurance company is only liable to restore you to the condition you were in before the accident. The hardest thing for people to do in these situations is to detach themselves emotionally. You have a lot of effort and time put into the vehicle, but all they see is a 98 vehicle with a lot of miles on it. Trying to convince them it's worth more than they think it is is tough. Imagine you going out to buy the same vehicle with the same miles.

I mean it sucks for you because you may be losing a car you're very familiar with. You know its faults. You know its strengths. But in the end, as long as they offer you the ACV for your area, they've met their legal obligation.

The worst part, and I say this to prepare you, is the ACV is 9 times out of 10 lower than the retail prices in your area. It's usually somewhere between the trade-in value and the private seller retail price. Go ahead and do some research on Edmunds or TrueCar to get an idea what those prices are, so if they do total it you can counter their offer.

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most of the damage is to the exterior of the vehicle.

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Ahhhh, now I understand.

If it is totaled, you may be able to buy it back from the insurance company.

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was recently re-painted, was having the interior (little as it is) re-done - in fact, we picked up interior door panels from ups on the evening the vehicle was struck

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Hate to say it but you were throwing money away with this car. That stuff costs major $ and brings little value to a 17 year old vehicle.

The other guy's