Daily Driver Car insurance

[Hack]

What do you guys use for car insurance on daily driven cars (not new cars, but the older ones)?

I just had my '83 Mustang totalled and I feel like the insurance company (Met Life) told me to "bend over". It is hard to establish value of a custom car - mine had EFI and a higher performance version of a '93 Cobra motor, and a Tremec 3550 both just rebuilt last year plus it was an original black/black car from California so rust free, yada yada. I tried to tell them the car was between average and high NADA plus I should get something for my newly rebuilt drivetrain, but they refused to account for either. They told me, "We don't go by NADA." I only had liability on the car, so my insurance company wouldn't do anything. So I was stuck dealing with Met Life - they really suck as a company. They don't return telephone calls. It took 6 weeks before they even made me an offer on the car!

So anyway I'm pretty upset, but I don't want to give up on driving an older car that I have customized. I hope that if I have the right insurance coverage this won't happen to me again. I have agreed value insurance on my 1970 Mustang convertible, but Haggerty doesn't want me to use it for the commute to work, etc. What do you guys use for daily driver "classic" car insurance?

If anyone has any advice on anything I can do to Met Life to get more from them, I'd love to hear it. By the way I noticed that they had a ton of "Met Life bans weapons" signs on the premises - gee I wonder if they deal with a few upset people there.

 

[bnickel]

What do you guys use for car insurance on daily driven cars (not new cars, but the older ones)?

I just had my '83 Mustang totalled and I feel like the insurance company (Met Life) told me to "bend over". It is hard to establish value of a custom car - mine had EFI and a higher performance version of a '93 Cobra motor, and a Tremec 3550 both just rebuilt last year plus it was an original black/black car from California so rust free, yada yada. I tried to tell them the car was between average and high NADA plus I should get something for my newly rebuilt drivetrain, but they refused to account for either. They told me, "We don't go by NADA." I only had liability on the car, so my insurance company wouldn't do anything. So I was stuck dealing with Met Life - they really suck as a company. They don't return telephone calls. It took 6 weeks before they even made me an offer on the car!

So anyway I'm pretty upset, but I don't want to give up on driving an older car that I have customized. I hope that if I have the right insurance coverage this won't happen to me again. I have agreed value insurance on my 1970 Mustang convertible, but Haggerty doesn't want me to use it for the commute to work, etc. What do you guys use for daily driver "classic" car insurance?

If anyone has any advice on anything I can do to Met Life to get more from them, I'd love to hear it. By the way I noticed that they had a ton of "Met Life bans weapons" signs on the premises - gee I wonder if they deal with a few upset people there.

i hate to say it but the only way you're going to get any more money out of them is to get a lawyer most likely. also it would be a good idea to get the car appraised and show the appraiser lot's of pre-wreck pics and any receipts you have will help too. also don't sign off anything, including any medical bills, until you talk to a lawyer.

 

[Hack]

i hate to say it but the only way you're going to get any more money out of them is to get a lawyer most likely. also it would be a good idea to get the car appraised and show the appraiser lot's of pre-wreck pics and any receipts you have will help too. also don't sign off anything, including any medical bills, until you talk to a lawyer.

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure you are right. The car wasn't worth enough more to hire a lawyer, IMO. So I'm going to move on and call it a lesson learned. I just wish I could have gotten another $1k to 2k out of them.

Fortunately I wasn't in the car when it got hit. I guess I should also count myself lucky that the person who hit my car didn't run. I was nowhere nearby even. It happened on a Saturday night. The gf and I went out to eat, came back and my car was smashed and pushed about 40 feet down the road and the two passenger side wheels were all the way up on top of the curb.

At the time I couldn't even believe it. That's the last time I park on the side of the road there.

Edit: I did send them about 40 pages of receipts showing that I had about $10k into the car in the last 2 years since I purchased it. I had proof that it was a California car until 2005. I had even painted the thing. I had a lot of hours into it as I did pretty much all the labor myself (except for the AC fixes which I paid to have done). The car was done and I was happy with it. I guess it's time to start again!