Auto Insurance Claims: Unisured Coverage, blue book value, vehicl

Question
I drove a friends truck and hit a cement barrier in a parking garage.  I do not have car insurance.  The vehicle was damaged at the door and panel.  We agreed to try to settle without claiming his insurance.  The quotes that he has received are around $2,100. to repair.  The Blue Book Value, 1990 Ford F150 Truck, is about 1,400.  I know that if he submitted a claim it would be considered totaled.  He also acknowledges that the vehicle is not worth the amount of repairs, however insists that I pay him the aggregrate amount of the claims.  He has also advised that he does not intend to have it fixed, but wants the money to pay off bills.
What are my options?  The state involved is Maryland.  
Can I tell him I can't afford that amount and he will need to go to his insurance company?
Can I pay him the blue book value rather than the repair estimates?

I fully intended to have his truck fixed however I think he is being excessive.

Angela

Answer
Does the owner of the F150 have COLLISION (COLL) coverage on the vehicle?  If so, with what deductible?

What are the loss mechanics?  Is there another party (at-fault) that you can look to for the necessary relief?

If the owner has COLL coverage he should submit the claim to his own carrier and let them handle/pay same.

You can be a GOOD GUY and pay the deductible amount to make your friend whole.

If he does't have COLL then you need to consiuder your obligation(s) (legal and or otherwise).

I honestly don't know whether you are legally obliged to pay for the repairs to the car.... morally is another matter (for YOU to decide).

I assume you were operating the vehcle with the owner's PERMISSION.

I further assume that drinking and/or drugs were not involved.

If you end up paying for the damnage(s) out of your own pocket you have any right to make sure that your friend isn't taking advantage of you (it sounds like he/she is leaning in that direction).

The Blue Book (Kelley) is not an accurate measure of the vehicle's value.... strongly recommend that you use the Red Book and/or the N.A.D.A. book for valuation purposes and adjust accordingly for equipment, mileage, condition, etc..

Make sure that you get a signed release from your friend if you end up paying anything.... that will protect you down the road in case friendship sours, etc..

Hope and trust that the above answers your question(s).

Feel free to get back to me with any additional issues/questions relative to this mattere.

Plesase take the time to rate this response in the various catagories.


Thanks



Gave this some additional thought and I recalled the concept of BAILMENT which holds that when you use/borrow something that belongs to another you have to return it in the condition in which you got it... what that means is that you owe your friend the reasonable cost of repairs, or if the vehicle is totalled, the reasonable Actual Cash Value (ACV) of that vehicle...