Auto Insurance Claims: Total Loss Dispute (NYS), comparable vehicles, vehicle appraiser

Question
My wife was recently T-Boned at an intersection (other vehicle hit and ran... but their vehicle died about 2 miles away and got caught)... Their insurance took 100% fault and said my minivan is "totaled", but they are offering a value only 50% of what KBB and NADA claim is fair market... he says it is in his "database" and it is a 1997... What can i do to dispute that value, my van was in good shape! Do I have to just accept his total value? He could be full of crap for all i know and he is trying to save money! (Doesnt seem fair if all the books are twice his database value). Please help ASAP (PS. in NY State)!

Answer
Hi Joel,

You should demand they the adjuster provide you a copy of what ever he used to determine the value. The you can review the documentation for errors. You should also check other sources yourself. Go to www.autotrader.com . This will allow you to search for currently for sale vehicle like your in your area. You should try to locate 5 to 10 comparable vehicles then average the values to develope an overall average value. If this still does not get them to move you can hire a professional vehicle appraiser to appraise the value of your vehicle. This will generally cost between $250.00 and $500.00.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh