wrecked 911 - what is decline in value?

Bad day - another driver caused my 911 40th AE to sustain damage (front end impact). It is not enough to total it. It will have an estimate of $27k worth of repairs. Do any of you have an idea of the percentage decline in value? It is with a great shop, with a loyal p-car following. I will be seeking diminished value from the responsible party. Would you keep it and drive it? Or, try to sell it and buy another one? Thanks all & Merry Christmas!

That is a bad day. Wow, 27K worth of repairs. That is extensive. With that high of a repair I would sell it and buy another one.

Quotes source post: 10091871

If the car isn't a total then you have to fix it unless you want to dump it as is and take a huge loss. Fixing the car right means ensuring it is fixed to the highest standards. This involves among other things a teardown of the car -- bumper covers, wheels/tires, whatever the body shop needs to remove, with the car then placed on a Celette Bench and the body/chassis hard point locations checked for position integrity. Any found out of place need to be brought back into their proper position. The tolerances are quite small. Then replacement parts ordered. To me (and to Porsche) the only acceptable parts are factory new parts. These must be purchased from PCNA through an authorized dealer. All mechanical systems work: suspension, steering, drivetrain, A/C, coolant system, etc. should be done by a qualified Porsche tech at an authorized dealer. The paint and paint system used must be one of the 3 (Standox, Spies-Hecker, Glasurit) recognized by Porsche. iOWs, you want to the car restored to its pre-collision condition as good as humanly possible. The risk you face is focusing on DV and failing to get the car properly repaired. You get a DV check which feels good but you end up with a car that has suffered more DV that won't become evident for a while. Then the amount of DV will found woefully inadequate. Get the car fixed. Get it fixed right. Take lots of pics of the damage, the repair process, replacement parts (with the factory part number sticker in clear view), and so on. You want to document the extent of the damage and the thoroughness of the repair. Then file a DV claim. Whether you keep the car after or not is up to you.

AWE MAN! that's a hefty amount of damage as a prior accident record car owner I will tell you that when it come times to sell it and the phone conversation gets to "any accident history" and you answer Yes - they will hang up took me a year to sell my car and the guy I sold it to was the previous owner - who was was OK in the first place with it because it was there when he bought the car the first time

Sorry to hear the news....IMO, you're better off trying to get it totaled. Another member just put his 40 AE for sale, 22k miles, one owner...asking $50k obro. But that's also decent Turbo money.... When my C2 was repaired to the tune of $16k, the DV check I rec'd was roughly$3500, which I didn't want to fight over since I sold the car. An independent appraiser valued the DV at $7k

none of that made sense to me

accident damaged cars loose 5-10k and 80 percent of the buyers. I would take the money and sell the rest or part out, safe yourself a heartache later

$27k in damages and it's not totaled? Push the adjuster to total it. Selling or trading in a 996 (or any porsche) with accident history is an insane PITA. Good luck and glad you didn't get hurt.

Agree. Push for a total. But if not possible you must be a total and difficult bastard with the insurance company. Only OEM parts, strict inspection of work, etc.. You are smart to get the shop on your side. If they are good you will need them as an ally to make sure no corners are cut. You may want a third party inspection before you accept the final result. No matter how good the repair, the future Carfax report will be a disaster. No one in their right mind will ever buy the car or offer you anything on trade in. Insurance companies often play dumb when you first ask about diminished value, even denying the concept exists. They may also try to push any discussion of it until after the car is repaired. There are specialized companies/attorneys that negotiate DV for a percentage. At these amounts you may want to go that route. In the end though, you are not injured. That is all that really matters. Good luck.

Quotes source post: 10092230

That was my point with my post though I was not as succinct as you. Push for a by the (Porsche) book repair which raises the cost of the repair greatly. My local dealer charges $150/hour and doesn't discount even to a body shop with which it has a working relationship regarding accident repairs. Salvage parts are generally horrible and often not in as good a shape as the parts they are replacing yet priced nearly as dear. Or offered on eBay where the seller wants the money first and gives a promise to ship the parts. (My body shop ran into this when trying to replace a damaged bi-xenon headlight the listed for around $1800 from the factory. It ended up buying a new headlight.) The initial estimate is always low. A good body shop will want to do as much tear down of the car as it believes is necessary to ascertain the extent of the damage. After I hit a mule deer with my Turbo the body shop removed both bumper covers, the front trunk lid, the headlights, passenger side A/C condenser, radiator (they were clearly damaged from the impact), the vapor recovery system under/inside the passenger fender, the fender, the passenger side door (even though it was undamaged this provided access to the very critical hard points for the door hinges), the rear bumper cover, and the engine cover. The extent of the chassis/tube/structure damage was determined -- thankfully limited to a bent fender shelf that runs along the passenger side of the front trunk and but some minor paint scratches -- and the basic body chassis/tub/structure was deemed undamaged/sound and a good platform for a repair. The true extent of the damage needs to be determined and then the cost to repair the car properly can be estimated better and then likely a decision to total the car will be made. It has some salvage value but this is not necessarily a recommendation to retain salvage title. I retained salvage rights to my totaled (the estimating stopped at around $45K) 08 Cayman S (with just 2200 miles from new) and sold it at a salvage car auction for $20.7K. The circumstances of the other driver's insurance coverage -- underinsured (one should carry more than $50K insurance if one plans on running into $60K cars!) -- forced me to retain salvage otherwise I would have had to either file a claim with my insurance company which said insurance company then would have had more leverage to force a substandard repair or sue the driver/owner of the other car for the remaining damages. The cost of this would have eaten into the settlement to the point I would have come out worse.

Based on what colleagues have told me from their experience, DV claims seem to get settled for 10-20% of the cost of the repairs. As an example, repairs of $30K would yield a DV settlement of anywhere from $3K to $6K. More important that getting a DV check is ensuring the car is repaired properly. Macster nails the process on the head. Doing so has two benefits: -- if you keep the car, you know it is safe to drive, and can expect the same performance, feel and longevity that the pre-collision car had --if you sell the car, you can demonstrate to prospective buyers the care and expense that went into repairing the vehicle, which can help minimize the dimished sales value from the collision (although there will be some potential buyers that won't be interested, nothing can be done about them) As others noted, you were not hurt which is the most important thing. The car took the abuse, which is what it is designed to do. Good luck

27000 worth of damage is enough to total this car what the year of vehicle and cost to replace!

Quotes source post: 10092869

Sadly this is not necessarily the case. Different states have different total loss percentages. Some are surprisingly high. And states also have different diminished value laws.

Just out of curiosity, has the other driver accepted responsibility yet? Also, how do you get $27K in front end damage in an accident where you aren't at fault? Sounds like it's about 90% of the value gone, based on recent eBay sales. Bad day indeed. I think you should press your company strongly to write off the car. It may be helpful to get statements from your local Porsche dealership, indy shop, and local enthusiasts to the huge effect this will have on the car's value. Good luck and Merry Christmas to you in any case! It doesn't sound like anyone got hurt, so that at least is lucky.

Quotes source post: 10092982

You must tread carefully... You don't want to argue that the car is worth less to bolster total loss and then later try to argue it is worth more to get higher diminished value.

Quotes source post: 10093072

Good point. Too bad they don't do "diminished value" up here in Canada...

Quotes source post: 10091871

Wow do you have pics?

Diminished value could be a possibility and would ultimately depend on when you plan on selling your car and to whom. You may need to speak with an attorney to see if the coverage you purchased includes this as a potential loss and the values and limitations thereof. Read your policy thoroughly and you may find your answer. If you crash a new Hyundai and it is close to totaled but rebuilt, it would have a diminished value as well. The next owners of the vehicle may not bother to check so it may not be an issue.

Quotes source post: 10092659

Let me stress that as long as the car is basically sound and -- this is my opinion -- no cutting/replacing of sheet metal is required, that is any sheet metal that has to be replaced is done so by unbolting the old/damaged panel and bolting in a new (properly repainted) panel -- the car can be repaired to as close as its pre-collision condition as humanly possible. Case in point is my 03 Turbo which shortly after I bought it in 09 (with just over 10K miles on it) hit a mule deer. The cost to repair came to over $25K. Front trunk lid, bumper cover, one headlight, wheel/tire, radiator, A/C condenser, lots of brackets, etc., vapor recovery system, and paint. But I was very adamant the car be properly repaired as per Porsche's collision repair requirements. The car was properly repaired and the CPO warranty remained intact and in fact took care of various aliments: failed radiator fan shaft which took out the radiator (and yes, both the tech and I confirmed the fan and all hardware were factory parts even though I had the collision repair paperwork showing that all parts used were new factory parts); noisy idler roller bearing; leaky 6-speed speed tranny (tranny was replaced!); shifter, and clutch accumulator and slave cylinder. The car now has over 102K miles (around 90K miles added since the mule deer accident) and has no issues arising from the accident or its repair. 'course the car will always have some stigma from having been in an accident, but as time goes by and miles accumulate (and with no issues appearing from the accident repair -- which in CA is covered by a lifetime warranty as long as I own the car!) this counts for less. DV was not on the table for my Turbo since I had to file a claim against my insurance and DV is specifically excluded. In the case of the OP's car: First and foremost the goal is to determine if the car is repairable -- has suffered no serious damage to the chassis/tub/structure -- and then get it properly repaired. Then and only then see about a DV claim. But regardless of this outcome walk away with a car that has been properly repaired and returned to as close to its pre-collision condition as humanly possible.

When my fender bender was repaired, the cost went to $20k. Not that hard if you consider the bi-xenon headlamp is $3k by itself, bumper, $2k+, etc. Ironically, the fender was cheap, but when you start adding all the little stuff, it really adds up. The other ing is I asked my insurance company why they didn't total the car because the value isn't high at over 100k miles. They said, they simply did not have the ability to find a comparable replacement due to my mileage. All the replacements had half my mileage, and in some special cases, they will for-go totalling a vehicle and elect to foot the astronomical cost to fix it. But really, just get it fixed right and enjoy the car. These are volume production cars and fixing them isn't some black art nor are they hammering on aluminum body panels.

Thanks to all for the replies. The other party and their insurance has accepted fault. One of the posts intrigued me - take the insurance estimate proceeds and sell the car as is. How many have had success with this? Thanks & Merry Christmas!

Quotes source post: 10093142

I am attempting to attach a picture.

+3 push for a total!

For the insurance company, finding a comparable 40th AE will be difficult. . IMO, try to save yourself some time and patience and attempt to get it totalled. Ask the adjuster what the comparable value would be for a similar car like your car before the accident, provided your car has a clean carfax....... you'll be better off shopping for a replacement! Dont deal with the hassle of getting it repaired to Porsche standards..you will be in for a long road and/or a steady stream of taking care of alot of details such as misaligned panels, poorly blending of the paint panels, squeaks in the dash, poor door or frunk seal issues, overheating, front fans dont turn on , AC not cooling well, electrical glitches, etc.

Quotes source post: 10093601

Probably a few unsuspecting car owners. It is a win/win for the insurance company. The problem is the estimate to fix the car is probably low and the insurance saves some money. In the case of my 03 Turbo I mentioned in a previous post some time into the repair the body shop had to go back to the insurance company for another $5K. This brought the repair cost up from $20K to $25K.

Quotes source post: 10093238

I might add based on what I was told by various body shops these cars are in some ways a pleasure to repair. The outcome can be quite good. The reason is Porsche keeps/maintains high standards for its body/panel jigs/fixtures so a door made/fitted in '03 can be replaced with a door made in '12 can and will fit the same. The body shops tell me there are other brands of cars where the door made in afternoon will not fit the car made in the morning of the same day. This is why I believe as long as the basic structure of the car is good, not bent, that the damage is confined to just bolt on panels, mechanical systems these cars can and are repaired to their pre-collision condition.