Vehicle Retail Value Questions (insurance)

Okay I need someone that sells cars, deals with insurance what or something similar to give me some input on my situation. My wife wrecked our 04 Trailblazer on the 10th of October, we just got it back tonight the 8th of November, so they had the car for 29 days and it has to go back for some BS issues. ANyways back to my problems/questions. She hit a flat bed truck, so it missed the bumper and went thru the grill and headlights and pushed everything back about 1 1/2 feet. So I got an entire new front end plus some engine parts/accessories. The total for the repairs was $8977.28, we were thinking of trading the car in a week before the wreck, and we still are thinking about it. The TB is the LS model with 68k on it. I booked the car on KBB and NADA, KBB retail was 17,155 NADA retail was 15,500. So my first question is on the insurance thing, how much damage has to be done to total the car? My next question is about the trade in values, on KBB the trade in value is 8,075, NADA is $12,875. How can the trade in value be $9080 less than the retail value? Who sets these standards? I mean I can understand a $3000 car, trade only being $1500 but on a $17000, how can the trade value be less than half of the retail value? I hope someone with the experience can help me understand what the totals are and why we always get taken on the trade ins? Thanks for your help guys

here in ND when the damage meets or exceeds 75% of the value the vehicle is considered a total loss...also if the vehicle has had 8000 dollars worth of damage to it it gets a marked title..regardless if it was a total loss or not

Is the total of $8000 worth of damage for the life of the vehicle or is it if one accident was over $8000

In TX it is 70 or 75% and if it hits that is will total. Ask ur insurance company about the deminished value of ur car sometimes they will help u out and cut u a check for the deminshed value since the car has had quite abit of damage. It might be a long process and u will have to bring ur TB to an inspector and have the work that was done by the shop checked out but sometimes it is worth it to go through it. Also if u sale just sale it out right they will rape u on a trade in regardless if it was wrecked or not. hope this helps.

The 8000 dollars of the vehicle is just for that one claim u could wreck it next week and get 6000 dollars in damage and it would not total becase it will be filed under a different claim #. If u have any more question just let me know.

so they really do a deminished value thing, I have heard about that before but thought it was BS, this is the second wreck it has been in this year, the 1st time the replaced the same parts and had to straighten the frame, it was a little under 6 grand in damage, so this year we have had over 14 grand in repairs. How does that deminished value work, I have Allstate, do you know if they might offer something like that?

Deminished value is a state to state thing (Idaho has no diminished value laws) you can check with your insurance but it might be better to check with the state. And if you signed off on the repairs then you might have waived that right already. Also in ID it is not a % it is an ecnomic thing. if it is cheaper for them to fix it than replace it it is getting fixed, we have done a couple of new trucks that were more than $20,000 in repairs and the insureance comp. didnt flinch. most of the companys we deal with do a better check when it flashes 60- 75%

In Oklahoma, if the repair costs meet 60% of the value of the car before the accident, there is a good chance that the vehicle will be deemed "totaled" and sold for the salvage value... Might check into the Diminsed Value crap with you insurer, If your lucky you might be able to declare a total loss and get a bigger check for the replacement cost..

always been told if the damage is more then the worth they total it.