Insurance, and Mini Trucks

get an agreed cash value policy. I agree if it is hit hard enough to have frame damage it is totalled anyway, having a cash value policy means you get what you agreed to. Usually cash value policies have "buy-outs" because they are mainly for custom cars or collector vehicles, so if you get ANY damage it is considered significant and you have the right to have the car bought as salvage even if it is just a fender bender.

Maybe an example would be better, a bone stock original and cherry Yenko Camaro gets in a minor fender bender that needs paint work. A FIXED one isnt worth near what an UNTOUCHED one is, so you can cash out. Same with a custom paint job, a 15k paintjob with damage is totalled with one crease, no painter in their right mind (except fester lol) would dare blend a graphics job, so you cash out.

And here in KS if you remove a VIN you are supposed to have a state trooper sign a verification paper, so that when you reattch it (welding, rivets, screws, whatever you use to reattach) you can show them the paper and get an exception.

yeah ive been hit before in dec 06 and she smashed my whole front end. I didnt have the custom insurance but had full coverage and i guess they didnt know it had airbags and the frame cut etc. so i paid 4100 to fix the front end and get a whole new custom paint job, but i wonder if i approached my insurance company now (allstate) and wonder what they would do. Id be afraid they could drop me then and their if they came to look at it. or i should tell them "well what if someone has a truck already insured and got custom work done to it, could they get the custom insurance appraisal?" hypothetically speaking....

Originally posted by Russ-D



get an agreed cash value policy. I agree if it is hit hard enough to have frame damage it is totalled anyway, having a cash value policy means you get what you agreed to. Usually cash value policies have "buy-outs" because they are mainly for custom cars or collector vehicles, so if you get ANY damage it is considered significant and you have the right to have the car bought as salvage even if it is just a fender bender.

Maybe an example would be better, a bone stock original and cherry Yenko Camaro gets in a minor fender bender that needs paint work. A FIXED one isnt worth near what an UNTOUCHED one is, so you can cash out. Same with a custom paint job, a 15k paintjob with damage is totalled with one crease, no painter in their right mind (except fester lol) would dare blend a graphics job, so you cash out.

And here in KS if you remove a VIN you are supposed to have a state trooper sign a verification paper, so that when you reattch it (welding, rivets, screws, whatever you use to reattach) you can show them the paper and get an exception.

All thats great, and do that, but agreed cash value does not hold up like multiple appraisals do. So do both get your appraisals, send them to the insurance company, get it stated as well of the value that you want it covered for, without the appraisal you are going in to it unprotected. And on top of that once they have your appraisals, and your stated value be sure your paying a rate on such. Expect it to be high as your now paying rates on something thats no longer a cheap toyota truck. I spent a few thousand fighting my insurance company when I was rear ended with a stated/agreed value policy.

My strong advice from someone thats been on the loosing end of a "agreed cash value" policy is to have appraisals.

The reality is that if your over 25 and your vehicle is 20 years old or more you want to be doing insurance with a company that specializes in customs. Like Hagerty/American Hobbist/ect. Those companies deal with it all the time unlike Progressive/Nationwide/ect.

To go along with whats been said.. i have a 94 toyota pickup that has a blue book value of 2,000 bucks. Anything i do to the truck would total the whole truck. I ended up calling Hagerty. At the time i began talking to them they didnt offer much for our types of vehicles but the writer was very interested to see more pictures of my truck and what i had done to it. After a few days of back and forth email and pictures exchanged they wrote a policy for my truck for $20,000. Which i was super happy to hear. They also said they could insure it for up to 40k which i didnt seem to think necessary at the time.

what does that run you? I can put the truck in my moms name if anything. That would put the owner over the minimum age, and having payed for numerous cars insurances, it may help

All of this is great guys but here is the number 1 thing to really be careful of.... GET EVERYTHING DOCUMENTED. I work for an mobile audio appraisal company so it kind of works the same way for this. Everyday I deal with people saying "well I have the special coverage" and come to find out they never did. Be very strict with your appraiser and make sure everything is sanctioned correctly as far as coverage goes. There can be alot of miscommunication from your broker/agent to your actual claims adjuster so paper work is a must...

Originally posted by 72bumpside



what does that run you? I can put the truck in my moms name if anything. That would put the owner over the minimum age, and having payed for numerous cars insurances, it may help

Hagerty is cheap, like 50$ a month. Some policys will limit you like 5,000 miles a year in it, those are the same rules that apply to most stated value policies.. Your truck may still not qualify, it will depend on who you talk to. I wouldn't show it to them untill its complete or they may view primer/ect as "junk".

Putting in your moms name wont insure you to drive it most likely, I would imagine thats a much different line on a custom insurance policy. Id check into that very deeply before making that move.

Ya, everything will be on paper as far as what is covered/allowed whatever. We will have to look into it.

i need this......all my buddys have it except me