Jeremy, I wish I had seen your post about getting an appraisal seven years ago when I purchased my gorgeous, one-owner, low mileage 300D. I have already posted about the car accident that totaled her a couple of weeks ago. (Not my fault, but we both have witnesses and his are far less credible and are lying.) It has been an absolute bloodbath dealing with Farmers Insurance. For what they are offering me, I can replace my well-kept beauty with a beater.

As far as Farmers are concerned, all 1980s 300d cars still on the road are in the same condition and have the same value. Their bad faith is staggering. I am fighting like hell, but it looks like I am going to be screwed. No attorneys are interested without a significant personal injury component, and I do not have the stomach or the patience to turn my stiff neck into more than it is.

I had no idea I was putting so much money at risk by assuming that I had decent insurance with Farmers, that I had comprehensive coverage that would allow me to replace my car with one in the same excellent condition in case of an accident. (They have the greatest amount of justified complaints by far according to the California Dept. of Insurance; not knowing this was another bad move on my part.)

I have no doubt that I would be in an infinitely stronger position had I an appraisal on file. So many of us write about how much we love our cars, how we fix them up and maintain them well. All of this care, time, and money is burned the minute we require the use of an average "daily driver" insurance policy.

To believe otherwise is foolish. For those of us who do not have piles of money sitting around, licensed appraisals are a must as a precaution in case of accident.

In the meantime, my mother is loaning me her 1999 Lincoln, while I save up for another car. She was horrified at my plan to rely on Los Angeles public transportation, and she recently bought a new car. So I am lucky there, but pretty heartbroken. I failed to protect myself adequately against insurance company bad faith, and I feel like an idiot. Never again.