Car is totaled, now what?

[tar heel]

The document fee is a dealer BS fee. You can definitely buy a car without paying it. I don't intend to ever pay such a fee again. I don't know where you are, but the most outlandish we ran into was a Toyota dealership.

My DH totaled a car that sounds a lot like yours last December. His insurance settlement was pretty much book value plus sales tax. We had also done about $1,000 of work -- I hate to tell you but we got less than $100 of that added on. We also had medical bills paid, a rental car for a month and a small "pain and suffering" payment they offer to get you to sign a settlement.

We spent two months looking for a replacement car (borrowed my FIL's after the rental ended) and came away with a gem from a private seller on Craig's List. We did go up in price by several thousand dollars, but similar cars were $2,000-$3,000 more at the dealers before the document fees. Our mechanic went over it with a fine tooth comb, too. We bought from someone we were able to check out, which made us feel more comfortable. We met him at the bank where we got all the legal documents witnessed and gave him a certified check.

 

[tar heel]

A piece of advice . . . don't tell the people trying to sell you a car that your car is totaled and you have to get a new car NOW. When they ask you when you plan to buy, tell them "when you find the right car."

 

[MSLRAC]

I went to 2 dealerships, and both times was told there is a document/filing fee. They didn't elaborate on what for (just to file the documents) but I was shocked that they add that onto the price, and it makes it that much more! Maybe it was just the dealers I went to? Both were Ford places, as they had good specials in the paper.

Document fees are just a way for the dealers to make money. I refuse to pay them. No dealer has ever refused to sell me a car without them after some negotiation.

swilshire is pretty much right on about doc fees, they are pure profit for the dealership. There is no way on this earth that I would pay $500 in doc fees and I can't imagine trying to justify that to customers! I get reamed at least once a week for our $89.50 doc fee. So negotiate that fee out and watch them so they don't try to hide it somewhere else.

 

[MaggieBailey]

Thanks to those who helped me figure out what those doc fees really were! I called another dealership and they said they didn't have those at all, woohoo! Also, got a call from the insurance and the amount they are offering me is exactly what I wanted! I thought I was going to have to fight them and ask for some much higher number to get where I needed to be. Thanks again, all!!