Modern Buddy

My 2008 Buddy 125 was stolen 3 weeks ago, an was recovered yesterday (or at least half of it was ). The whole thing had been stripped and left behind a park. My insurance is not trying to low ball me and offer $1000 (before my deductible) for the scooter, when even book value is $1800. A few weeks before it was stolen it had been knocked over, possibly in a first attempt to steal it, and the casing was damaged on the handlebars and it had gotten a couple scratches on the bike. I fixed the casing to drive it but was having to wait to fix any of the scratches because i needed it back to drive.

Does anyone know where I can find values people have been selling these for to present to my insurance for a more reasonable appraisal?

You can use this to search Craigslist for a bigger area than one city.
http://www.searchtempest.com/

Did you tell your insurance company about that damage? If not, I'd suggest keeping that to yourself (and maybe removing this post from the internet).

There are a few on craigslist, especially in the larger cities. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mc ... 70276.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mc ... 76794.html

The purpose of an insurance company is NOT to satisfy the claim in a reasonable and ethical manner, but rather to satisfy the requirements of the shareholders that they maintain profitability.

2wheelNsanity wrote:There are a few on craigslist, especially in the larger cities. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mc ... 70276.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mc ... 76794.html

I think the OP needs to search Craigslist near where they live because that's a part of how the insurance company values it.

Keys wrote:The purpose of an insurance company is NOT to satisfy the claim in a reasonable and ethical manner, but rather to satisfy the requirements of the shareholders that they maintain profitability.

I'll give my insurance, Progressive, props for how they handled my claim when I totaled my Italia. They offered me exactly what I thought it was worth, based upon my own research, and also paid reasonable price for my accessories. Not that I completely disagree with your point, but just to say that some insurance companies might be more fair than others.

Keys wrote:The purpose of an insurance company is NOT to satisfy the claim in a reasonable and ethical manner, but rather to satisfy the requirements of the shareholders that they maintain profitability.

It depends on the insurance company and the broker (if you used one). There are good and bad. I've been totally ripped off by insurance companies/brokers (Farmers and State Farm), and have been treated like a king by others (USAA). IIRC, you're former military. You should look into USAA.

Kelly Blue Book has an estimate here:

http://www.kbb.com/motorcycle/retail/20 ... buddy-125/

That's assuming "excellent" condition and doesn't take mileage into consideration, but it's a starting place.

My money is on the insurance company being State Farm. They screwed me a while back and I'll never forgive them.

You can stamp, whine, shout and scream — the best you'll get is a couple hundred dollars added on... and only if you do some research and attack their logic. Insurance is a scam and they know it. You'd have to take them to court to get a fair shake.

I was amazed how easy Progressive has been to work with, I can switch riders and insured bikes over the phone as I get them running or buy/sell new ones. I had amy Blur stolen, they paid out exactly what it cost to replace it with the same model from the same year in the same condition, which was fair, fast, and easy.

From my experience, Allstate is working on 70s technology with 40 departments that can't communicate with each other, or their agents.

State Farm are just stingy as hell and will pay a lawyer $5000 to screw you out of $1000.

Try complaining on Twitter, I pitched a rant about Allstate and some customer service intern saw it and was more effectual getting me answers than my agent or my case manager.

jonlink wrote:My money is on the insurance company being State Farm. They screwed me a while back and I'll never forgive them.
You can stamp, whine, shout and scream — the best you'll get is a couple hundred dollars added on... and only if you do some research and attack their logic. Insurance is a scam and they know it. You'd have to take them to court to get a fair shake.

Well, in most states you can do better than yell and scream. If you have a real case to make (such as a documented value for a bike that is very different than the offer from an insurance company for a total or their claimed cost to repair), there is a way to formally challenge the proposed settlement. I'm sure it varies from state to state but, in Oregon, you file an appeal with the state insurance commissioner. I did this with &#@%*# Allstate Insurance and got an adjustment through a mediation settlement. I actually have all my auto and bike insurance through State Farm these days. I have absolutely no complaints about service or fairness from them after a number of years and several claims (I realize others experiences with individual companies may be different - it is interesting though that State Farm is one of Consumer Reports top 3 auto insurance companies and Allstate is one of their bottom 3 ).

That's a sad first post. Sorry about your scooter getting stolen and murdered. But welcome to the message board. I have Geico on my scooter and car... So far so good.

Dooglas wrote:...I actually have all my auto and bike insurance through State Farm these days. I have absolutely no complaints about service or fairness from them after a number of years and several claims...

That's very reassuring to hear as I have been with them ever since AAA tried to totally screw me (after a six month battle I prevailed). Seems everybody has one particular insurance company they have good reason to totally hate. AAA is it for me. Never again will I do business with them.

You can also try NADA, the estimate seems a bit higher than KBB.

Presuming that it's registered, the value that the tax assessor uses to tax yu would be a pretty good number to fall back on.

k1dude wrote:

Keys wrote:The purpose of an insurance company is NOT to satisfy the claim in a reasonable and ethical manner, but rather to satisfy the requirements of the shareholders that they maintain profitability.

It depends on the insurance company and the broker (if you used one). There are good and bad. I've been totally ripped off by insurance companies/brokers (Farmers and State Farm), and have been treated like a king by others (USAA). IIRC, you're former military. You should look into USAA.

USAA is an excellent company and I have all of my insurance, bank accounts, and loans through them.

The scooter insurance is through Progressive but is partnered with USAA so you get a better deal than just signing up online with Progressive right off the bat.

ender07 wrote:Just an FYI to everyone, USAA is now open to the public so you don't have to be former military anymore to join. They are an excellent company and I have all of my insurance, bank accounts, and loans through them.

The scooter insurance is through Progressive but is partnered with USAA so you get a better deal than just signing up online with Porgressive right off the bat.

Really? I had no idea it was offered to the general public now. Ugh. I hope that doesn't ruin them.

The quote I got from Progressive (with the supposed USAA discount) was absurd. They wanted $700/year. I went with the same coverage from Geico for $95/year. I told Progressive the other quotes I was getting and they told me to go with them, they wouldn't budge. So I did.

Hmmm...I got mine through USSA with Progressive for about $125 for the whole year. But that is on a 50cc for two people.

I love USAA insurance, but in Washington they don't offer motorcycle insurance and the quote from Progressive was the same whether I applied through USAA or not (and was insanely expensive). I ended up going through Geico.

Kyle

illnoise wrote:State Farm are just stingy as hell and will pay a lawyer $5000 to screw you out of $1000.

A number of years ago, I was riding my old sportster through a parking lot. Some kid pulled out directly in front of me. I ended up in the hospital and the bike was totaled. The kid got a ticket for careless driving. He fought it and lost...it was upheld. He was insured by State Farm who refused to pay for ANYTHING. Hospital bills OR the bike, staying in a letter to me that I would have to take them to court to get compensation for anything....knowing, of course, that most people can't afford representation. Two Weeks later, a friend of mine who was insured by State Farm received a form letter from them proclaiming they were having to raise premiums across the board due to all the lawsuits being brought against them. And THEY were forcing the lawsuits in order to raise rates.

Tell me it ain't a scam...

Hi scooter peeps... I'm an insurance agent in policy service at USAA. Just wanted to throw this out there: We are not open to the public (sorry). You must still be eligible to join. You can visit USAA.com and in the search bar type in "eligibility" to learn more.

We refer our members to Progressive for motorcycle (and Scooter) policies. There are very few exceptions to having a motorcycle or scooter on your USAA auto policy. It will depend on the state first, and then how long you've had your MC license endorsement. I have a Progressive policy for my 170i (no exceptions!).

CA scooter peeps, your state is awesome, and we can insure your scooter/motorcycle on your auto policy, if you've had your MC DL endorsement for 3 yrs or more.

Just wanted to share!

Cpequin wrote:Hi scooter peeps... I'm an insurance agent in policy service at USAA. Just wanted to throw this out there: We are not open to the public (sorry). You must still be eligible to join. You can visit USAA.com and in the search bar type in "eligibility" to learn more.

We refer our members to Progressive for motorcycle (and Scooter) policies. There are very few exceptions to having a motorcycle or scooter on your USAA auto policy. It will depend on the state first, and then how long you've had your MC license endorsement. I have a Progressive policy for my 170i (no exceptions!).

CA scooter peeps, your state is awesome, and we can insure your scooter/motorcycle on your auto policy, if you've had your MC DL endorsement for 3 yrs or more.

Just wanted to share!

Whew! I didn't think USAA was available to the public.

I had no idea I could get MC coverage with USAA if I've had my MC endorsement for 3 years or more. They never told me that when I first inquired. I'll have to give them a call.

Sorry been away for a few days, went out of town to visit my dad. I actually have progressive insurance and they have been kind of hard to reach after I sent them ads I found on the scooters for sale. I can't search local area because there are non for sale in a 100 mile radius of where I am. I just want them up to $1500-1600 and that would be enough to at least have a chance to replace it.

Still very sad though, it's so hard to find a used seafoam green one and I loved that scooter so much. I'm still holding out for another one but who knows.

They need to pay retail value on the scooter. Did you report the minor damage? If not it doesn't affect the price. You need to call and chase them around the bush until you get an answer. Repeatedly ask the same questions if nessecary. Don't shout or curse, just firmly demand what's fair and be prepared to waste someone's entire afternoon on the phone. Keep a log of all calls and conversations. Don't threaten them unless it's unavoidable.

pamperwithrachel wrote:Sorry been away for a few days, went out of town to visit my dad. I actually have progressive insurance and they have been kind of hard to reach after I sent them ads I found on the scooters for sale. I can't search local area because there are non for sale in a 100 mile radius of where I am. I just want them up to $1500-1600 and that would be enough to at least have a chance to replace it.

Still very sad though, it's so hard to find a used seafoam green one and I loved that scooter so much. I'm still holding out for another one but who knows.

Sorry to hear about the difficulty you're having. Progressive must be different depending on where you're at. When I dropped my Italia, I was quickly assigned a personal representative. I had his phone number and e-mail and he was very responsive to both methods of contact. He also added on the cost of an accessory for me with just an e-mail receipt as evidence.

I've always had great luck with progressive. I've had better luck with geico on motorcycle insurance though.

When she was stolen.... The agent got all the info together and managed to give me $2200...which went to purchasing a 2009 Buddy 125. The dealership in San Jose provided pictures and a complete review of the damage and repair costs. And my rates remained the same. Good for the lizard!

See if you can coordinate with your shop to have them do the estimate and give that to the insurance guys. There may be a labor charge for the estimate, but you might be able to work that into going towards the deductible. I've heard of some ridiculous estimates from insurance companies, and not just on scooters, but on motorcycles as well. The insurance people (from my experience) go for the lowest bidder on replacement parts and labor times/rates instead of what's realistic.

Skootz Kabootz wrote:

Dooglas wrote:...I actually have all my auto and bike insurance through State Farm these days. I have absolutely no complaints about service or fairness from them after a number of years and several claims...

That's very reassuring to hear as I have been with them ever since AAA tried to totally screw me (after a six month battle I prevailed). Seems everybody has one particular insurance company they have good reason to totally hate. AAA is it for me. Never again will I do business with them.

I have funny stories about how stupid AAA insurance agents are (AAA is just an agent for Commerce Ins. around here).

Ages ago, I called them to find out how much it would cost to add my roommate to my policy. After they said it would basically double the cost of the policy, I said forget it. At that point, the agent tried to tell me that I *had* to. That any licensed driver living with me HAD to be on my insurance, that I had no choice. I told her "bullshit", and then she proceeded to read me some line from some law. Well, she was interpreting that line completely wrong, and I told her so. Finally she said "I'll put you down as refusing". I just laughed and said "Yeah, you do that."

Then, years later, when MA finally relaxed its sphincter on its insurance laws, and more companies were willing to do business here, I signed up for Progressive (saving about 50% from Commerce/AAA). When I called AAA to cancel, and told them about the savings, the agent said, and I quote "They're breaking the law!".

Hahahaha.

So yeah, when my scooter was stolen under Progressive, they called my local Buddy dealer to ask for a value. Progressive paid me that exact value, plus $1000 worth of accessories, then minus my $1000 deductible. The scooter shop then sold me a brand new replacement for the value they told to Progressive. So yeah, I was out the deductible-worth of accessories, but overall, it was a pretty fair bargain.

I can't help myself.