Just when you thought it was safe to get your car repaired...

[niteowl7710]

Well this is an entertaining saga to be sure. I bet the dealer feels it has gone above and beyond to find him a replacement vehicle, because lets face it, no matter who's at fault an insurance company doesn't go buy a car and bring it to your house, it cuts you a check and sends you on your way. So legally the dealership doesn't have to do a single thing, it's between their insurance company and this guy. That attitude however is of course getting them a pile of "bad" press.

I find it interesting that this guy doesn't have Full Replacement/Gap Insurance on his own. I mean it's a ZL-1 Camaro, not a V-6 off-lease program car. If I had that expensive a vehicle, you can be sure I'd be getting it replaced, and/or paid off in the event of an accident. Plus at that point you could get your check from YOUR insurance, and let THEM deal with fighting with the dealer's insurance about getting their money back. Because it clearly appears that the Fair Market Value of his car isn't covering his finance note.

The idea that this guy (and a lot of the comments in the original article) are putting forward that they should just GIVE him a NEW ZL-1 is ridiculous. Unless you could prove the dealer was intentionally liable in employing the guy who took the car out and destroyed it, why would they be on the hook to eat the cost of a 0 mile car, that at this point isn't even the same exact body-style as his wrecked car? How would that even work? He's paying a note on a car that doesn't exist anymore in a technical sense, so even if you re-fi'd the old note into the '14 ZL-1 somehow and the dealer ate the difference, who's paying the sales tax on the entire thing? Delaware doesn't have a sales tax, but there is a 3.75% Documentation Fee based on the Sale Price - so that's $1,950.

I guess ultimately it would be up to the Dealership to determine whether or not eating $16,000 is worth making this whole thing go away.

Edited January 13, 2014 by niteowl7710

[freakshow12]

Exact ally!! He figures his 60 k car is still worth 60 k. It's not. I have full replacement for 3 yrs on my shelby. Which is the exact number taxes in on my paperwork. Car gets totalled I get car paid off and my equity back so I am out nothing.

[ZTony8]

I was reading that thread on the Camaro5 board.Over 1200 posts!GM and Berger Chevy(Grand Rapids,Mich.) are getting involved to get the guy a 2013 ZL-1 to purchase.

[espo]

I'm retired from over 30 years in the retail car business. As many of your friends here have pointed out, your attorney should have his or her arms around this. You do have an independent attorney who answers just to you, don't you? #1 The dealership is "dancing around with you " because they are the responsible party. They had possession of the vehicle and there Garage Owners Insurance should cover any losses. Dealer's problem is their rates are going to go thru the roof if they can get it next year. #2 Has the locale police department gotten involved yet? In any states that I have lived in this is called Grand Theft Auto. and not the video game. The employee has taken the keys after hours to go for a "joy ride". I think they #1 Thought maybe that you didn't have as much owner pride in your car, #2 That you were stupid or some thing. Get some very good legal help, and ask them if you should get GM involved. GM will not be responsible in any way, but they don't take kindly to dealer that is treating you in this fashion. #2 Ask your attorney if it's time to have you interviewed by the local "investigative" TV station. This should playout good on the 10 o'clock news. Good luck and make this so and so make it right. Their giving a bad name to all of the good dealers out there

[keyser]

From Autoblog/Camaro5:

"Last week, we told you about the saga of Delaware couple Debbie and John Hooper, who were engaged in a battle with First State Chevrolet over their wrecked 2012 Camaro ZL1. The car was sent to the dealer for a warrantied paint repair, but was wrecked by a joyriding employee that snuck in on a weekend to go for a spin.

First State claimed that as the employee shouldn't have been in the car in the first place, it wasn't liable for the crashed ZL1, although it did try to make things right with the Hoopers by offering them a car with more mileage, modifications, options they didn't want and a rather questionable provenance. This was turned down. The Hoopers wanted a new ZL1 for their troubles.

Now, thanks to a little cooperation from General Motors and Berger Chevrolet, in Grand Rapids, MI, a 2013 Camaro ZL1 is being sent to First State. According to a post on the Camaro5 forums, John Hooper said, "I understand that it will be about two weeks before the insurance check is cut, the old car is paid off, the new car arrives, and a new purchase contract will be signed by my wife and I for the purchase of our new ZL1." Emphasis is his.

There aren't many other specifics on the forums, so we can't say whether it's the dealer's insurance or the Hooper's insurance that are picking up the tab for the wrecked Camaro. As for the newer Camaro, it seems like the Hoopers are being treated like any other purchaser rather than getting special treatment after what they've been through. Whether that's right or not, we'll let you decide. What is clear is that the Hoopers are getting what they wanted - a new ZL1. As car people, we should simply be happy about that."

News Source: Camaro5 via Jalopnik