conversation: User (svd9143): "I just went to get my vehicle assessed for damages after my car was hit. My car is old and the assessor said that the insurance company won’t pay to fix my car because it’s  over the total worth of my vehicle at this point. Instead, he is going to write me a check for the cost of my vehicle.\n\nWhat repercussions does this have for me in the future? My car is in great working condition but has a dent. I am sure I can get one or two more years out of it at least. If my car is hit again in the future, does this mean I will get absolutely no payment for the vehicle and will have to dump it if it’s not drivable? What about selling the car?"
  Self: "The insurance company is going to give you a check for the value of the car (less your deductible). The insurance company is going to keep the car. Then you can go buy another car with the money from the check."
  cas201 (cas201): "be advised, you dont have to give them the car(you get less) but you can absolutely repair the damage yourself, get a salvage title and keep on driving."
  Self: "I'm well aware, and I'm not going to recommend it to a novice as salvage titles come with a lot of baggage. Unless this car has some serious sentimental value or something, OP is better off buying a replacement in decent shape."
  rawbface (rawbface): "What is a salvage title, and why is it necessary in this case?"
  nominally (nominally): "Roughly: Damages happened to a car exceeding its cost to repair it *fully*."
  rawbface (rawbface): "That's "totaled", not the salvage title"
  nominally (nominally): "Totaling - what the insurance company does\n\nSalvage - How the state sees the car.\n\nBasis of these actions/labels: damages exceed value of car if it were repaired.\n\nDifference? State may require some documentation of driveability/safety to create salvage title. Otherwise they destroy VIN. Read your laws."
  