Old wrecked car might be salvagable

Dear Harry: In June, I was involved in a car accident when a young man cut in front of me and I hit his car. There was a witness, and he was clearly at fault. I drove the car to my dealer to see if it was still safe to drive and for them to talk with the insurance adjuster. A few days later, I got a letter from the insurance company telling me that they had to salvage the car. They said the law required it since it is "inoperable or unsafe to pass state inspection without the owner having to spend more on the car than it is worth." They gave me a value of $2,240. Both the dealer and an outside repair shop told me it can be repaired for $1,300 (the shop price) and $1,420 (the dealer's price), and be totally road-safe. The insurance company agreed that the car was in good shape except for damage to my hood, a front fender and bumper. The frame is intact. What should I do?

WHAT HARRY SAYS: Try to have your dealer speak with the adjuster to try to get the insurance company to reverse its position. The repairs you cited hardly seem enough to cause the car to be junked. Moreover, it will probably cost the company less money unless they underestimated the value of the salvaged car.