dont know if you want to travel or not but My local dealer has prii on the lot now. www.davidmaustoyota.com I'd be happy to hand check them for you if you wish.
That's what I was afraid of, your insurance is low-balling you. If the damaged car was a Subaru or a Ford truck, the way they are figuring would be right, but for right now, the Prius is not declining in value like other cars do. Have you looked for a used 2004 BC9 Prius? If you can find a used replacement for $17,500, the insurance company's offer is fair. Find some comparable cars and show your insurance company what the market is asking.
Thanks for the advice, Bill. This afternoon I have done a TON of research online, and I've compiled myself an Excel spreadsheet that has used 2004 Prii for sale which include the dealer's name, location of the dealership, and the website where I found it. I've also listed the # of miles and the cost...which is pretty interesting! In general, most are higher than what my insurance company is offering...which I think would be good for my insurance company to see! I've also included used 2005 and 2006 Prii. My sources have included such places as edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book classifieds, eBay Motors, and Craig's List (private sellers). In total, I have about 25 different listings as example to show my insurance company...plenty for them to look at!!! (edited post) Oh, and I forgot to mention that a buddy of mine told me I should check out clarkhoward.com: Save more, spend less and avoid rip-offs. I did, and I found this audio recording that supports what you were saying: http://content.streamaudio.com/podcast/1267/insurer_lowballs.mp3 It was an interesting 4 to 5 minutes to listen to for sure and helped build my case!
Well, it certainly helps to do your research. This past 4th of July weekend I put together a letter to my insurance company asking to reconsider the $17,500 they were willing to offer me. The time and effort I put into researching used 2004 Prii (along with making some other points about current gas prices, citing something from Consumer Reports, and describing the current demand for the Prius) certainly helped. The insurance company offered me a higher dollar amount of almost $21,000. This was an amount that I was satisfied with, and so I have accepted the new offer. Now, it is time for me to get on the waiting list for a new Prius!