We were recently in a hail storm that damaged all of our vehicles. Years ago I had a car that was stolen and "totaled" but I was able to buy it back at discounted price. Now I have two cars that they are totaling because of the storm but the buy back cost is fractional.

An example is the RDX. They are saying its worth a little under $12k which is fair. Minus my deductible ($1k) they are saying they will give me a check for $11k but that I can buy it back for $9k.

That just seems weird to me. They essentially know how much damage there is to the car but arent seeming to calculate that into the buy it back cost.

Im guessing they are doing this because they can eventually write of the difference at auction as a "loss" on their end?

Also, if anyone has any experience with this process... How flexible is the insurance company on the settlement $$ number? I just purchased a used Denali 6 weeks ago. I purchased it below listed value and now they are saying that they show the car being worth $3-$4k less than that! If I spend time dealing with this, how likely are they to budge on their settlement $$?

Thanks all.