Crashed a brand new 330i (20 days old). I guess mostly it would be a total loss as the damage was pretty bad and all the air bags were deployed.
I have paid 3k down. Will insurance return this money back? Also, any action item on my side except working with the insurance person.
Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.
First I hope you are OK in that accident
Secondly that’s why you never pay any down payment
Fortunately, I was not injured. Thank you.
I didn’t think of this case for down payment 
If it’s your fault your will probably lose it.
if he has gap insurance can they help recover it?
sorry for your loss but glad you are ok
GAP is for discrepancy between payoff and “market value.” (whatever insurance determines it to be). Cap cost reductions reduce that payoff upfront essentially. I think GAP would not?
This is like saying there were 36,096 fatalities in motor vehicle crashes last year, so you should never get in a car.
Not to mention “down payment” and “due at signing” gets confused and used interchangeably around here every day.
Unfortunately for the OP, any money up front is difficult to impossible to recover, regardless of whether it’s technically a down payment or not.
How does a one pay lease come out in a situation like this?
One-pay money is refunded on a pro-rated basis (at least for BMW).
That seems like a poor analogy. You don’t put money down because if you wreck your new 330i 20 days after leasing it you lose all the money. It seems like a pretty good rule to follo almost all the time as opposed to not getting in a car because it is “dangerous”
You don’t get into a new 330i because you could crash and die 20 days after leasing.
Like totaling the car, both are possible, and both are highly improbable.
Are you saying that one has the same chances of crashing a car as dying in a car crash? There are more totaled cars than car crash deaths, obviously.
No, I typed what I meant. Both are highly improbable.
Then again:
Both are unlikely, sure.
Did she lose down payment on her house?
Not sure, but I certainly would never risk taking a nap.
I get your point, putting money down and losing it in a total loss is a very low possibility.
Does not make it a good idea to put down thousands, to save a few dollars.
I’m so confused. Putting zero down costs basically nothing. You pay slightly more in interest payments but conversely you are earning a return on the money you hold until you make the higher monthly payment.
This isn’t like not driving or not taking a nap. There is literally no downside to not putting money down. It’s why we always say don’t put money down.
It’s like an absolutely free insurance policy. Why wouldn’t you accept it?