I understand how they arrive at worth. But dishdude is saying he got amounts well over the car worth. He said-the last time i had a total loss, the insurance company used a 3 party company to do valuation. they scoured the local market to find 3 compairables and then sent me the amount. it was more than i thought it would be .
if they don't do it this way, you need to present them with info that , if you consider their offer low, that will counter their offer. you can't really say your car is worth $50k and they take your word for it.
Sales tax,
Title fees
Registration fees
Dealer fees
Dealer markup
Rental/loaner car
Search costs (gas, travel, etc)
AND of course, actual equivalent replacement cost.