John,
When the insurance company declares your car as a total loss, they will take into consideration all relevant factors to provide an accurate estimate of your vehicle's value. These include make and model of your car, the year it was manufactured, the mileage recorded and the condition of the car just before the accident (dents, scratches etc). The idea is to provide a replacement car to you with the same specification and condition before it became an insurance write off. You may find that the value being offered to you is way below the market value of your car and you shouldn't give in straight away. The insurer has a responsibility to provide you with a like-to-like or very close match of your car and if you cannot get that with the money they are offering, then you can dispute this with them.
