How to finance a car when insurance payout isn't enough

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   Putting down extra cash from personal savings
2. 2
   Looking for cheaper cars matching the exact insurance payout amount
3. 3
   looking for a generous donor to sponsor the vehicle in exchange for advertising
4. 4
   contacting local trial lawyers associations for cash and positive PR
5. 5
   coordinating with fleet managers at response agencies for cheap or donated retired vehicles
6. 6
   seeking vehicle donations or tax write-offs from local construction companies and car dealerships
7. 7
   Buying a cheaper used car outright with a portion of the funds and putting the remainder toward credit card debt
8. 8
   Using the funds for a down payment while financing the rest of a replacement vehicle and putting remaining funds toward high-interest debt

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.