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General => General discussion => Topic started by: supreme on 26 March 2008, 20:32
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Been rear ended by someone in a van and the insurance company think the car will be a write off due to its age, the damage is not that bad and all cosmetic, it doesnt look like anything structural to worry about from my inspection.
They are currently valuating the car and sorting out all of the details, so i dont know how little my payout will be but iam not planning on them giving me much as the policy was the left over i transferred from my policy for the Golf and its with the delightful people at Elelphant.
Major insurers aparantly want to rid the UK of "old" cars as they cause too much polution, its an incentive from the government!
I have £3.5K to paint and finish the project off saved up
So my question is do I continue building up this car as otherwise, its straight and mechanically well looked after or do i strip it and use the money to get somthing else?
How bad is a car with write off history to sell on eventually?
Pics...
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r15/awinedesign/P180308_173902.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r15/awinedesign/P180308_173901.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r15/awinedesign/P180308_1739.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r15/awinedesign/P180308_173802.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r15/awinedesign/P180308_1738.jpg)
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Don't let the bastards put you off, finish it! You don't want them to win by putting another oldish dub off the road do ya?
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Would you buy a car that was previously written off?
People are becoming more and more cautious due to the number of poorly repaired accident damaged cars out there and its getting easier and cheaper to find out a cars history.
Can you not try and cut a deal with the van driver for some cash and don't proceed through the insurance. Your insurance will go up considerably because you have a write-off against you, even if it is a non-fault claim. That way the car wont get registered as accident damaged either.
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It still seems like a good base car homez so just see what happens with the pay out money. If you can buy it back for not a lot, sure selling parts is one way but can you find another good base car?
:)
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I was wondering about this car today.
Personally i'd push the insurance company to repair it as one of the lads on my local forum did with a 16v Jetta.
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Ask the Insurance company if a contract repair could be carried out, ie a figure that the IC would be happy to pay out, but not allowing it to be written off, you then find a garage that will repair the car for that price, its not the best solution, but as your damage is only cosmetic, it would be a shame for the history of the car to be compromised..
Tom
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i would finish it off, that dent looks like nothing to be honest? Write off!??! Crazy, i done that sorta dent the other day as you may seen and it passed an mot.
Insurers just want old fast cheap cars of the road.
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You could always just not claim?
Surely a rear-end is the other party's fault, not yours, so just don't claim on their insurance and maybe even settle with them for the cost of their excess - your car isn't written off, their NCB isn't trashed, everyone's happy.
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Id finish it off even if it means buyin it back, it does'nt look bad at all.. also if and when you do ever sell it on you will have photos to show the next buyer of how minimal the damage was and more than likely it will be bought buy a VAG enthusiast anyways who will know you/the car! :smiley:
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Barely any damage there! Just argue the toss, if they say it's a write off force them to make a 2nd inspection or get a garage (of your choice) to give one!!
As for payout, if they write it off you can just argue the 'market value' - hit autotrader & specialist forums classified sections & get details & prices for as like-for-like cars as you can get i.e. colour & mileage. That way you tell them what you want rather than them telling you!
I would dispute it being a write off though! :smiley:
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insurers will write a car off if the ost of repair represents a significant portion of the value of the car. they wont think that car is worth a smuch as it is which will be evident by the amount they offer you. although purely cosmetic, the insurance assessor will have to estimate the ost of repair to a high standard, ie replacing the panel
as you are claiming off van man you are in a better position. you could ask your insurance company to champion your cause for the car to be repaired.
i think the best idea is to get a gouple of hundred quid off the van driver, as previously suggested.
as for buying a cat d car, i wouldnt have any problems. as is evidenced here, it doesnt take much to write off an old car at all. i'd be wary buying a cat b write off as you know the car has had a pretty hefty shunt
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dont think you can but a cat b thought they were only fit for parts???
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if you have the money then I would finish it off because the question is, can you find a better or more solid base car?
don't let them write it off though as it may put people off buying it should finish it off then come to sell further down the line.
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Thanks for all the positive comments and advice, thanks to some of the comments on here i argued my case very hard and we have agreed to the car being saved from the total loss register and the insurers are giving me an £850 payout to fix the car instead!
Really happy i dont lose the old girl and the extra money will be needed to squeeze the rear wheels into place under the arches!
Thanks again for all of the help
Alex
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Thanks for all the positive comments and advice, thanks to some of the comments on here i argued my case very hard and we have agreed to the car being saved from the total loss register and the insurers are giving me an £850 payout to fix the car instead!
Really happy i dont lose the old girl and the extra money will be needed to squeeze the rear wheels into place under the arches!
Thanks again for all of the help
Alex
great news....i will look forward to seeing the finished article
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Fantastic News!
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Hi
If this car is your pride and joy pursure the repairs, but looking at the damage there's hardly nothing wrong with it i'd say £700 worth, I can't see the problem, get a different insurance company???
Steve
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well i'll update this for alex, he's keeping it, the insurance have sort of paid out (i don't quite understand what he said) and he's 99% found somone to do the repairs and respray work.... oh and he's been trial fitting his wheels!
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Great news, contract repairs are the way to go in this type of situation, far too many vehicles get written off, simply because the owner simply does'nt understand that there are ways to overcome a scenario thats put before them! I deal with Insurance engineers on a daily basis, and find all of them to be sympathetic to people that want to keep there cars on the road, within reason! like I say, its just knowing what to do.. brilliant outcome.
Tom
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well i'll update this for alex, he's keeping it, the insurance have sort of paid out (i don't quite understand what he said) and he's 99% found somone to do the repairs and respray work.... oh and he's been trial fitting his wheels!
Thanks Joe, I updated the build thread but not this one,
As Joe said after a lot of negotiating with the insurers i managed to convince them to a settlement that kept me happy, the car was saved from the loss register and maintains its clean bill of health.
I only insured the car on the remaining policy i had left over from the Golf, which was with Elephant and to be quite honest, while if the car was your everyday runaround the service was top ntch, for my wants and needs they just couldnt cater.
We agreed on an £850 settlement in lieu, so Elephant have given me a cheque for £500 and then taken the excess which i have had to claim for in writting from Albany assistance who dealt with the claim and organised the hire car.
All seems a strange way of doing things but there you go.
The rear panel is £375 new from the stealers, which is a hideous amount of money in my opinion but i have sourced a straight one from the breakers for £65.
Joe is also correct i have found someone to paint the car for less than i was expecting to pay and Iam confident will do a good job, spent £300 yesterday on sourcing replacement seals, rubbers and exterior mouldings to make it shiny!
Iam just waiting on my brakes from Germany and then they will taken to the machinist along with the hubs, so i can have the whole car changed to 5x120 PCD! Oh and then there is the little issue of fitting 16x10's et 17 on the rear :laugh:
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Can I just say WELL DONE!! I have had some HORRENDOUS dealings with Insurance companies of late and am STILL pursuing a claim for injury from November 2004. I take it you are third party? By the way you describe the bother reclaiming the excess?? Well be sure and get it back is my advice. You would NOT believe the hassle and the rip off procedures I have had to put up with from three of the TOP supposed insurers in the UK!! they are I can quite confidently say (and I DO have the evidence to back this up I assure you!) They are staffed by LIARS!! And not even good ones at that!
BUT well done for sticking to your guns!! And hope you do get a result you are happy with. STRONGLY suspect you will!!! :smiley: