Car Write Off Settlement Amount....

woody252506

A couple of weeks ago somebody decided to crash into the side of my beloved 2.2 Astra coupe and thus its been written off!

It was a 51 plate 2.2 coupe bertone. Metallic silver, red leather with the winter pack (Heated seats,mirrors) and in immaculate condition. Cleaned inside and out every week for the last 3 years I have had the car. It had 88k on the clock and was serviced every 12,000 at registed Bosch garages.

I am in the process of going through the insurance claim etc and the first offer they gave me for it was £2500. The guy was a typical negotiator and rather rude as he was one of those people who talked over you when you tried to make a comment or pass your opinion over

He said he was sending out some paperwork to fill out and it was up to me to state my case why I think I deserve more and provide evidence to back this up. Looking around a reasonable distance from my address I have found 2 coupes of similar spec (Neithe has leather though or the winter pack) for just short of £3k. I have found another from Perrys Vauxhall, 18k less mileage, however it lacks the leather interior and winter pack as the others do but this one is for sale at £3994.

My argument in my letter back is that I am looking at cost to replace the car and not the actual value. Add to this the fact that mine was serviced more regularly than Vauxhall actually specify means the mechanical condition and reliability of mine is much better than any other I will find. This leads me to argue a further point that I am now going to have to purchase from an authorised Vauxhall dealer to improve the chances of me getting a similar car that has been looked after as well as mine was.

Also anyone who has ever seen or been in my car always commented how clean and tidy and well cared for it was. You could literally have taken it off me and put it on a forecourt without a clean or valet and it would have looked like it had been professionally done.

I am insisting that I am looking for around £3300 for my car. Do you think this is realistic given the above points I will be making?

Also my insurance company have told me that it may well end up that I get sent a interim cheque for the £2500 i was initially offered and upon receipt of this around 7 days later I wont be entitiled to the hire car I am currently using at their expense! Is this the norm?

Thanks people, opinions appreciated!
:cool:

Quentin

If they are sending you a cheque for £2500, then they are offering you more than that as a settlement (ie, the £2500 is the net amount after deducting your excess).

Back up your argument with adverts etc. for similar cars to yours.

cogito

Insurers often cite adverts for similar cars in publications such as Autotrader to justify their valuations so it's not a bad idea to play them at their own game and do the same.

Nevertheless things like leather and winter packs count for very little on older cars. You can't really get away from the fact that it's an older car with a fairly high mileage and the fact that it's been well maintained adds nothing to the value.

dogbot

My argument in my letter back is that I am looking at cost to replace the car and not the actual value.

You may well argue this but unfortunalty that isn't what the policy will cover you for. The policy covers you for the market value of your vehicle, not the replacement cost. Find as many adverts as you can and send them in. The important factors that need to be as close as possible are age, engine and mileage.

dacouch

Are you claiming off your own Insurance or directly from the other parties Insurance?

Whats your policy excess?