Buying back accident write off

Round_The_Bend

Hi,

I just wanted to check out the procedure for buying back a car if the insurer deems it to be too uneconomical to repair. Also what happens in terms of insuring a car that has been written off? My renewal is due in December too.

Somebody went into the back of me earlier today and having spoken to my usual mechanic, who inspected the car, he stated that the car will definitely be written off. He is going to find out the cost of repairing the car by tomorrow but I am hoping that it will work out to be cheaper than having to buy a new car.

Also, I am due to fly to the U.S.A. next week for a few days and was relying on using my car to get to the airport. My insurance company is prepared to provide a rental car, while they are assessing the damaged vehicle but presumably I will have to return this the minute they decide to write off my vehicle, which is likely to be just before I fly or while I am away.

To make things easier, is it likely that the insurance company will agree to collect the car after my return?

Thanks for any advice before I contact the insurance company to discuss things further.

forgotmyname

Depends on the category they apply, A or B you wont be able to buy it back, Category C or D you can.

But you dont say what car it is and what year, How long you owned it? How much you paid for it. These
will factor into the insurances valuation. If you paid £5000 for it 3 months ago you should expect that figure back
minus excess etc.

Round_The_Bend

It's only a ten year old Nissan Almera with 100,000 miles on the clock, worth at most £750. I've had it for almost three years, paid around £1500 and apart from replacing the clutch and gear box last month, it has been ultra reliable, so am feeling really gutted.

Money is tight for a variety of reasons, so if the cost of repairing it is close to the insurance pay out, then I would rather stick with what I know than pay around £2,000 for another car. I think that based upon what the mechanic said, it will be a category C or D.

Thanks for your response.

vaio

I'd get in touch with the third party insurance company direct.

They'll probably be only too pleased to give you a hire car and you could well find that you can negotiate a payout without them writing your car off which will avoid the hassle of a cat C/D tag.

Generally, if you claim on your own policy there is an excess to deal with, you might well find your policy comes to n end on a total loss payout, car hire can be limited according to the terms of your policy etc etc.

None of these will apply if you deal direct with the third party insurance, basically as long as your claim/costs are reasonable then you'll get paid.

dacouch

I agree with Vaio with regard to contacting the third party for the car hire, please remember to tell them you are going away on holiday as they may want to take the car back temporarily while you are away, although there is a good chance they won't. If you don't tell them (This applies if you use a credit hire) there is a chance they will not pay for the hire while you away.

Round_The_Bend

Thanks for both of your replies. I will find out the cost of the repair today and will then be able to make an informed choice.

If I do contact the other party's insurerer directly, where does that leave me in relation to the contact that I have already had with my own insurer, in terms of showing that the claim is resolved rather than still outstanding? Are there any other pitfalls that I should look out for, both in terms of dealing with my own insurer and the other party's?

Thanks again for your advice.

frothey

Round_The_Bend wrote: »

I've had it for almost three years, paid around £1500 and apart from replacing the clutch and gear box last month, it has been ultra reliable, so am feeling really gutted.

Sounds a bit like Triggers broom

bigjl

Make sure you mention the recent work carried out,a bloke at work did so and was able to buy back his Fiesta after a break in wrote it off, he then drove it for another two years and somebody bumoed it in traffic and he bought it back a second time.

As far as car rental goes, I woud just take a taxi or train to the airport. If however the car is driveable then get them to arrange things to suit your schedule, my wifes Clio was taken in for repairs the best part of a month after she was in a non fault accident.

Triggers broom, LOL.

Round_The_Bend

Thanks again to everybody for their advice. I'm going to deal with the other party's insurer directly. The quote to repair the damage is "no more than £600" from my trusty mechanic and he has advised that it is safe to drive, so that I can arrange to have the repairs done when I get back from my trip. What a relief!

Thanks again to everybody, who responded.

what_to_do_4

Could I ask a similar question? My sister braked hard to avoid going into the driver in front who braked for no apparent reason. As a result she skidded and skimmed a car coming in the opposite direction. It was not exactly her fault but she was still the cause of the damage to the other car, albeit minor. Question is should she go through insurance to repair the other car (small denting costing approx £550) or just pay for his damage. Her car is a very old BMW with little market value and will likely be written off by her insurance even though it has much value for her as she can't afford to buy another car and this one gets her from A to B perfectly well. She only requires a bumper repair and a new indicator light. She has £350 excess to pay.

What value will the insurance company put on her car (if market value is less than £50) and if she goes down the route of buying it back, how much would that be and will she have to get it re-insured from scratch because they now have written it off?

Thanks for any advice.

oscarward

my brother had an omega which he was planning to use for scrappage allowance.

A coach reversed in to him and cracked a light unit and scratched the bumper. The other insurers wanted to write it off. car worth 1200 , repairs 700+ of which 600 was for a new bumper.

He rang the other insurers and suggested just a new light fitting and not write it off to which they agreed. And he swapped it for a new Hyundai 6 months later.

Everyone happy, except coach driver