Possible Vehicle Write Off

Debt_Free_Chick

I've ploughed my car through a hedge and in to a field this morning. I would guess that the vehicle is written off .... but this is not yet confirmed by the insurer.

If it is written off, I would estimate the value to be around £2,500 - but I could not replace the vehicle for that amount.

Any tips as to how I can maximise the payout offered by the insurer? What "evidence" do I need to produce? Examples of similar vehicles for sale now?

Grateful for any help, peeps

Debt_Free_Chick

Al_Mac wrote:

They, more than likely, use the trade prices, they did for me years ago.

Helpful, thank you. I guess I need to research the market price for MY vehicle with MY mileage.

If you've put new tyres on, you may get more.

I guess I can retrieve the new(ish) radio/CD player too

Astaroth

You should get private sale price and not either trade nor forecourt. Look in the likes of autotrader for similar age, condition & mileage but remember there is nothing to stop people advertising a car in there for 10x its worth.... what you really want is the sold price rather than advertised - if you can get hold of an old copy you can always ring a few people pretending to be interested and if they say its sold sound disappointed and ask how much they happened to sell it for.

Debt_Free_Chick

Astaroth wrote:

You should get private sale price and not either trade nor forecourt. Look in the likes of autotrader for similar age, condition & mileage but remember there is nothing to stop people advertising a car in there for 10x its worth....

Value your advice, thank you.

I am told that the problem these days is that the bodywork is not "repaired" but generally "replaced". So I need (at the very least) a rear quarter panel and a rear arch - and that these are likely to cost in the region of £1,000.

Otherwise, the vehicle is structurally sound (it's a Mitsubishi Pajero, LWB Diesel - 2.8L Turbo, 93/94) - but the cost of the bodywork alone is likely to write it off

However, I shall be looking at the cost of a replacement - and also the cost to repair, on the assumption that I can buy the vehicle back from the insurer.

Any other suggestions welcome - thanks folks

Astaroth

Even if it is only an economic write off rather than a safety one most insurers will require you to have a road safety test done on the vehicle after you have had it repaired before they will reinsure you to drive it.

If you do "buy it back" you will have to pay the salvage value of the vehicle which is normally about 10% of the total loss value subject to the rarity of the vehicle (rare vehicles are highly sort after for parts so have a higher salvage value)

Another consideration is asking your insurers if they will consider a cash in lieu settlement instead of a total loss. It may result in slightly less cash in your pocket now but avoids the need of the vehicle being retested and the negative effect on resale value that a T/L against a vehicle has.

derrin

I have a 1994 (M) Nissan Micra, 80,000 miles. Recently someone went into the back of my car, cracked the bumper and knocked the boot really slightly out of line. The damage is so slight you can only notice it if you look for it, and the boot still opens and closes normally.

The insurance company are writing off the car as a Category C but say I can buy the car back which I would like to do as its in really good condition otherwise.

What I am hoping you can help me with is if you deal with these kind of repairs, if we have to repair the cracked bumper or if it can be left? We were told the insurance company had been quoted £1300 for a new bumper and boot, which is more than the cars worth. Although the insurance company have said all it needs is to pass a new MOT and get a VIC certificate to put it back on the road, is this right? This is all the information I currently have and the insurance company arent being very helpful!

Any help would be appreciated,

Astaroth

Different insurers have different requirements regarding road safety testing - MOT is required by some but there is a similar test (whos name escapes me at the moment) which some other insurers require.

Cat C certainly does mean that the vehicle is only an economic total loss and is legal for it to be returned to the road. Cat A & B can never be returned to the road as the extent of the damage means that they cannot be safely repaired.