What to do keep car or let it go ?

GQM

So unfortunately i had a minor collision last Friday apparently it's the #1 cause of accidents in the UK at a junction the person infront pulls away onto the roundabout then slammed on the brakes and blamm after me hitting the brakes the collision was about 5 mph but his bumper is marked up and my drivers side light got broke along with some bumper damage and a little kink to my bonnet, anyhow i called the insurance and have offered me a day 1 settlement of £750 for my 2004 Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi or they can collect it assess it and i may receive more or less after the inspection.
So i not sure what to do as i deliberately chose this model of car as it is renowned for being reliable and economic based on advice i received from here a while ago any help appreciated thx

Scrapit

A some what dodgy description there. Anyway, if you think it's worth keeping then repair it, if not write it off and get another motor.

AdrianC

GQM wrote: »

So unfortunately i had a minor collision last Friday apparently it's the #1 cause of accidents in the UK at a junction the person infront pulls away onto the roundabout then slammed on the brakes and blamm after me hitting the brakes

Yes, it is a common collision - you weren't looking, assumed the other car had gone, and drove straight into a stationary object.

I did exactly that myself back when I first had my licence, before I learned to drive properly.

the collision was about 5 mph but his bumper is marked up and my drivers side light got broke along with some bumper damage and a little kink to my bonnet, anyhow i called the insurance and have offered me a day 1 settlement of £750 for my 2004 Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi or they can collect it assess it and i may receive more or less after the inspection.

Well, they're certainly going to write off your 15yo Fiesta for that, yep - bumper and bonnet replacement and paint, plus lights - way more than the value. And that's before any hidden damage.
So it's just a question of how much they pay you for writing it off.

So i not sure what to do as i deliberately chose this model of car as it is renowned for being reliable and economic based on advice i received from here a while ago any help appreciated thx

The other option is to ask for the salvage value of it - you keep the car, in exchange for probably 10% of the payout. They flag it as a Cat N write-off (non-structural), and you repair it with used parts. In return for a bit of hassle (a couple of hours work, if you can find panels the right colour), you get the car back on the road.

It's what I'd be doing.

LandyAndy

GQM wrote: »

So unfortunately i had a minor collision last Friday apparently it's the #1 cause of accidents in the UK at a junction the person infront pulls away onto the roundabout then slammed on the brakes and blamm after me hitting the brakes the collision was about 5 mph but his bumper is marked up and my drivers side light got broke along with some bumper damage and a little kink to my bonnet, anyhow i called the insurance and have offered me a day 1 settlement of £750 for my 2004 Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi or they can collect it assess it and i may receive more or less after the inspection.
So i not sure what to do as i deliberately chose this model of car as it is renowned for being reliable and economic based on advice i received from here a while ago any help appreciated thx

About a dozen years ago I hit a deer in my old Peugeot 405. I wasn't going fast but it creased the bumper and the bonnet and broke a headlight. I simply replaced the headlight and left the bodywork unrepaired. If the bodywork damage isn't so bad as to be dangerous then that is what I would do with yours.

GQM

Believe it or not i was paying attention but was kinda blinded as i had the sun visor down and sun causing me impaired vision as i literally didn't see his brakes at all as the bright sun bleed them, anyhow the front light needs replacing around £25 on ebay the bumper can only be noticed if you look close but the bonnet has a kink in it up one side was wandering how much a panel beater charge for such work.

GQM

Hi do you reckon there day 1 settlement of £750 is likely to go up or down if they collect it and do the assessment ?

AdrianC

GQM wrote: »

Believe it or not i was paying attention but was kinda blinded as i had the sun visor down and sun causing me impaired vision as i literally didn't see his brakes at all as the bright sun bleed them

He stopped. You didn't. That cannot be spun into anything but 100% your fault. Sorry.

but the bonnet has a kink in it up one side was wandering how much a panel beater charge for such work.

Just buy a second-hand bonnet the right colour... FAR cheaper than getting somebody to straighten the old one.

GQM

apart from ebay any recommendations on wheres best to look for a second-hand bonnet ?

silverwhistle

Does the bonnet even have to be the same colour? It's not as if you're going to sell the car.

googler

GQM wrote: »

Believe it or not i was paying attention but was kinda blinded as i had the sun visor down and sun causing me impaired vision as i literally didn't see his brakes at all as the bright sun bleed them, anyhow the front light needs replacing around £25 on ebay the bumper can only be noticed if you look close but the bonnet has a kink in it up one side was wandering how much a panel beater charge for such work.

Sorry, but - moving forward when you cannot see properly what's in front of you is not "paying attention".

angrycrow

Best place for a bonnet is your local scrap yard so you can see the condition before you buy. Only 4 bolts to remove a bonnet but easier if you have two people. You could probably get the headlight from the same scrap car.