Non fault claim / car total loss / please help?

Devon_Driver

Back story.

1 week ago, my car was reversed into by an elderly gentleman who attempted to park his car in a small gap (not a space), next to my car in a near empty car park. My car sustained (driver side) light panel damage, a crumpled wheel arch and sheared off wing mirror. Fortunately he already admitted fault by left a note. I happened to find him by my car and took photos of the damage to both cars.

I contacted my insurers - who seemed fairly unhelpful, asking me to do lots of leg work which would have left me without a car for a day or two. The next day, I contacted the elderly gentleman's insurer (Saga). They were great, took my car to their approved repairer, and delivered a hire vehicle to my place of work.

Monday I was informed by Saga that my car has been classed as a total loss due to it's age and value against the cost of repairs. They informed me that a sister company of theirs will be in contact to make me an offer for my car.

I have researched the value of my car by looking it up on Parkers as well as Autotrader for the same car (make/model/spec/age etc). From both sources, the value of my car averages between £1500-£2000.

Two months ago I also spent £800 on repairs to this vehicle.

My Question:
I'd like to avoid being made a low offer from the insurer, so I'd very much like some advice on how I should go about negotiating the best and most sensible price - especially considering I am now claiming through the elderly gentleman's insurer (Saga), not my own.

Many thanks

Quentin

Your previous spend on repairs is irrelevant to the write off value (don't expect to get an additional amount in respect of the £800)


You now know the ball park you are looking at, and bear in mind that asking prices are always higher than the true value (vendors expect to get offers rather than the full asking price)

Aretnap

As above you will get little or no credit for money you've spent on repairs. Every car of a certain age will have had a fair amount spent on maintenance over the years and will have some new or nearly new parts, so to a large extent this is already assumed in the valuation. Certainly it's frustrating to have it written off just after you've spent a few hundred quid in a new clutch (or whatever), however if you were to go out and buy a replacement car of the same age for £1500-2000 there's nothing to say that it wouldn't have a new clutch too, so it's not obvious that you've actually lost out. And if it didn't have a new clutch, it could be that it has a new catalytic converter, whereas unknown to you yours only had a few months left in it, so what you lose with one hand you can end up gaining with the other.

Devon_Driver

Good to know (but frustrating) that the recent repair costs will not be added.

For what it's worth, I will at least mention the repairs as well as highlighting the cars low mileage as a way of demonstrating the cars excellent condition prior to the incident.

My understanding is that the insurer should pay out the fair market value for my car, to enable me to buy a like-for-like replacement. Therefor, should I presume that every vendor should have 10-20% knocked off the asking price… and expect the insurer to pay closer to that amount?

Because I'm tackling this through the third party's insurer (not my own), am I right in presuming I will still keep the hire vehicle until such time I accept and receive a settlement? (I have heard some settlements can take between 1-4 months) and worried I may end up carless.

Since the car is mechanically sound with 10 months MOT, would my best option be to buy back my car and have it fixed privately? (with a view to saving for a new car next year). Do I need to mention that I'd like to buy it back at any point with the insurer or is this something they will offer?

Sorry for so many questions. This all seems like an minefield.

Begsey

Non fault write off a couple of years ago.

I checked the worth of the vehicle on Autotrader valuations. The trader sale value had a £1000 difference between high and low price. £2800-£3800.

They offered me £3330. I took their arm off. I was going to be selling the car anyway and had been thinking £1800 would have been good.

LV gave me a hire car, and I was able to keep it for 7 days after they had decided to write mines off.

I could have bought it back for 30% of their offer.

The Autotrader valuation was also in the ballpark (middle of the high/low trade sale price)for what my son got offered when his car was written off too.

Edited to add, when I've mentioned trade, I actually mean garage selling price, not trade-in price. LV had paid me out before the hire car was due returned.

Quentin

Devon_Driver wrote: »

My understanding is that the insurer should pay out the fair market value for my car, to enable me to buy a like-for-like replacement. Therefor, should I presume that every vendor should have 10-20% knocked off the asking price… and expect the insurer to pay closer to that amount?

Because I'm tackling this through the third party's insurer (not my own), am I right in presuming I will still keep the hire vehicle until such time I accept and receive a settlement? (I have heard some settlements can take between 1-4 months) and worried I may end up carless.

Since the car is mechanically sound with 10 months MOT, would my best option be to buy back my car and have it fixed privately? (with a view to saving for a new car next year). Do I need to mention that I'd like to buy it back at any point with the insurer or is this something they will offer?

Sorry for so many questions. This all seems like an minefield.

Your understanding looks based on the FOS regulation

Your transaction with the third party insurer isn't covered by the FOS

They will pay whatever they can negotiate

You will be able to keep your car, though expect them to take into account it's salvage value in the negotiations