My parked car was hit overnight, probably write-off

kazzamunga

Well last night was exciting ... woken up at about 4.30am by a knock at the door, and looked out of the window to see a bunch of people in hi vizs walking around and van facing in the wrong direction ... having hit my parked car. My car was hit hard on the rear right wheel, which has pushed in that corner of the car, meaning that the axel is shot, the boot doesn't close, the tyre is at a jaunty angle, etc. It was then shunted forward and concertinad against my neighbour's car. The knock at the door was the police, and they gave me all the insurance details, but the car got towed away and I think it'll be a write-off.

It belongs to me, so no finance pay-off problems, is fully serviced etc. It had done a lot of mileage (71,000 in 5 years, because I used to have a long commute to work and also drive down south quite a lot to see family). My issue is this: I know if it is written off, they will offer a cash payment. But from researching, there is a gap between what I should expect to sell a car in its condition for (around £6,800 according to a couple of valuation websites), and what I would pay for that car if I was buying (I can't find the same model and mileage for less than £8,200 anywhere).

Given that this was a crash that was nothing to do with me, I'm worried that I'm going to end up having to fork out to cover this gap, or else replace my car with a crappier alternative. I got this one from new and was enjoying having a reliable, newish car (67 reg) that was going to last a while, after having a few less than reliable older cars. Bit peeved to say the least. Just wanted to ask if anyone knows about this sort of thing. Presumably I should try and stand my ground with the insurance company to get enough cash to buy a comparable car ... but will they listen? Anything I should know about before I speak to them this week?

Car_54

The insurer should offer you what you'd pay for a replacement, not what you could sell it for privately. They use the retail prices in the trade guides (Glass's, CAP, etc). You can get a good idea from the likes of Parkers, What Car, etc.

Bear in mind that advertised prices are generally higher than selling prices.

It's best to have a realistic figure in mind (with some evidence) before you hear the insurer's offer. 

kazzamunga

Thank you!! I'll look up the retail price now – thanks.

kazzamunga

Someone has suggested that I argue to have it fixed even if they say it's a write-off. Anyone know what the pros and cons of that would be? I thought it'd be undesirable to have a Cat S car even if it can be fixed, because they're crap to try and sell?

diystarter7

GAP is only really relevant to new, nwer cars especially new ones IE you pick up your car and as you drive out of the showroom or the first year or two, the car is written off. New cars car around a 20% tax I think hence the GAP insurance though rightly or wrongly we've nver taken out GAP insurance on brand new cars. Thinking back, not sure why.

Hedgepigs

If the insurers fix it it's not Cat S. If you accept a payout plus car back to fix yourself it would be - so you'd have to take the then lower value of the car into consideration when doing your sums to if it would be a viable option.

Brie

Frankly I wouldn't be wanting to drive a car that has had a bent axle.  Especially long distances.  Maybe I'm overly cautious.

A number of years back my car was hit and I was offered a very low amount of cash to settle.  I declined it and sent the company an example from Autotraders of what I would have to pay to replace my car.  They offered more and I refused it reminding them that it wouldn't replace what I had.  In the end they agree with me.  

MalMonroe

I wouldn't argue because I would want it to be replaced. But that may just be because I like new shiny things (sorry, materialistic) and I've never had a brand new car - nearest to it is my current one which was three years old when I got it.

I'd stick it out if they don't offer you what you are expecting straight away, as Brie did, above. You may be pleasantly surprised, though. 

Aretnap

kazzamunga said:

Someone has suggested that I argue to have it fixed even if they say it's a write-off. Anyone know what the pros and cons of that would be? I thought it'd be undesirable to have a Cat S car even if it can be fixed, because they're crap to try and sell?

If you can persuade the insurance company to repair it then it won't be a write off and it will not have a Car S marker on it. However the insurance company has the final say on whether to repair it or write it off - if they are minded to write it off you can ask them to repair it instead, but you can't insist on it.

What they may mean is that if they do write it off, you can ask to buy back the car for it's scrap value, and get it repaired yourself. That will leave a Car S marker on the car. Whether that matters depends on what your plans for the car are. A Cat S marker will indeed reduce the value of the car and/or make it more difficult to sell, however if you plan to keep the car for another five years and eventually trade it in for a grand or so, the difference the Cat S marker makes is likely to be negligible. OTOH if you would be looking to sell the car quite soon anyway, a Cat S marker is not something that you really want to be dealing with.

Usually when people buy back a write off to repair it is because it's a good reliable car that they're attached to and want to keep long term - so what happens when the come to sell it is not a major factor in their decision.

The advantage is that depending on the damage, you may be able to repair the car for less than you get from the insurance company - especially if you don't mind using second hand parts and/or putting up with a few dents and an imperfect colour match. I once had an aged Fiesta which was written off for little more than a cracked bumper. I pocketed the £800 write off cheque, bodged the bumper back together with duck tape and drove it for another year before exhaust failed and then I traded it in for a hundred quid.

OTOH if the car has significant structural damage the risk is that you end up spending more than you expected to get it roadworthy again, and even then you might not be very happy with the result. So you need to be fairly confident about what the damage is and how you're going to fix it before you go down that road.

baser999

kazzamunga said:

Thank you!! I'll look up the retail price now – thanks.

Go through Autotrader and other such magazines and gather up details of what similar cars to yours are selling for.

maxmycardagain

the 3rd party was on site, admitted fault and is insured?



 "My car was hit hard on the rear right wheel, which has pushed in that corner of the car, meaning that the axel is shot, the boot doesn't close, the tyre is at a jaunty angle, etc. It was then shunted forward and concertinad against my neighbour's car."

When I had a concertina the car that hit me was pushed into mine but i claimed off HIS insurance, who is your neighbour claiming off in the 1st instamce?