Car insurance write off… can’t afford another car

wench02

Some (Removed by Forum Team) smashed into the back of my car last week, it’s drivable but will probably be a write off.

The car is 15 years old, and I’ve had it from brand new. I’ve always looked after it and kept it well maintained. It was purchased when I had a very well paid job, alas now I’m not in the same scenario.

damage to car looks to be cosmetic only, but due to the age of the car it will be written off, and I will get very little money back for it. 

I can’t afford to buy a new car, and what little money I will get from the insurance will only get a clapped out old banger.

personally I don’t see why I should be made to financially struggle, or put myself into debt to get a new car, or get existing one fixed/repaired.

idiot that crashed into me has admitted liability and imo should be made to pay every penny to get my car fixed.

Keep_pedalling

That won’t happen his insurer won’t pay more than the value of the car. If it really is only cosmetic you may be able to keep the car.

https://motorway.co.uk/sell-my-car/guides/car-write-off

fatbelly

Depending on the category, you can get a payout and keep the car

https://www.gov.uk/scrapped-and-written-off-vehicles/insurance-writeoffs

How much work will it need to pass an mot?

Mark_d

Your car was 15 years old but in good condition.  If your car is written off, you should get a payout that is reflective of the value of a 15 year old car.

You may well get the option to keep the car for a minimal sum and this may be worth the money if you can get the necessary items fixed on the cheap.

I don't know how insurers would view a car that has previously been written off.  This is something to look into if you are considering buying your car back after it's been written off.

wench02

Sorry should have said in original post I’m aware I can buy the car back from insurance,

the fix on it is easy enough, but not overly cheap.

however, in either scenario, I am being forced into a fair amount of debt due to someone else’s poor driving, and they should be paying for it.

cw8825

wench02 said:

Sorry should have said in original post I’m aware I can buy the car back from insurance,

the fix on it is easy enough, but not overly cheap.

however, in either scenario, I am being forced into a fair amount of debt due to someone else’s poor driving, and they should be paying for it.

if you keep the car , you still get a payout to repair it so i cant see how you would be in debt in that options

unfortunately it is one of the perils of driving an older vehicle, it takes very little damage before it is uneconomical to repair

DullGreyGuy

wench02 said:

Sorry should have said in original post I’m aware I can buy the car back from insurance,

the fix on it is easy enough, but not overly cheap.

however, in either scenario, I am being forced into a fair amount of debt due to someone else’s poor driving, and they should be paying for it.

They will do, you were driving a 15 year old X car, their insurers will ultimately pay you an amount of money thats sufficient to go out and buy another 15 year old X car. The fact you dont want to buy a 15 year old car is a moot point, they required to put you back in the same financial position which is achieved by effectively buying the car from you at its pre-accident value

Aretnap

wench02 said:

idiot that crashed into me has admitted liability and imo should be made to pay every penny to get my car fixed.

It doesn't work like that. Nor could it. Imagine if your car was reduced to a burnt out pile of charred metal. How would that square with being able to insist that they pay every penny to fix it? And assuming you don't think you should be able to insist on repairing a blackened shell, what's the cut off point where "don't replace it, fix it" goes from being a reasonable requires to an unreasonable one? The law sets it at where the repair costs exceed the value of the vehicle, and I certainly can't think of a better place.

(It would also lead to the daft situation where if you hit someone's car and cause substantial but not completely terminal damage, your best option would be to reverse a bit and drive into it again - make sure it's properly destroyed so you only have to pay the market value, not a repair bill which is twice the market value.)

You should get a fair market price for you car, and if you can show that it was in genuinely good condition for its age that should be reflected in the valuation. However you need to be realistic about what that means and how you can evidence it. A lot of people say that their car has been lovingly and painstakingly maintained when what they mean is that it's had an annual service and MOT, just like most other cars out there. Indeed if it hadn't been well maintained it would have been scrapped by now - so a certain amount of maintenance is already assumed on a 15 year old car.

The same logic applies to the assumption that my 15 year old car is in perfect condition, but that any other 15 year old car that I could buy instead is a rusty old banger. Truth is that any 15 year old car, probably including yours, could have a nasty surprise just around the corner, and is one big repair bill away from the scrapheap.

If the damage is genuinely cosmetic then you might not have to get it fixed at all - you could just pocket the write-off money and keep driving it. Even if it fits need a bit of work then if you don't mind using a back street garage, second hand parts and don't mind a slightly imperfect colour match you might still have money left over

wench02

I don’t want to be buying a 15 year old car that is riddled with problems… and let’s face it most of them will be….

so still either way I’m going to be lumbered with thousands of pounds in debt due to some idiot using his mobile phone whilst driving 

DullGreyGuy

wench02 said:

I don’t want to be buying a 15 year old car that is riddled with problems… and let’s face it most of them will be….

so still either way I’m going to be lumbered with thousands of pounds in debt due to some idiot using his mobile phone whilst driving 

a new to you 15 year old car is as likely/unlikely to have future problems as yours was. 

You always have the option of buying back the car and just living with the cosmetic damage and pocketing the money.

Sea_Shell

wench02 said:

I don’t want to be buying a 15 year old car that is riddled with problems… and let’s face it most of them will be….

so still either way I’m going to be lumbered with thousands of pounds in debt due to some idiot using his mobile phone whilst driving 

You might not want to, but that's what insurance does.  Puts you back where you were, with the £££ to buy another 15 yr old car.

What was your car replacement plan, if the accident hadn't of happened?  You'd have had to one day.

For all you know, something major could have gone on it next week.  You wouldn't even then have the insurance money!!

When you look back on it, the accident might just have done you a favour.


I was gutted when a cherished older car of mine was written off, but I eventually came to realise that it could have been worse...I might have had to scrap it myself, or throw ££££ at it.