Insurance write-off and buyback advice...

I had this about a year ago. You can negotiate right until the point at which you accept the stllement from the insurance company. I'd let them assess it without saying anything first and see what they suggest. If you can document the work that has been done on it recently that will push its value up a bit and may swing the loss adjuster to authorising repair rather than writing it off.

If it is written off and you buy it back though, remember that you have to have a new MOT done after the repairs before the car will be roadworthy again.

Tony

Where is it? If it's at a garage, there is a danger that the assessor will arrange to have it whipped away and scrapped to avoid storage charges.

She's still driving it - but not in the dark as the light is still broken until the assessor has seen it...

================================ I had a similar situation early this year except that it was a young speeding idiot who wrote my car off.

The Insurance company paid me the value of my car (quite a fair price) and allowed me to keep the damaged car without cost - i.e. no 'buy-back' as such. The rear end damage was not sufficient to make the car un-roadworthy so no new MOT was required. I continued to use it for a couple of months whilst preparing a replacement and eventually sold it quite legally to a person who repaired it.

I think it depends largely on the scrap value of the car. Older cars have very little value in spares whereas newer cars may be quite valuable. It's probably cheaper and easier for insurance companies to give lightly damaged / uneconomic to repair cars to their owner rather than sell them on.

Assessors are very busy people - it might take a few weeks to get an assessment.

Cic.

It's only a bent/scraped panel, scraped bumper (and possibly bigger bends underneath, I know) and a smashed light, but since it's probably only worth £800 if that I can see it easily being 'uneconomical to repair'. Would that be a Cat D write off, or just the insurance company saying they won't fix it?

As for the assessor, is it OK to take lots of pictures then fix the light so she can still drive it? Or does it have to be left as is until they get there?

================================ There's a good explanation of the write-off categories here and what to expect from them:

Personally, I repaired slightly (rear lamp and bootlock) to ensure that the car was legal. I kept receipts for the parts and explained what I'd done to the assessor when he came to do his bit. I found him very understanding and helpful.

I think you're in a much stronger position to bargain if you're claiming against another person's insurance company rather than your own which is the case for you as it was for me. A few photos will help but I don't really think they're essential if you can show receipts particularly as you might reasonably have hired a car at their expense instead of doing basic repairs to your own.

Cic.

In the case of my missus with her old Astra when a dodderer pulled out without looking and creased the rear arch, they just sent her a cheque and told her to dispose of the car. She didn't even ask them about buyback.

That would be nice - 20 minutes with a slide hammer and a quick visit to EBay and it'll be sorted...

In article , Ian Dalziel writes

But remember that until the insurance pay up for it, IT'S YOUR CAR, so if they do whip it away and scrap it, they have disposed of your property without your permission. This puts you in a stronger position from which to negotiate. :)

Been there, done that with Direct Liar^W Line.

The assessor is likely to suggest a cash in lieu (of repairs). Basically they say it's uneconomical for us to repair, but it's still a runner and you could bodge it for less. If they don't offer it you, ask them about it. Probably get you £150 - £200.

And it's not recorded as a write off that way IIRC.

Better and better - although I would think they would have to pay out quite a bit more than that if they did write it off, so £150-£200 sounds a bit low.

I'll definitely get her to ask though.

Lots of helpful advice on this thread - so thanks to all who replied so far, and keep it coming!

In article , PC Paul says... way IIRC.

Not for a space ship mileage 1994 Ashtray it doesn't. They regularly go through the local auctions for sub £200.

Do insurers pay auction prices now?

Autotrader puts it more like £400-£500 (it's an estate which adds a bit).

I know and you know we could buy one like it for a lot less in the right places, but that shouldn't be what the insurers pay out.

Depends on the insurer. Generally they'll tell the assessor go for 70%ish of the Glass' guide. They also vary how things are valued according to age - IIRC newer stuff is retail prices, older is private sale or trade.

Many years ago I had a similar situation with a Volvo estate that a minibus had slid into (on the school driveway where the kids had been sliding! and it was an ex-pupil of mine driving the minibus).

It was touch and go whether the car was a write-off (wing and bumper, over £1k), but what swung it was my showing the assessor the bill for the engine rebuild. I got my car fixed.

Update:

I passed on the advice (ask for 'cash in lieu of repairs', keep asking when they forget to do it) and she followed it to the letter.

The assessor came round and said it would be a write off, so she asked about cash in lieu - he was quite surprised to be asked but happy to oblige.

Then the insurance co rang to ask her to send the reg in so they could collect it and write it off for £475.. so she asked again about cash in lieu, and they went away to work out how much they'd offer.

They just rang back to say they would be prepared to offer £475 in lieu (less the excess, being clawed back from the fogey who hit her (and it turns out, also hit another car 600yards back along the road and didn't stop...) so she's happy now. New rear light on it's way from the local scrappies, a bit of metal bashing and it'll be as good as it was before. -ish.

She's asked me to pass on thanks to all who made suggestions. She now has a bit of Christmas cash and a car still on the road, when she might have been searching for a replacement reliable £500 estate which wouldn't be easy...

The Fogey is being prosecuted for hit'n'run by the other driver, by the way. He claims to be a bit hazy about the whole episode. Hmm.

Congrats :-)

Sounds like he needs to be taken off the road ASAP - was his car any=20 better, perhaps she could negotiate a small payment ;-)

His car was written off too...