Mazda MX5 - Crash damage repair costs and write-off

Conor ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Which it won't be, because there's no claim being made.

Its not insured for own damage, so who's he going to buy it back from?

Also I thought you would invalidate your insurance as Third party is for vehicles under £5k or is that just a guideline

And I drive taking into account of that which is why the only accident I've had is when some tit shunted me in the rear at a T junction.

Seconded. Nothing worse than having to rush around like a headless chicken trying to find an affordable replacement set of wheels to get to work the following day.

Its a fair point that i seem to have glossed over :-) Oops.

It wouldnt be invalidated as the company would have asked the value, i think thats just a general guideline. Either way if they only covered up to 5K thats all they would pay.

Not my idea of a Shitbox then. I agree with fully comp for anything worth over a grand, or when you can get classic cover for less than most 3rd Party policies, but advocating fully comp for all cars is just silly. I had this conversation a couple of years ago with my mother-in-law after she'd dented her Astra and wasn't claiming because she reckoned she'd lose more than the value of the car before the accident. So she'd been automatically paying for cover she was never going to use, in the belief that fully comp was best and 3rd Party was only for poor people who couldn't afford to pay more.

It's not just getting your car fixed though. If your car is damaged to the point that it can't be used, the ability to have a free hire car is well worth the extra. Say the difference is £100 a year. How much lost income would you suffer if you couldn't get to work for a week? It also means that you're not running around like a loon trying to find a replacement in a hurry which usually ends up with you buying a pile of s**te.

The advantages of FC over TP stretch to far more than just getting the car repaired.

To be fair though, IIRC it's a Capri, so even if they do actually increase in value, we're talking pennies... But FWIW FC insurance, especially if you're old, is worth it just for the extras (windscreens, driving other cars etc).

a) Only if you actually have cause to claim. b) The advantages you listed don't really apply to me.

So I'll keeep the difference in my pocket. A strategy which has so far always paid off for me.

cheers, clive

Driving other cars seems to be standard with most policies, regardless of cover, although I hear that Norwich Union Direct has recently dropped this.

Say the car's only worth £100 anyway?

Bugger all. If I had to, I'd use the bus.

I usually have a few spare piles of s**te around that could be put on the road at the drop of a hat, so it's not an issue. If I pull my finger out, both the P100 and the Splitscreen Minor could be sorted with a day or two's work. Errindoors might object to driving them, but it wouldn't be any great hardship.

My argument was with the suggestion that TP is _never_ worthwhile. Sure, FC has advantages that many people feel worth paying for, but for some of us, it'd be money thrown away.

You think? 2.8i's for example have gone up aaround £500 in the last couple of years.

Too right. It's less about the fact you get a payout/car repaired in an at fault accident and more about the extras.

Not for round here. Limit to what they'll pay.

Windscreen gets hit by stone and fails MOT. Mine will cost me £50 to get replaced. You're looking at least at £150.

Most companies have dropped it on TP/TPFT and some FC policies.

TP.

That's nice, we don't have that option here.

At what cost? You're looking at least £100 for MOT + work to pass plus insuring it and (depending on car) 6 months tax.

If you run borderline unroadworthy piles of s**te, of course it is.

Conor ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Somebody who thinks that MS certification is worth something...?

You *do* know what MCSE stands for, don't you? Must Consult Somebody Experienced.

It used to be.

Looking on the bright side, at least the pass mark is higher than a grade A A-level.

Do you even have any A levels A.D?

They're both due to go on the road when I get around to it, so the cost will be there anyway. The Minor's already insured (13quid on top of the Triumph's cover) and will cost nowt to tax.

Don't get me started! Just because a car's worth bugger all, doesn't mean it's any less roadworthy than half the over-valued crap on the roads these days. I'd have thought your self-professed expertise in mechanical matters would already have told you that.