Insurance Write off

[theshedman]

Hi, my car was recently in an accident which was the other person's fault. I have gone through my insurance company who say that because my car is quite old, 15 years to be exact it may not be in their interest to repair. It is only the front bumper that is damaged but they are still saying it may be written off due to cost of fixing it. What I would like to know is if they say they will write it off can I say to them that I will fix it myself and keep the car. It may be an old car but it is in almost perfect condition with no rust, very low milage, under 35,000 and like new inside and out. Seems a shame to scrap it just for the sake of a few quid. Thanks for any help you are able to give.

[redcrx]

if they are writing it off then you ask them if you can buy it back.
They will then give you a price that they want for it and deduct it from your payout

[R1Geezer]

It'll be a category D write off, ie the repair is more than the market value but it's only cosmetic. They'll offer you X for the car or something less than X if you keep the car. if push comes to shove you do not have to accept their offer and you can withdraw the claim. In today's market a lot of cars are effectivelye worthless anyway but if you have acar you like and know then it has some value to you so keep it if you want to.

[theshedman]

Hi all, thanks for the replies. If I accept an offer doesn't that mean the insurance policy is over and I have to take out another one. If I cancel the claim wouldn't the policy carry on as before. Not sure on these as have never claimed in over 30 years of driving.

[R1Geezer]

The duration of the policy and the claim are unrelated. Your policy expiry date is the same regardless of claim.

When this happenned to me I was offered 2 amounts, one with the bike, (in my case) and one without. Most companies will do this, as it's a lot easier for them if they don't have to dispose of the vehicle.

[theshedman]

Ok thanks for the answer I will have to wait to see what they are offering in the first place. Seems strange that something that was not your fault could end up costing you and the person who caused the accident will just let their insurance deal with it and not hear another word about it from them.

[theshedman]

Hi all and thanks for the answers. I have decided to withdraw the claim after seeing the price I would probably be offered by looking at similar cars for sale. I couldn't get anywhere near to buying a car for that price. There is no way they will repair the vehicle as the repair would be well over the 60% of the value of the car. I will just have to put it down to bad luck, let the other party get away with it and repair it myself.

[R1Geezer]

for info you do not have to use your insurance company, you can sue through small claims for the damage.