Buying a written off car

[Leglworld]

If you bought a written off car unknowingly and then try to make an insurance claim later and you are informed by the insurance company, how will this affect your claim?

[chas2008]

really depends on the insurance co. as a bodyshop we recently repaired a vehicle that was cat c (i think) , customer bought it in good faith..but it is difficult to value such a vehicle

[tali1]

Generally an insurance company will give lower value.to the car You would need to prove you made the necessary checks to ascertain the history of the car in order for a full value of car

[terambulan]

Best to know who sold you 'write-off' as it's fraud and the insurance company could take severe legal action against the seller.

[tubeway]

There are many written off cars that have been repaired and resold - it is not fraud and it is not illegal (terambulan - if you bend over maybe we could hear you better). A written off car will have a lower value than that of one not written off. When I was in the motor trade a HPI check of a P/X would sometimes reveal that the car had been preveously written off - mostly repaired well (occasionally not so well), and many people were upset that we offered a lower value in P/X so were unaware. If you can proove that the car was sold as perfect but had been written off then it would be up to you to claim the difference from the seller - but generaaly people do not do the basic checks when buying a car - and only find out when it is too late

[chas2008]

add to tubeways post,
am i correct in saying you dont have to volunteer the information regarding write offs/repaired vehicles, only if the customer asks do you have to tell them.
Terambulan obviously does not understand the catagorisation of write offs, a write off just means an uneconomical repair for the insurance company based on age value of vehicle, ie 1992 escort with a damaged wing/headlamp would be deemed a write off although an easy repair.