Can I summon the collective brains of C4P. Sorry if this has already been dealt with in the past.
One of our cars has just been written off by the insurers. It was a kind of spare / loan car for anyone needing one, so I wasn't driving at the time. Basically it got rear-ended and pushed in the car in front. Driver behind has admitted liability so their insurance is paying.
Damage is slight to other vehicles. Bumper and rear boot damaged on Micro meaning it wont close / open properly as it's slightly twisted. Front bumper slight damage. Seems to have already had some previous damage anyway.
They've offered me either:
1) keep the car, accept the write off amount (£1200) less salvage amount depending on assessment:
- CAT S - £120
- CAT N - £216
2) just accept the write off amount and lose the car
I'm tending to 2) as loads has already gone wrong with the car (new electronics, ECUs etc., new tires, brakes and exhaust, final one was the screen chipped and then cracked and now replaced). I know, shame to lose all the new stuff, but then what else will go wrong?
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Clearly from your tone, you dont favour the car that much and would be fairly happy to get rid at a fair price. So thats what I'd do.
With the proviso.
Is the offer a fair price? How much would it cost you to buy a well maintained example (year, milage model) from a car dealer. Take that price to the insurance company if its more than they offered you.
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The biggest problem with any damage on a car , is what you see is often only superficial damage . What lurks beneath can change the whole scenario . If it’s been bumped in the rear , I suspect it’s buckled the boot floor . Likewise at the front , very likely the main crossbeam has been bent .i would take the money and run .
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Similar conundrum after I bent my Roomster last year. It was a nice car and part of me wanted to keep it but I'd have needed to organise and manage the repair including probable replacement of the steering rack. Needed the car for work and in end it was easier to take the settlement and buy off a forecourt.
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If it's now classed as cat N then I'm sure it will affect your next insurance premium and will be a pig to try and ever sell.
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If the offer is reasonable and you can replace the car for £1,000 why on earth would you want to keep a car that at best you don't care about and at worst has hidden problems?
I'd argue the offer if necessary but I wouldn't keep the car.
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When my SIL's car was written off the insurers offered a "book value" but that was far lower than you could buy an equivalent replacement for.
It was in the early 2000's and she wasn't internet savvy so I trawled the local adds for the same car, similar mileage and service history and she presented the findings to the insurance co and got the offer uplifted by more than 50%.
It may be worth doing the same, bearing in mind that you may still want the car written off so don't find anything more than the repair costs!
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So you get £1200 and can keep your car for a couple of hundred?
I did something similar with mine but the values were a few times higher - the damage was only cosmetic but too expensive to repair.
I kept the car and got a cheque for a few thousand and kept the car - buffed out most of the bumper scuffs myself. I asked at length about CAT N and she said your insurer may ask for a new MOT and I asked my insurer if they would increase the premium at renewal because it is CAT N and they said no. This was a few months ago and the car is still not CAT N - I don't think they are bothering with that bit. If they did I guess it would make future payouts a lot lower.
Last edited by: Shiny on Sat 27 Jun 20 at 17:17
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Nissan Micra - Insurance write off question - Zero
