How will this pan out for me?

[John Laverick]

One hour after collecting my car from the bodyshop & garage last week and receiving a bill for just under £1000 {paintwork and brakes) I was involved in a rear-ender (luckily captured on a trucks video equipment!). See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zU2m7NCvCA

Result:








Anyway, chances are the car will be a write off (boot floor buckled and exhaust damaged). My question is though, how am I going to go on regarding the value of my vehicle?

It's a '53 plate, 108,000 miles minter and online book guides suggest somewhere between trade at £5.5k and 'excellent' at £8k ... however looking in the real world similar cars (age and mileage) are being advertised both private and trade up to about £10.5k.

I think these cars are reasonably specialist and the cheap ones are falling into the hands of people that can't afford to maintain them; I looked at least ten cars before I found a good one (full FBMWSH and rear sub-frame issues sorted) and I'm not relishing the prospect of doing it again, my car has also had recent tyres and brakes £2k's worth!

In my view most £5-8k E46 M3s need money spending on them sorting corrosion and have ropey SH tyres/brakes. To get a good car with matching 'proper' tyres and nearly new brakes costs at least £9-10k.

Am I likely to be successful arguing anything like £10k out of the 3rd parties insurance? What rights do I have?

[John Laverick]

I was half tempted just to plow over it to start with. Glad I didn't!

[John Laverick]

Ian Geary said:

It won't make you feel any better op, but if you'd just gone around the inside of that obstruction, chances are the following car would have ploughed into it.

Agreed, now I wish I had but you know what it's like ... hindsight and that. I checked my mirrors before slowing and just assumed he'd stop. I was planning to get out of the car to shift it out of the road.

[John Laverick]

CoolHands said:

is that an M3? if so I thought they had repair sections for the boot floor as they all rust-out or something? In which case you may be able to get it repaired.

It is ... the rear boot floors crack and are replaced by BMW but it's circa. a £4.5k job plus boot lid / rear bumper / exhaust and painting I would think = write off.

[John Laverick]

poing said:

I thought the same, I'd put money on them being on their mobile at the time.

I doubt he was on the phone, he could hardly use the thing when I asked for his number. He was a senior citizen.

[John Laverick]

I think it's fair to say there is little discussion to be had on liability.

But will I get £10k for my car so I can buy another good'un? If the book is £8k. What do you reckon. Dreaming? Worth my bother pushing back?

[John Laverick]

In hindsight, yes I could have pulled over to the left and just driven around it .... But the truck was stopping too and one of us was getting out to shift it and I took the decision to stop. If i'd have pulled over to the left the Pug would still have driven into the back of me.

[John Laverick]

rambo19 said:

Agree.

Have you seen the picture of the debris though? Would have made a right mess, I prefer this outcome to hitting it!

[John Laverick]

Just had the valuation in today, £8110 first figure which isn't quite as bad as I was expecting!

[John Laverick]

TooMany2cvs said:

Getting back to the point, push for the money in lieu of write-off and get it fixed privately.

They've confirmed it's a Cat D write off and offered salvage retention at 20% market value. I don't think it's possible to push for money in-lieu of it going on the register?

If they payout rather than repair it then by definition it's a Cat D?

[John Laverick]

VolvoT5 said:

That was quite quick. How much are you hoping for / do you think it will cost to replace like for like?

If the car is nice I would seriously investigate the possibility of buying it back and getting it repaired.

They don't hang about when you've got a hire car. I think £9-10k like for like which is what I've gone back to them with.

Yup, already got a quote to pull the boot floor and repair with second hand parts which is very attractive.

[John Laverick]

Sea Demon said:

you can get the CAT D status removed for £200.

How do I do this?

[John Laverick]

johnnyBv8 said:

The only thing you can do is get it recategorised from "Cat D" to "Condition Inspected", so it still has an HPI marker on it and anyone reasonably informed would know that this means it was once a Cat C or D.

Understood; I googled it and that's the conclusion I came to.

Either way, it looks like it's worth retaining the salvage and fixing it which is what I'll be doing.

The whole episode has got me thinking about new metal though so it's probably time for a change.

911 or 1M I reckon.

[John Laverick]

Just to put this one to bed, I received my payout yesterday based on a value of £10k, (£8k cash minus £2k salvage retention). Happy with that!

[John Laverick]

I kept it, so I've got £8k in the bank and I've priced up a repair at £1k using second hand parts. It's already booked in at the local bodyshop. It's now on a Cat D ... ah well.

To be honest though, I've got a hankering for a Cayman S or 997 2s so I may well repair and shift on!