Aquaplaned

[ATM]

PaulD86 said:

You need to drive it more

I dont want to disagree.

I do find if I drive one of the Porsches for a few weeks then switch to the other its like getting a new or another car all other again. I still believe that having one car - however good it is - gets boring. Better to have a selection.

[PaulD86]

ATM said:

PaulD86 said:

You need to drive it more

I dont want to disagree.

I do find if I drive one of the Porsches for a few weeks then switch to the other its like getting a new or another car all other again. I still believe that having one car - however good it is - gets boring. Better to have a selection.

I haven't driven my Cayman for ages now due to salt on the road and have just been driving my Mondeo. The other day I took my friends winter tyre clad 911 out (he's out the country for a few months and told me to use it) - you get used to a cars performance fairly quickly I think, but after a few months not driving a performance car, it felt fantastic! Much better than I remembered. I hate not using cars, but it can make them a bit more special when you finally do. I'm now looking forward to getting the Cayman out as it is a very different experience again. I agree that a selection is the ideal.

[Fnumber1user]

Congratulations on the MOT

[CJM36]

Hope you’re doing well OP, as well as your cars!

Today I have unfortunately had someone rear end me, I was stationary, the other driver was doing around 30mph. It’s a 2005 987 that I drive, and although the damage looks superficial I’m almost certain it’s not - the boot now clears the spoiler by what seems less than a mm.

So I am prepared for the car to be written off, being a 2005. In the case the car is written op off, I plan to buy it back and repair it myself, of course providing I’m offered it at a good price.

Any advice? Or am I daft?

I should’ve said; the car is now worth a decent amount more than what I paid for it

Thanks!

[ATM]

CJM36 said:

Hope you’re doing well OP, as well as your cars!

Today I have unfortunately had someone rear end me, I was stationary, the other driver was doing around 30mph. It’s a 2005 987 that I drive, and although the damage looks superficial I’m almost certain it’s not - the boot now clears the spoiler by what seems less than a mm.

So I am prepared for the car to be written off, being a 2005. In the case the car is written op off, I plan to buy it back and repair it myself, of course providing I’m offered it at a good price.

Any advice? Or am I daft?

I should’ve said; the car is now worth a decent amount more than what I paid for it

Thanks!

Well we need some pics man / woman / person.

The problem I had was that the ins co would not give me the buy back price until I had agreed the pay out number. So they tell you what you are getting for the write off claim first. You have to accept that and then express an interest in buying back the wreck. Then they tell you the price and you have to just say yes or no on the phone. So you need some idea of the damage and repair costs in advance if you want to make an informed decision. I didn't really make an informed decision - I just said F it yes I want it back.

Now not all ins co will let you buy back.

My car got lost too. I agreed to buy it back and they told me to go collect it from some where. I rang them and they said your car is not here. The ins co took a couple days to find it. Then when it was delivered to me people had obviously been tinkering with it or messing with it. I'm not sure if any damage occurred during this moving it here and moving it there. But bear in mind my car only had 3 wheels so any moving would be problematic.

So lets say your car is worth 10 grand as a ball park. If there is 5 grand worth of damage then maybe they write it off. Then what would be the repair bill for you to get it repaired elsewhere. Or the other way to look at it is what is the car worth in parts.

My repair bill was massive because the car was missing a wheel. Ins co estimates replace everything ripped off. So the disc, hub, suspension parts, wheel, calliper etc. These parts alone added up to over 5 grand I think minimum - maybe even more. I obviously re-used the wheel and brake caliper and some other parts and replaced the rest with used. I think I spent a grand only for parts to get it back on 4 wheels.

So it is swings and rounds depending on the car, the damage, the ins co repair estimate and your ability to fix it cheap enough to be bothered with the hassle. Unless you really like the car and then its a simple decision. You just do it.

Right now your feelings will be a bit raw because it has just happened. Take some time to let it sink in and then see how you feel.

[981Boxess]

Given what you know today would you still have gone the salvage buy back route?

[saaby93]

ATM said:

My car got lost too. I agreed to buy it back and they told me to go collect it from some where. I rang them and they said your car is not here. The ins co took a couple days to find it. Then when it was delivered to me people had obviously been tinkering with it or messing with it. I'm not sure if any damage occurred during this moving it here and moving it there. .

There's a lot of extra damage that can be done in storage and transport. Dont assume that what you get will be how it is post accident.
They wont take care of it as it has no value. They'll use a huge forklift to carry it about and not on the intended jacking points. Dont be surprised if the sills are damaged or the lower door has an accidental hole where the forklift tines were too high. Sometimes they'll store another car on top of it for a while too.

[ooid]

CJM36 said:

Hope you’re doing well OP, as well as your cars!

Today I have unfortunately had someone rear end me, I was stationary, the other driver was doing around 30mph. It’s a 2005 987 that I drive, and although the damage looks superficial I’m almost certain it’s not - the boot now clears the spoiler by what seems less than a mm.

Well sorry to hear about the accident but I would not personally touch/drive gen1 boxster engine after a a rear/end accident. Even if the chassis is not damaged, those engines are too fragile you never know what kind of things happened mechanically during that impact.

[ATM]

981Boxess said:

Given what you know today would you still have gone the salvage buy back route?

My Gearbox sprung a leak which is still yet to be diagnosed. That aside I have only spent 2000 maximum to get it MOT'ed and back on the road. So I think that's a good deal. But I am driving it around damaged and leaking clutch fluid. That would horrify some people.

If I had just broken the car for parts I could have easily made 5 grand.

I think my situation was unique because so much was ripped off the car and the car itself wasn't really that badly damaged. No air bags went off. The front was all fine.

Yes I would do it again. I basically just bolted the wheel back on while fitting some replacement bits.

If the car was smashed into a wall and destroyed and air bags went off then No I would not do it.

[981Boxess]

It is good to hear that two and a half years later you are still so upbeat about your ongoing repair, some would have lost enthusiasm by now, fair play to you.

[ATM]

Cars are my hobby. I talk more about them than actually fiddle with them. So if anything this whole thread is just boosting my hobby. Without it I would have much less to talk about with strangers on the Internet.

[981Boxess]

ATM said:

Cars are my hobby. I talk more about them than actually fiddle with them. So if anything this whole thread is just boosting my hobby. Without it I would have much less to talk about with strangers on the Internet.

OK, that would make sense because two and a half years into this repair I think most garages would have had the owner on the phone a good few times by now.

It also serves as a useful example to anyone debating buying a cheaper repaired salvage car or paying more for an equivalent one with no stories to tell. There is a reason why repaired salvage cars cost less to buy, sell for less, are harder to sell and cost more to insure, this example demonstrates perfectly how much of a gamble buying one could be.

[ATM]

981Boxess said:

ATM said:

Cars are my hobby. I talk more about them than actually fiddle with them. So if anything this whole thread is just boosting my hobby. Without it I would have much less to talk about with strangers on the Internet.

OK, that would make sense because two and a half years into this repair I think most garages would have had the owner on the phone a good few times by now.

It also serves as a useful example to anyone debating buying a cheaper repaired salvage car or paying more for an equivalent one with no stories to tell. There is a reason why repaired salvage cars cost less to buy, sell for less, are harder to sell and cost more to insure, this example demonstrates perfectly how much of a gamble buying one could be.

Well the timescales are not necessarily typical. It could have been fixed much much quicker if I just asked a garage to do it. I'd estimate 3 or 4 weeks tops could have seen it done and dusted.

The reason they sell for cheaper is the unknown and that in this country everyone wants to buy perfect cars. This car is now 9 years old and if you're buying another 9 year old Porsche it would be foolish to assume its never had any form of shunt or off or been repaired.

I'm not trying to talk up the value of mine. I'm quite pleased it owes me very little and I can enjoy the car without worrying about its value at all.

[981Boxess]

ATM said:

This car is now 9 years old and if you're buying another 9 year old Porsche it would be foolish to assume its never had any form of shunt or off or been repaired.

There is a vast difference between a car having had "some" bodywork, carried out by a competent repairer in both the mechanical and paint departments as opposed to what has gone on here. That car has had enough damage done to it to justly write it off, the reason the assessor wrote it off is quite simple, it is not that you knew something he didn't (it is his day job), it is because they would not get away with repairing it to the standard you are, so they got out the smart way.

Obviously people aim to buy perfect cars in this country, you would be foolish not to, if you are happy with where you are with this good luck to you.

[saaby93]

ATM said:

Well the timescales are not necessarily typical. It could have been fixed much much quicker if I just asked a garage to do it. I'd estimate 3 or 4 weeks tops could have seen it done and dusted.

The reason they sell for cheaper is the unknown and that in this country everyone wants to buy perfect cars. This car is now 9 years old and if you're buying another 9 year old Porsche it would be foolish to assume its never had any form of shunt or off or been repaired.

Same with any car
You can buy a car with an isnurance marker against it which has had an oustanding repair and possibly better than original condition.
Or you could buy a car thats had a shunt outside insurance and with a repair that no-one knows about.
Which is best?

[PaulD86]

981Boxess said:

here is a vast difference between a car having had "some" bodywork, carried out by a competent repairer in both the mechanical and paint departments as opposed to what has gone on here. That car has had enough damage done to it to justly write it off, the reason the assessor wrote it off is quite simple, it is not that you knew something he didn't (it is his day job), it is because they would not get away with repairing it to the standard you are, so they got out the smart way.

Obviously people aim to buy perfect cars in this country, you would be foolish not to, if you are happy with where you are with this good luck to you.

There's a chap I follow on Instagram who sells and also details cars. He posted a few months ago a selection of pictures of cars that had been crashed and repaired but not recorded and that were for sale, or had been sold, at main dealers. Let's put it like this, I would be much happier buying the OPs car than most of the examples that guy posted! And when it comes to repairs, professional just means they do it for a living, not that they do it to a compotent manner. I've seen some terrible repairs carried out by professionals who are supposed to be compotent.

The OPs insurer got out the way that is sensible for the way that they operate as a business. That does not mean it is the smart way for someone else. My Mondeo needed a new bumper, grill and a light. It didn't go through insurance, I replaced the broken parts myself and got the bumper painted. Cost me £600. The painter who did insurance work told me if he priced the job for insurance, the car would have been written off. Cheapest equivelant replacement I could find was £4000. So, don't confuse what is right for an insurer and what is right for an individual. Writing off my car for the minor cosmetic damage it had would not have been smart, it would have been wasteful and pointless.

[ATM]

981Boxess said:

ATM said:

This car is now 9 years old and if you're buying another 9 year old Porsche it would be foolish to assume its never had any form of shunt or off or been repaired.

There is a vast difference between a car having had "some" bodywork, carried out by a competent repairer in both the mechanical and paint departments as opposed to what has gone on here. That car has had enough damage done to it to justly write it off, the reason the assessor wrote it off is quite simple, it is not that you knew something he didn't (it is his day job), it is because they would not get away with repairing it to the standard you are, so they got out the smart way.

Obviously people aim to buy perfect cars in this country, you would be foolish not to, if you are happy with where you are with this good luck to you.

I went to see my car at the insurance approved repair centre which was authorised to repair Porsche cars. I spoke to the guy who had assessed my car. I called him once I bought back the wreck and asked if they could repair the body work for me once I had the car working and MOT'ed etc. He said yes of course. So that's still an option. The only difference to the insurance approved repair of the body is that they would replace the rear quarter with a replacement panel form Porsche where as a none approved repair might just pull the dent out. So I could still go the insurance approved route and therefore the end result would look exactly the same. But the bits underneath would be where the difference is. I still have the original brake caliper on the car. Insurance would have replaced this with new.

I'm not trying to make my car perfect. I'm just trying to extract the maximum enjoyment from what I have for the least amount of money. I understand that some people dont understand this. They would prefer to buy a car with what they believe is a good history from a dealer with what they believe has a good reputation and so on. That's fine. I've seen the stories on here where someone has spent the best part of 100 grand on a used GT3 to then find out later it was destroyed at some circuit and pics show it in an absolute mess. None of which was disclosed as it was all done outside of insurance. They then try to get their money back unsuccessfully.

[981Boxess]

saaby93 said:

You can buy a car with an isnurance marker against it which has had an oustanding repair and possibly better than original condition.
Or you could buy a car thats had a shunt outside insurance and with a repair that no-one knows about.
Which is best?

No car that has been repaired is better than one that hasn't been, unless it was in a shid state before the accident so it had to end up looking better by default.
A mint car that is involved in an accident will never be better than it was pre accident, the best you can hope for is that you cannet tell it has been repaired.

[981Boxess]

ATM said:

I'm not trying to make my car perfect. I'm just trying to extract the maximum enjoyment from what I have for the least amount of money. I understand that some people don't understand this.

I think it is easy to understand, you are happy with a CAT? car as long as it is cheaper. You would be a perfect candidate to buy your car when you come to sell it on and I dare say there are plenty more like you out there.

Equally there are also others who prefer to spend a bit more and have something better. I would not buy your car at any price, that does not make me right and you wrong, it is right for you and wrong for me, simple as that, we each have a choice.

[981Boxess]

PaulD86 said:

And when it comes to repairs, professional just means they do it for a living, not that they do it to a compotent manner. I've seen some terrible repairs carried out by professionals who are supposed to be compotent.

If you get your car repaired by a rubbish garage because it was easier to, or your insurer told you to take it there and you just went along with it then you will end up with a rubbish job, if you take it to the right people with the right equipment it can be done properly.

Like most things in life the more effort you put in the more you get out, how many people ask their insurer if they have choice of repairer before they insure with them? The majority stop at how much.