Crashed car (split thread)

stevie87

I am new to this and not sure exactly what i have to do but I would really appreciate any help.

I was involved in a car crash two weeks ago which was my fault, nobody was hurt and my insurance company is handling the incident. Here is where it gets tricky. My car is a Toyota Yaris (2002) and in perfect condition apart from the damage resulting from the accident. My insurance company have informed me that the damage is too costly to repair and they suggest that the car be written off. However, they have offered me a figure of €4300 minus €500 for my excess policy fee. I originally paid €6500 for the car just over 12 months ago and although I am aware that the car market has decreased in value recently I really feel that they are trying to rip me off. I have searched many used car websites for similar cars in similar condition and all prices are substantially higher than that offered from my insurer. I tried to explain to my insurer that my car should be valued significantly higher because of its condition and quality but they are not budging on their offer. A few weeks ago I was offered €5000 cash for my car and when I purchased the car I paid extra to have an alarm fitted and also brand new alloys and tyres which where expensive so I really feel that they are ripping me off with their offer. What can I do ?

NewApproach

Wow is 5 and a half years a record?

about your query: Insurance companies tend to use the trade value. This is the price that a typical version of your car would fetch at auction. As for what that value os in your case, I dont know, but I would guess that 4300 would be at the lower end of the scale, but certainly realistic. You can ask them for more, but depending on the insurers, they may or may not budge.

Muckie

Thats bad luck, least no-one got hurt.

Try www.partfinders.ie great source for good second hand parts

for your golf.

oldyouth

I just want to be objective here and not be too critical. A lot of people pay too much for their cars initially and, in my experience, motor assessors are usually fairly accurate.
If you feel they are under estimating the pre-accident value of your car, contact your insurers again and ask if they will pay the cost of you appointing your own motor assessor IF their report conflicts with the original one. You would want to pick someone of similar status or higher than theirs to carry out the report. At least you will have peace of mind if they are similar, though it is a cost you will have to bear

Eric Cartman

unkel wrote: »

Giles wrote: »

"Satellite GPS navigation system"

If I had one of these in the first place I probably wouldn't have even crashed![

Thought they didn't work here yet - do they?

thread back from the dead here lads, 2003 gps not working , i loll'd hard

RentDayBlues

Thats actually a good offer from the insurance company - I'm surprised they didnt offer less! They take the book value of the car so regardless of what you paid for it or what you "could" have sold it for the insurance company is only going to give you the book value. Your choice is:

Take it and take a big hit on your premium
Pay to get the car repaired yourself

Eoin

Moved to new thread - stevie87, please don't bump 5 year old threads!

Gary ITR

Eric Cartman wrote: »

thread back from the dead here lads, 2003 gps not working , i loll'd hard

Indeed. I've split it from the original thread and created a new one

Eoin

No, I have!

Gary ITR

eoin wrote: »

No, I have!

LMAO

Sorry I was trying to steal your share of the coke and hookers

Keith C

Always refuse the first offer

Provide them with links to autotrader where same year, roughly same mileage apply & try negotiate.
Bear in mind if a car was advertised for €5k, chances are seller would take €4,500, dont always assume that list price is sale price

colm_mcm

4300 gets you a lot of Yaris these days, you could get an 05 one for 6 grand.

Reality check needed.

Perfect condition apart from the damage... you want extra money for new tyres that went on ages ago, the offer you were given seems perfectly ok to me, 4300 will easily get you a car as good as the one you had.

unkel

Eric Cartman wrote: »

thread back from the dead here lads, 2003 gps not working , i loll'd hard

Hehe - I don't think I ever got quoted that late

stepbar

In fairness they have valued your car at 4.8k. Problem is that when you signed up for insurance, that you accepted a 500 eur excess.

colm_mcm

think its 4300-500, even so, it's plenty for a 7 year old car that cost 13000 new.

stepbar

colm_mcm wrote: »

think its 4300-500, even so, it's plenty for a 7 year old car that cost 13000 new.

Ok even if I did read wrong, it's still not too bad. I traded my car in for 1k after buying same for 2.7k 18 months prior.

bazz26

OP, you paid €6500 for it 1 year ago the insurance company are offering you €4,300 which means the car has only cost you €2,200 in depreciation over 12 months. I think you are doing well with that settlement figure to be honest.

Re: looking at online car sites for valuations, they are asking prices, doesn't mean that they are actual selling price however.

Alanstrainor

bazz26 wrote: »

OP, you paid €6500 for it 1 year ago the insurance company are offering you €4,300 which means the car has only cost you €2,200 in depreciation over 12 months. I think you are doing well with that settlement figure to be honest.

Re: looking at online car sites for valuations, they are asking prices, doesn't mean that they are actual selling price however.

+1, as most have said on this thread OP i think you're doing well to get 4300 net for your car. Tbh i wouldn't have valued it that high, new wheels/tires do not add significant value to those types of car. As people said, i'm glad no one was hurt in the accident, and that you're okay OP, post back for car recommendations if you'd like some free help with car decisions!

yop

How much fighting can a person do with the insurance companies?

I have my valuation coming down the line and I have spoken to a few people who claim that I should fight hard as if I was selling my car private it would fetch a higher price. Checking Autotrader and Carzone a similar car is picking up 9500, VRT have it down as a 8901 euro.
The extras on it when fitted would have been a good few k but I am not sure how hard I can fight with the insurance to get them towards a price of 9k?

The car is an Audi A4 TDI 130 bhp. Its a 2002 with 110k mile. NCT done in April. Serviced in April.
The extras on it are:
17" Audi alloys with brand new tires,
Never used spare tire.
Xenon lights,
Parking sensors back and front.
Headlight washers.
full leather
cruise control
multi-function steering wheel
Bose symphony 6 disk in dash changer
ESP

So in your experiences should I fight and can I get near the 9k euro figure?

Keith C

yop wrote: »

How much fighting can a person do with the insurance companies?

I have my valuation coming down the line and I have spoken to a few people who claim that I should fight hard as if I was selling my car private it would fetch a higher price. Checking Autotrader and Carzone a similar car is picking up 9500, VRT have it down as a 8901 euro.
The extras on it when fitted would have been a good few k but I am not sure how hard I can fight with the insurance to get them towards a price of 9k?

The car is an Audi A4 TDI 130 bhp. Its a 2002 with 110k mile. NCT done in April. Serviced in April.
The extras on it are:
17" Audi alloys with brand new tires,
Never used spare tire.
Xenon lights,
Parking sensors back and front.
Headlight washers.
full leather
cruise control
multi-function steering wheel
Bose symphony 6 disk in dash changer
ESP

So in your experiences should I fight and can I get near the 9k euro figure?

No extra's dont count, you'll get a standard market value for factory spec '92 A4.

Barr

yop wrote: »

How much fighting can a person do with the insurance companies?

I have my valuation coming down the line and I have spoken to a few people who claim that I should fight hard as if I was selling my car private it would fetch a higher price. Checking Autotrader and Carzone a similar car is picking up 9500, VRT have it down as a 8901 euro.
The extras on it when fitted would have been a good few k but I am not sure how hard I can fight with the insurance to get them towards a price of 9k?

The car is an Audi A4 TDI 130 bhp. Its a 2002 with 110k mile. NCT done in April. Serviced in April.
The extras on it are:
17" Audi alloys with brand new tires,
Never used spare tire.
Xenon lights,
Parking sensors back and front.
Headlight washers.
full leather
cruise control
multi-function steering wheel
Bose symphony 6 disk in dash changer
ESP

So in your experiences should I fight and can I get near the 9k euro figure?

How musch did your insurance offer you for the car ?

brightspark

When my 96 car was written off some months ago, they were offering me about 1,100 instead of the 1,500 I thought it was worth.

Turned out they agreed that the book value was about 1500, but deducted 150 euro as one rear tyre was down to 3mm and also the NCT had expired (only by a few days and I had been trying insuccessfully to arrange a test date). I know the car would have probably passed as a mechanic had looked it over about a month beforehand.

Even the claims agent was surprised by the assessor devaluing the car by 150 for one tyre!

Maybe it was because the accident wasn't my fault but they eventually offered me 1400 which considering the expired NCT I felt was a fair value so I settled. Maybe I should have done better, but I felt it was good enough.

Also extras must count in their valuation, just ask if you can remove any of them before they take the car away and you'll be told you can't. ( I wanted to remove an Aldi cd/mp3 player I had fitted a year ago, but they said the valuation included everything in the car on the day the assessor looked at it. So all I have left of it is the removable front )



Another thing if you really think the extras are worth a lot, ask them what's the salvage value.

Barr

brightspark wrote: »

When my 96 car was written off some months ago, they were offering me about 1,100 instead of the 1,500 I thought it was worth.

Turned out they agreed that the book value was about 1500, but deducted 150 euro as one rear tyre was down to 3mm and also the NCT had expired (only by a few days and I had been trying insuccessfully to arrange a test date). I know the car would have probably passed as a mechanic had looked it over about a month beforehand.

Even the claims agent was surprised by the assessor devaluing the car by 150 for one tyre!

Maybe it was because the accident wasn't my fault but they eventually offered me 1400 which considering the expired NCT I felt was a fair value so I settled. Maybe I should have done better, but I felt it was good enough.

Also extras must count in their valuation, just ask if you can remove any of them before they take the car away and you'll be told you can't. ( I wanted to remove an Aldi cd/mp3 player I had fitted a year ago, but they said the valuation included everything in the car on the day the assessor looked at it. So all I have left of it is the removable front )



Another thing if you really think the extras are worth a lot, ask them what's the salvage value.

What kind of car is it that you managed to get €1400 out of an insurance company considering its a 96 without any NCT ?

yop

Still waiting for the insurance to get back to me.