Just two weeks from its MOT and someone drove up the back of it :-( Always the cars I like!
Luckily I was hit by the prettiest young lady I have seen in a while which softened the blow in her A-Class which came off better than my car by some margin. Standard rear end at T-junction but luckily she narrowly missed pushing me into the oncoming lorry.
Couldnt initially drive it because some metal from the wheelarch was jammed up against the rear wheel but I got the wrench out and levered it off as much as I could, enough to drive it 4 miles to my parents house where I have more tools.
Rather glad we have the 3rd car now. Bit concerned I wont get reasonable money for the Charade so may have to fight a little to get enough to put me on equal footing again although what I replace it with I have no idea at all, I hadnt even been thinking about that.
Grrr!
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Bad luck. All OK though injury wise I hope.
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Bad luck, Stu. Sounds like no-one hurt but a damn nuisance all the same.
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Privilege have been very efficient, car should be gone today and courtesy car today aswell although I cant pick it up as Ive to wait in for British Gas engineer ( boiler service ).
It really is a pain, I actually dont want to go car shopping, I was perfectly happy with what I had, how often can I have said that :-(
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Hope you are ok Stu, the insurance will sort out the car and the pretty girl will have to pay for the damage on her insurance premiums.
It does take for ever to sort out though, in Feb last yeah I was hit from behind. Third party refused to pay up as the other driver lied and said I suddenly stopped which was not true, he was going faster and faster as I was breaking, he simply was not concentrating and missed the lights changed to amber, I had anticipated the lights changing too. It dragged out for ages but Directline kept insisting there is no way it was my fault. Finally last week I got a letter from them saying they have finally received payment from the third party.
Being hit from behind is always the one case it will go in your favour. I hope the car is repairable.
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>>I hope the car is repairable <<
It isnt. Bumper cover is broken off but its underneath that the real damage was done. Spare wheel well was pushed 8 ins forward as she hit the OS corner and the rear wing is bent, the rear door wont open and the boot latch is 2 ins further forward than it should be, plus a rather nice crease in the bootlid.
It could be repaired, but it isnt economically viable to do so.
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As long as you're okay. Hope it's not done any damage to your back too. I know you have had problems with your back.
Sounds like you will be looking for another Charade.
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>>Sounds like you will be looking for another Charade.<<
Not sure yet, depends on what the settlement is, I have a couple of ideas floating around in my head but it depends if I can find a car available as none is especially mainstream.
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Blimmin thing is made of recycled baked bean cans by the look of it, I'll wager the A Class hardly had a mark on it.
:)
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Nothing wrong with light cars, they're far more nimble. I much prefer them (I've enough ballast of my own). Ask sliding pillar, he even manages to do with one wheel less.
Sorry to hear about your car, glad you weren't hurt.
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>>Blimmin thing is made of recycled baked bean cans by the look of it <<
That is prob what it will be in a few months time!
I have already stripped the CD player out, damned if they are getting a penny more than they have to outta me, I just know this is going to blow my savings to get anything worth owning.
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I feel a 'what-to-replace-it-with' thread coming on ;)
I drove a couple of recycled b/b tin cars back in the 80's .. a Honda Actyvan followed by a similar sized
(but better built) Suzuki.
I used to feel very vulnerable couped up in those vans, dodging around S & E London 6 days a week.
I'm still here though, maybe I'm just a natural born worrier :}
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Maybe Stu would like a Lancer...
;-)
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Forester Turbo fun car......
Lucky the car absorbed the impact rather than your spine, Stu!
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>>Maybe Stu would like a Lancer <<
Too thirsty for my tastes although I appreciate the straightforward design.
Must do in excess of 55mpg, cheap to insure and tax, flat load area and I dont reckon more than £2k. I will find something, I have a few ideas if I can locate the right motor, but it will be a few weeks anyway, I have a loan car ( what sthe betting on a Chevvy Matiz! ) until 5 days after settlement clears.
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>>I feel a 'what-to-replace-it-with' thread coming on ;) <<
I have a fair idea although nobody here would like it :-)
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>> Being hit from behind is always the one case it will go in your favour.
>>
Total rubbish I'm afraid.
There have been cases where the car in front is found to be at fault.
Even when that vehicle has been stationary, in neutral, parking brake on, for over 30 seconds....
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She admitted liability to her insurer, good girl, she is an occupational therapy student at Northampton Uni ( great thing google ).
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>> >> Being hit from behind is always the one case it will go in your favour.
>> There have been cases where the car in front is found to be at fault.
>> Even when that vehicle has been stationary, in neutral, parking brake on, for over 30 seconds....
Really? I don't see how that could be. Do you have some reference or pointer I could chase down?
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>> Really? I don't see how that could be. Do you have some reference or pointer
>> I could chase down?
>>
It would be, when the driver of the rear car, lies through his teeth, and gets his partners mother and sister to lie - in court, under oath.
How do I know?
I was the driver of the car that was hit. 10 seconds later I would have been getting out the car, my hand was on the door handle as the impact occurred.
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That's a different thing.
That is, presumably, judging a different set of "false" circumstances.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 25 Apr 13 at 21:45
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>> That's a different thing.
>>
Where is it different?
I said 'There have been cases where the car in front is found to be at fault.'
Clearly, if someone is willing to commit purgery and involve others as well, then what Rattle said (and most people believe ('Being hit from behind is always the one case it will go in your favour.') not 100% true.
>> That is, presumably, judging a different set of "false" circumstances.
Agreed.
Last edited by: swiss tony on Thu 25 Apr 13 at 22:41
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>> I said 'There have been cases where the car in front is found to be
>> at fault.'
But where are the examples of 'car in front at fault' particularly where it was stationary for an appreciable period?
The only possibility I can think of would involve blind bends - but even then the moving vehicle should have been driving so as to be able to stop in the visible space.
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>>Where is it different?
An analogy would be;
- Murder isn't always against the law because someone lied about it and got away with it.
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>> >>Where is it different?
>>
>> An analogy would be;
>>
>> - Murder isn't always against the law because someone lied about it and got
>> away with it.
>>
That analogy is as far off the mark as the one I used the other day, that you complained about..
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=13851&m=313367&v=e
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This is barely worth it;
Something doesn't become valid just because someone lied and made it look like something else.
I'm sure you get the point.
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That wouldn't have put a scratch on a Laguna.
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Hold off for the £2.5k from your whiplash..........
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If only. My neck troubles are well documented and ongoing, I dont know that I could fake a new injury that would be convincing, good idea though!
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>>Hold off for the £2.5k from your whiplash..........
Thought you didn't believe in capitalism Bobby? Or would that count as a charitable donation?
:-)
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Are you 'sure' you haven't got any whiplash? ;-)
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Still, at least its improved the looks of the car somewhat.
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Stu will think I'm being cheeky but I looked at the picture that shows the entire rear end and couldn't see anything wrong. (Small screen is some excuse.) I confess I didn't know the Charade looked like that - I thought it was something more Polo-sized.
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The bumper cover is very flexible and didnt deform, but the mounting point for the bumper cover is now 8 ins forward of where it should be.
I also found out when emptying the car that the back seat wont lock in place so I suspect the inner wing is crinkled too. It is one of those accidents that the more you look, the more you see.
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>> I also found out when emptying the car that the back seat wont lock in
>> place so I suspect the inner wing is crinkled too. It is one of those
>> accidents that the more you look, the more you see.
My Mk3 Cav got struck up the rear by a big ole granada. Didnt look too bad till you realised it was impossible to extract the spare wheel from the now oval wheel well...
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The more I read this thread, and having looked at the revealing photos showing crumpled panels, the more I am convinced that Stu's Charade is a well-designed vehicle with ample crumple zones that worked effectively and saved him from injury.
Spare wheels make quite good internal bumpers. All 2CV variants carried their spare wheels horizontally over their powertrain, with the engine ahead of the front axle line. They looked horrible after a head-on collision but a surprising number of drivers survived more or less unscathed. Flimsy isn't always bad, is it?
Ugly thing that Charade though.
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>>Ugly thing that Charade though
Heh heh ! Whereas PT Cruisers are what exactly?
:-))
Sorry !!! Just saw a head above a parapet and you know how it is !
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Thu 25 Apr 13 at 18:35
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Thats very bad luck Stu, glad you're not hurt but keep your options open about your own damages, not suggesting a claimsRus thing but it could trigger a serious bout of back pain after a few days.
Damned shame about the Charade, good little car thats been.
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Yeah my next door neighbour had a month off work with whiplash and indeed, ( her words ) "got the price of a decent family holiday" out of it to boot. Her car had a nasty scratch on the bumper too so of course she needed a hire car for a fortnight. She completely re-modeled her garden during that time off work. I guess the manual labour helped the recovery...
Bugs me that sort of thing. No harm meant to those who are genuine of course.
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When I spoke to my insurer he asked if I was injured and I said no Im fine, I said I wasnt going to make stuff up for a big payout and he laughed and said if only more were like that all our premiums would be lower.
I might be poorer, but I can polish my halo to a good shine now :-)
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Good for you Stu ! Genuinely glad you're not hurt and equally pleased that you have been honourable about it.
Do I seem to think you have a spare car anyway? I guess if so, you can take your time to decide what to buy next?
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>>Do I seem to think you have a spare car anyway? I guess if so, you can take your time to decide what to buy next?<<
Well I can use the Matrix but I dont like using it for work as the interior will get grubby and it is the one car we keep showroom clean, the other two tend to only get a wash once a month.
It is also very heavy on fuel compared to my car so I cant be spending £6 on petrol for every £15 job, it isnt sustainable for long. I also need to keep the miles down as it is on a 5k a year policy and I do 300-350 a week and I have a summer holiday when we will clock up 2k so I dont want to pile miles on now.
I will use the hire car which Im told will be a little pea shooter so prob light on fuel and I can give it a spanking :-)
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>> Whereas PT Cruisers are what exactly?
Flawed retro-pastiche styling, not bad from some angles? I've owned pretty cars and plug-ugly ones, and I can honestly say I didn't really give a damn which they were.
Anyway Humph didn't you say some time back that you quite liked the Cruiser's looks? I seem to remember you did. Dastard! Caitiff! Black-avised hippogriff!
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Don't dislike them AC. I had an ugly dog once and I liked him...
:-)
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Stu, I would pop down to the GP's and get it on the record.
Mrs B had a similar situation and felt fine, but went to the docs while considering the merits of a claim.....
She had decided against a claim as she was in no pain, but a few days later it kicked in and stopped her working for a couple of weeks.
I don't think that your existing issues should be a barrier to a claim if you genuinely are suffering as it may have just worsened / complicated an existing problem
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>> I don't think that your existing issues should be a barrier to a claim if
It might be, its classed as a pre existing condition. Judging if its been aggravated, by how much, and the new effects on lifestyle is a legal and medical black hole.
(I have experience here, I won a case of negligence with a subsequent 4 figure compensation payment and believe me - it was justified, not a frivolous compo claim)
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 25 Apr 13 at 20:38
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>>Stu, I would pop down to the GP's and get it on the record
"Umm I got rear-ended and I thought I'd come and waste your time having it documented. I'm uninjured".
"Bye. get a new GP thanks"
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First ever double post - funky.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 25 Apr 13 at 21:47
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>>
>> My Mk3 Cav got struck up the rear by a big ole granada. Didnt look
>> too bad till you realised it was impossible to extract the spare wheel from the
>> now oval wheel well...
>>
I had exactly the same experience many years ago with my Mk3 Cavalier, middle age woman shunted me at a roundabout, I recall watching in slow motion in the mirror as she piled into the back of my (then) brand new car.
The bumper popped out (albeit cracked) but the boot floor had a ripple in it. It was pulled out on a jig as (I was told) it was a deliberately designed crumple zone. I was never happy and changed the car as soon as I could afford to and learned that even when it's not your fault you have to accept that the car cannot/will-not be restored to the condition it was in beforehand.
IIRC her car was a (then new) Pug 205GT and the front was a mess with radiator fluid everywhere, I stormed out of my car intending to give her a piece of my mind but saw she was in tears, found myself behaving rather chivalrously if I do say so myself....
Glad you're OK FoR
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Fri 26 Apr 13 at 01:52
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I've never been eh, shunted, but I have shunted a fair few people, eh, cars.
(1) A Mini with 2 elderly folk inside at a Zebra crossing with my Zephyr, they couldn't open the doors afterward :(
(2 & 3) At a roundabout and at traffic lights, both times I was looking right (as you do) and the driver in front braked when I thought they would have (should have) gorn :(
The Mini happened 40 years ago and I've often thought about that poor couple, I was driving back from Woolwich at the time having done 2 hours overtime (well, that's what I booked) it was raining and my wipers were playing up,
so I was concentrating on getting them working properly, and BANG!
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>>I stormed out of my car intending to give her a piece of my mind but saw she was in tears, found myself behaving rather chivalrously if I do say so myself...<<
I cant say I stormed out, I just said "Oh ****", looked in the mirror to see what the driver looked like who had stayed exactly where they were ( I had moved onto the verge it being rush hour ), I think she must have been in shock, so I had a little look at the car while she gathered herself and moved in behind me. Then when she got out her first words were "Im so sorry", short of planting one on me as compensation she could not have been more apologetic - I did suggest to my wife that it forms part of the claim but apparently it is not allowed. The girl is only 22/23 bless her, I think it was her first shunt judging by her reaction so me going all primate wouldnt have done much good.
In other news my left shoulder is very stiff this morning but I cannot explain why :-/
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 26 Apr 13 at 10:36
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Sorry Stu, tried to find you a GTti but they are the definition of hens teeth cars. There are more Delorean DMC-12s available.
If you go for an AX don't forget about not slamming the tailgate, I would imagine finding a rear screen for an AX might be difficult these days.
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Many years ago, I pulled to a halt at the traffic lights in Crouch end in my rubber-nosed MGB and a young lady in a Ford Sierra sailed straight into the back of it.
Now, those rubber bumpers weigh quite a bit and conceal a large steel box section within. That's bolted directly onto two large chassis members that run the length of the car.
I polished the mark off the bumper with my sleeve and she went off to find a new front end for her Sierra and get the bodywork straightened.
There's something to be said for the "other vehicles are your crumple zone" approach to automotive engineering.
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Known these days as "I need a massive 4x4 so my children are safe". Never mind the impact on others.
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shame most 4x4's are well known for rolling over at the slightest hint of an accident !
Last edited by: diddy1234 on Fri 26 Apr 13 at 16:30
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I am steering away from the banger idea at the moment, I would need to spend a fair amount even in banger territory to get a car that could handle 300 miles a week so I will have a look at the pennies, see what is down the sofa.
I have a shortish list of potential cars now, one of them is a car GB has mentioned many times as being quite good ( for what it is ) but until I get a settlement figure I am not going to know quite where I am.
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Got my loan car yesterday - not a Matiz! Ended up with a Fiesta 3dr which seems to have the 60 bhp engine as it is exceptionally slow and they appear to have removed all torque before sale. Very smooth and quiet, but it feels like the handbrake is on when you pull away.
I was offered an upgrade to a Juke but declined tempting though it was.
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Just heard back on the Charade and the estimates are £3-3.5k of damage but due to the complexity of how far gone it is they are waiting for an engineer to look at it to determine exactly how bad. He said the chassis is in a bad way.
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>>>estimates are £3-3.5k of damage but due to the complexity of how far gone it is they are waiting for an engineer to look at it
I wonder why? Pulling a figure from the air I'd guess a same age replacement with low miles and clean condition would be £1200-£1500 so I'm amazed they would even consider a repair at £3k+.
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>>I wonder why? Pulling a figure from the air I'd guess a same age replacement with low miles and clean condition would be £1200-£1500 so I'm amazed they would even consider a repair at £3k+.<<
The chap where the car is being kept said that they have to do belt and braces to get an accurate repair cost in order to get the write off decision.
I havent been able to find a similar car to mine for less than £1500 and most are hovering around the £1700 mark IF you can find one.
There is a 2004, same model as mine with 34k up for £1750 so mine with a few thousand more miles ( 39k ) and 6 months older would be somewhere between that and £1500.
My intention is not to accept less than £1500 as even at that price I will still struggle to find something in the same condition, there arent many options that fit my requirements and I am going to have to find atleast a grand to put myself back in a similar position, so I will loose out regardless.
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Not sure I follow your logic, Stu. £1,750 is an asking price, not a value, so isn't the true value likely to be more like £1,500? So yours, with more months and more miles, ought to be worth a bit less.
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I think what FoR needs to do is show his insurance company Autotrader ads for near identical cars and request a pay out to the tune of the prices in those ads.
Then, if he gets that pay out, he'll surely be in the position he was before the accident - i.e he can buy one of those near identical cars and not need the extra grand he speaks of.
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>>Not sure I follow your logic, Stu. £1,750 is an asking price, not a value, so isn't the true value likely to be more like £1,500? So yours, with more months and more miles, ought to be worth a bit less. <<
A car is worth what someone will pay for it, small economical cars have very firm values atm. In the grand scheme of things my car is almost identical to the one I mentioned - 6k and 6 months on a car 9-10 years old doesnt amount to much in terms of value.
>>Then, if he gets that pay out, he'll surely be in the position he was before the accident - i.e he can buy one of those near identical cars and not need the extra grand he speaks of.<<
Indeed. To put myself in my pre-accident position I need a bare minimum of £1500 although there are a fair few at £2k, some dealer cars I have seen at £2.5k.
The reason for the extra grand is that I can count on one hand how many Charades there are in my price range and miles/condition of my previous car, so I may not be able to secure another Charade even if I have the money for one and most other cars cost more to buy which is partly why I am so annoyed as it was a difficult to repeat purchase.
I will have 5 days from getting the cheque to get another car on the road or I will not have anything at all so I wont even have the luxury of waiting around for the 'right' car.
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So suck your teeth, show your insurers the going rate on Autotrader, and ask for £2.5k. You might not get it, but you might get close.
Then you can afford a FIAT Stilo.
;-)
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I think you are looking too much on the negative side.
With cash in your pocket £1500 should get you a replacement up to £1750 or so asking and there are quite a few as of today you could buy.
The red one at £1750 with a plate a year newer and less miles... www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304266473087
The blue one at £1750 two years newer on the plate with 11k extra miles... www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304216385847
Then the lilac one which is perhaps the best comparison. Same age as yours with just another 8k on the clock. 12mths MOT and full history at £1395 asking. Nice weekend away with the Mrs to collect as well... www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304266470499
If you did want to put a few hundred extra in for a minter this caught my eye in your area... www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304226391758
Edit: Just noticing the post above obviously a search under £2k does find some very nice Stilos and Mondeos but....
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 29 Apr 13 at 15:46
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That is still only a handful of cars and only one is within 100 miles of me and the lilac one is 270 miles away, nor am I having another lilac one, why you think its so cheap!
As I said, £1500 would do, but I wont be getting another Charade, I am going to try and bring forward my plans for 2014.
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Stuart, ('scuse me if this is at all egg/sucking/teaching)
Presumably you would prefer a replacement vehicle and a comparable one at that. You do not need to do this on a shoe string. Part of the value of a car is its reliability, known history, and maintenance levels. So, simply because there is one available at £1500 does not mean that you should ask for £1500.
You should expect to be able to obtain one from a reputable supplier, with some assurance as to its reliability - i.e. someone to sue if it goes wrong. If you buy a car which breaks within a month then you would expect to be able to have redress, that means a dealer.
Without looking then if there are ones available privately in the trader for £1700, your guess of £2500 is probably about right.
It makes sense to do some leg work ahead of time, so I would start gathering adverts for *reasonably* comparable cars in preparation for the offer.
Don't be daft about it, but you should be looking to replace your vehicle with a comparable vehicle from an appropriate source. i.e. not some bloke in the B&Q car park, but also not a main dealer.
Also you have 5 days from when you *accept* the offer, not from when it is made. You should reply immediately accepting or stating the amount you want with evidence. You should not unreasonably delay anything, nor ask for an unreasonable amount of money, but time reasonably negotiating the offer does NOT come from the 5 days.
Let me know if I can help with anything.
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By the way, whether or not you ultimately spend the money on a comparable Charade is *not* the business of the insurance company.
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Sorry, keep thinking of bits.
Expenses to buy a car is not unreasonable.
Do not subsidise the insurance company with your effort/sacrifice. They would not do the same for you on your premium or excess.
Within reasons a quicker but slightly higher settlement is cheaper for the insurance company than an argument.
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Thanks chap, good advice.
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>>Presumably you would prefer a replacement vehicle and a comparable one at that. You do not need to do this on a shoe string. Part of the value of a car is its reliability, known history, and maintenance levels. So, simply because there is one available at £1500 does not mean that you should ask for £1500.<<
Good point. My Charade had a documented cambelt change, new brakes in Feb and an exhaust in winter plus it had all round fresh fluids so it needed very little spending on it servicing wise and that is partly why I am worried I will loose out as getting a car up to the mechanical standard as mine perhaps cost me £400 since I bought it and I could easily buy something needing that and more spending to extend its life, its a real kicker.
>>It makes sense to do some leg work ahead of time, so I would start gathering adverts for *reasonably* comparable cars in preparation for the offer.<<
Print them off as evidence or just note the prices? Im watching all auctions for Charades on Ebay atm to see how they are doing.
>>Don't be daft about it, but you should be looking to replace your vehicle with a comparable vehicle from an appropriate source. i.e. not some bloke in the B&Q car park, but also not a main dealer.<<
My car actually came from a main dealer!
>>Expenses to buy a car is not unreasonable <<
Such as?
>>Within reasons a quicker but slightly higher settlement is cheaper for the insurance company than an argument.<<
I know id be stoked to get £1700 and I do not think it is out of the ballpark, but we will see. I am dealing with it through my insurer rather than the other party insurer, so who actually do I negotiate with? The guy from the garage who rang me today said the engineer would ring me to discuss it and I am already wondering how many contacts I will have for this - the Enterprise rep asked me if I could drop them a line when any significant developments happen as they dont get any info on how the claims are progressing.
Last edited by: FoR on Mon 29 Apr 13 at 21:35
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Stu, when the missus' car was written off just before Christmas I did all the groundwork with looking at cars etc like you are doing just now.
The payout they offered me was in excess of what I thought the offer would be and I had to accept it as I could not even find a single piece of evidence on Autotrader etc to try and ask for more!
Its the only time I have ever accepted the first offer with anything to do with cars!!
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Fingers crossed then Bobby, the insurer being claimed from is Diamond, no idea who is behind them or how tight they are.
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>> Good point. My Charade had a documented ................
It would be reasonable to forward the following to an insurer (I have made up the figures)
Charade on Autotrader £2000
(sample adverts attached making this car a reasonable purchase.)
New cambelt required £500
(receipt for recent new cambelt on original vehicle attached)
New MOT Required £50
(receipt for my recent MOT attached)
Expenses to buy £100
(list of 20 phone calls, two bus journeys and an AA inspection)
Total claim £2650.
>> Print them off as evidence or just note the prices?
Both. The more evidence you can show that illustrates you as a reasonable man making proper investigations and reasonably arriving at a value of £x the more likely they are to accept.
Bear in mind that should it ever make the courts, a *significant* part of the judgement will be based upon who was the most reasonable. By and large most insurers realise that they *will* lose if they go to court against someone who can show they were being industrious and reasonable.
>> My car actually came from a main dealer!
If I was buying a replacement vehicle it would seem to be to be reasonable that i should use an appropriate supplier. To my mind if that was a main dealer, then I would have to show why that was reasonable, and I would lose out with any additional compensation/guarantee.
You do not win one of these, or come out with a favourable result because you were right, because you stood on your rights, or because you argue every point. You come out on top by putting forward a favourable yet reasonable approach with no room for maneuver.
Open the door a crack and you risk getting a foot in it.
>> >>Expenses to buy a car is not unreasonable <<
Phone calls, train journey's reasonable inspection etc. etc.
You may be surprised, the insurer will be trying to offer you an amount that you will accept without giving him any grief, whilst avoiding spending too much.
Be reasonable. it virtually always works.
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And if they do offer something you're happy with, don't torture yourself over whether or not you can get an extra few quid, just take it and count yourself fortunate.
And ultimately it does not matter how they split the amount down. Just look at the bottom line - and decide if you are happy or not.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Mon 29 Apr 13 at 22:06
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Lucky for me there are actually quite a few Charades on Ebay atm and they are all pretty much in the £1600-1800 area so that seems to be the accepted wisdom on values ( must be a pig to sell one atm with so many similar cars around, they all seem to have come online in the last few days ).
>>You come out on top by putting forward a favourable yet reasonable approach with no room for maneuver.<<
So really what you are saying is aim for the middle ground with documented evidence that makes it look reasonable and hard to refuse?
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I haven't looked at Charades, so I'm just reacting to the prices you're telling me.
If there are vehicles available from dealers at £1600 - £1800 then I would start at £1700 and add what I needed e.g. £50 for brakes, £100 for cam belt etc and end up around £2000.
If the £1600 to £1800 is private, then I'd want a lot more. Up to £2500 for a vehicle from a "proper" if not main, dealer.
What does it seem that you would have to pay for your vehicle from a reasonable dealer? + a bit for maintenance, - a bit for mileage, + a bit for tyres, - a bit for MOT, you get the idea.
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>>So really what you are saying is aim for the middle ground with documented evidence that makes it look reasonable and hard to refuse?
Yes, but I'd go for "upper middle".
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>>( must be a pig to sell one atm with so many
>> similar cars around, they all seem to have come online in the last few days
>> ).
>>
Yeah, all those people who have been dying to get shot of their cars heard there might actually be a buyer around for one ... ;-)
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>>Yeah, all those people who have been dying to get shot of their cars heard there might actually be a buyer around for one ... ;-) <<
And yet I wont be buying another for now, but they are not to know :-)
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Keep this simple, Stu. Your insurer is handling the claim, so only deal with them.
If the third party insurer asks any questions, refer them to your insurance company. The only things Enterprise need to know is how much longer you'll have the replacement car and whether the insurance company is paying for it.
Keep in mind you pay your insurance to put you back in the position you were in before the accident, i.e. the owner of a very good condition Charade of model year X with Y miles on the clock supplied by a main dealer with service history. The payout should be for what it would reasonably cost you to replace it with like for like. And, if there are cheaper, similar, cars to be had in Scotland, but it'd cost you a day's travel to get there, then it's reasonable to expect either the price of a car sourced close to you, or the travel expenses for a trip to Scotland in my book.
You're an honest chap, but don't let yourself be left out of pocket as a result of circumstances that were not your fault!
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>>Keep this simple, Stu. Your insurer is handling the claim, so only deal with them.<<
It gets very confusing as I have all sorts ringing me now - had an injury claims company ring today but she rang off politely when I said no injuries.
My insurer said that the garage that was looking at the car would ring me so that looks to be how they do things, but I did wonder why the engineer was going to ring me to discuss it - perhaps it is standard procedure as most people dont have my car knowledge so wouldnt understand the reasons for a writeoff perhaps - maybe it is just to cut out the third person explanations and the insurer will only read what is on their screen.
I am guessing that once the engineer has given their verdict then my insurer takes over when they know what they need to get from the other party.
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Got a valuation at £1820 including £50 knocked off for missing stereo ( I swiped it as cars around ten years old sometimes need a new one and mine works ) and £50 knocked off for bodywork blemishes but he gave it an A1 rating for condition generally.
It is more than I was hoping for and I got 10% more than initially suggested on account of money spent on the car.
Now should hear from my insurer once his report is sent in either today or tomorrow.
I should be able to find another grand to top up the money so that opens up a fair few options I was going to look at next year. I am content I think.
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Yep good result FoR. I've assisted in a few total loss claims supporting owners views on price/condition and it has been my experience lower value cars are being paid out above where I'd see their value given I usually have a trade/private price in mind.
That is why I said in my post not to have a downer on it because they have enabled you to replace like for like if that was your choice.
The claim process seems to get a bit more messy in the £7k + range.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 30 Apr 13 at 15:09
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The irony is that I only paid £2k for it in June last year so that is a very strong price really.
I am being forwarded some money from some work I am doing in November to add to my savings and the settlement so I can get as big a jump in the quality of car as possible so I should have a budget of atleast £3k which is quite a reasonable pot to get something a bit newer.
I cant wait to get rid of the Fiesta, awful car, it isnt me at all and I am terrified some twit is going to ding it.
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I should have a budget of atleast
>> £3k which is quite a reasonable pot to get something a bit newer.
You seem quite competent at picking a good car Stu, but I've always found the £2-4k price point very awkward in choosing a decent car.
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You are right, it is and I am finding it extremely hard to locate something I even feel like looking at, let alone buying. At the moment I could well be buying privately and I have a couple of cars which have caught my eye but whether they are available by the time I have cash in hand remains to be seen.
Something will turn up, always does and I am trying to be more open minded than usual although my requirements do tend to lead back to the smae old suspects, but I shall try and pull off a suprise of sorts.
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Charade is no more - ToMoCo
