Buying my car back from insurers

[budfox]

I'm sure this has been discussed here before but I'm after specific advice please.

I've got two Fabia 1.9TDi estates sat on my drive. My new 55' Reg one that works, and my '56 Reg one that has a broken engine due to flood damage which will be a Cat B write-off.

I'm yet to agree a valuation with the insurance company, but I will. At that point I'm considering asking how much they want for me to retain the car. I've been reading up on whether a Cat B can be put back on the road, and I also think that given the value of some of the parts it might well be worth my while.

I'd therefore like some forum opinion on this, and if everyone says "just get rid of it" then I will. However, it may well be that the insurers don't want the bother of collection/disposal and they might therefore only want a few quid.

Genuine thanks for any replies.

[Holmesie]

i would imagine if you are thinking of breaking the car yourself you could earn a few quid.

Parts such as wheels bumpers, plastic parts and undamaged engine parts ( given the car was not started if it has been underwater) would all be perfectly fine to be used as spares with a good clean.

Edited 13 January, 2013 by Holmesie

[chrisw880]

Cat A and Cat B cars can't be returned to the road

Cat C and Cat D cars can be returned on the road but require a VIC (Cat C only, I think)

[Huskoda]

I thought only cat D and C could go back on the road, with a C requiring a safety check? I thought B was parts only and A is scrap? I'm guessing that your payout is going to be very small if you're considering breaking it.

[rover220]

dont think youll be able to buy a cat b back. should never return to the road.

[budfox]

Well I don't want to put the car back on the road, but my research on Cat B cars is far from conclusive.

I'll see if they'll sell it back to me, and once I know the price I might take things a step further.

A lot will depend on if I can be bothered to break it for spares, but if I can find somewhere to store it then I might just do so. There are so many good parts (all of them except for the engine). Even the tyres are almost new so I'd save at least £100 there.

[hutchysrs50]

I think you need to be a registered recycling place to get cat b cars, don't think you can buy them back.

[Keijax]

Cat B means beyond repair, break for parts only, seems unlikely that a damaged engine would render it as a cat B, unless there is other damage like the electrics were flooded as well.

Cat B can't go back on the road (in theory), a cat C would require a VIC check only, no safety checks, just an identity check to make sure it's not a ringer.

You don't have to be a salvage dealer to buy back a cat B as it can't go back on teh road, so you can keep it.

Incidentally, everybody refers to this as a buy back, legally it's your car anyway and they have to buy it from you as part of the claim, so it's not a buy back it's just an allowance aginst your claim!

[devonutopia]

Flood damage should never be Cat B surely?

[BossFox]

Flood damage should never be Cat B surely?

I wouldn't have thought so either.

No structural damage so no reason why it can't be a Cat C/D, bought and returned to the road if you like.

[Southy]

From what i was recently told the cost of by back depends on payout amount. The higher the payout the great % it is to buy back.

I got paid out 6k and was 20% to buy back ie £1200. However at 6.2k it was 25%.

[budfox]

Apparently flood damage has to be a write off because there's always the risk that parts that appear to be working might fail prematurely. I guess they're thinking about electrical and braking systems being potentially unsafe.

If I could put the car back on the road I'd think about buying another engine, but for now I was just wondering what the forum's thoughts were.

Cheers

Steve

[Keijax]

I have owned numerous cat C and cat D cars, had more than one with water ingress to engine, have a look on ebay, they are generally cat D, ocasionally cat C. Only become cat B when water gets into the car as well because this can damage the electrics.

Friend of mine just paid £150 for her Renault Migraine against a value of £700. It was cat C because of a dent in the wing, nothing more.

I'm currently driving a beautiful 53 reg Golf V5 with 16000 miles (yes 16k) on the clock which was cat C. needed a bumper, front panel, rads, small crease in the bonnet and scrape on sill. Has every extra, heated leather, sunroof, reversing sensors, multi function steering whell, full history, cost me £2k all sorted, I'm very happy with it.

[Keijax]

Being a cat B it shouldn't go back on the road.

But..... once it's repaired, send off to DVLA for a new V5 (costs £25) you can just tax and insure it and drive it, you see there is only a VIC marker if it's a cat C so DVLA aren't interested.

I know of a Z4 roadster which was flood damaged, insurance Co cat B'd it as the engine didn't turn over and water had got inside the car. A new starter was fitted (it had siezed) and the engine fired up, once the electrics had dried out it was taxed, motd, insured and back on the road.