Buying back your written off car?

[Carl VRS]

I have now agreed an offer for the car, and I also get to keep the car, so i'll be breaking it and selling parts on here in a few weeks time, once i've signed up to become a FREEDOM member, and the car is returned to me. Yay all is going well again

[Quinten]

Nice one. I may be interested in a few parts myself, so I'll keep an eye out.

To any others, please do not be tempted to go asking him for parts here, cos the thread will be closed again...

[Stuart_J]

I have now agreed an offer for the car, and I also get to keep the car, so i'll be breaking it and selling parts on here in a few weeks time, once i've signed up to become a FREEDOM member, and the car is returned to me. Yay all is going well again

Make sure it comes back complete !! What categorie is the car & how bad is the damage, if its cat D you will make more repairing & reselling it, or put the whole car on flea bay. breaking is great but you are always left with loads of bits no one wants

[Carl VRS]

Yes please DO NOT ask me for parts, dont want this being locked again.

Cat C i believe The damage was estimated at more than the cars worth and is structural due to the B pillar moving. The garage where it was assessed is actually only 2 mins from where i live, went there earlier and removed the tax disc to claim a refund.

Damage is to drivers side doors, wing and Bpillar, and maybe some parts behind the front wheel as the wheel is rubbing on the arch/mudflap. The roof and bonnet are not kinked or damaged at all, all the damage was low down at the level with strips on the doors. I am gonna start another thread soon asking how much parts might be worth, interior alloys etc etc...but this is only to get an idea of prices, NOT to sell on here...yet, until the Freedom member upgrade is done

[Stuart_J]

Copied from a Breakers site but it outlines the categories, C & D are repairable,

Sounds like yours will need jigging so will need to be done by a bodyshop but s/hand parts sourced by you could still make it a viable repair

Insurance Categories

When an insurance company decides not to repair a vehicle they will issue it with a salvage classification category.

Salvage categories were introduced in an effort to curb vehicle crime in the UK. They were developed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) with the assistance of vehicle recyclers, the DVLA and the UK Police Force.

The categories are as follows:

A - Not for resale. Fire damaged (burnt-out), flood damaged (contaminated or salt water), severely damaged with no serviceable parts, or heavily stripped (shell).

Notification of Destruction required. (To be crushed). Recorded at DVLA & HPI.

B - Not for resale. Damaged beyond economical repair and/or severe structural damage.

Notification of Destruction required. (Parts can be removed and sold). Recorded at DVLA & HPI.

C - Repairable salvage. Generally applies to older vehicles. Can be sold for repair but must now have VIC inspection.

Recorded at DVLA & HPI.

D - Repairable salvage. Minimal damage sometimes stolen and found after claim has been paid, or cost of repair combined with difficulty obtaining new parts to enable a swift repair.

Recorded with HPI.

X - Repairable salvage. Not recorded on any registers such as HPI. Limited or very light damage, or vehicle is new or less than 12 months old. Usually requires minimal repair work.

NOT Recorded with HPI.

Insurance companies often call vehicles involved in an accident a 'write off' or 'total loss', which gives the wrong impression to anyone not familiar with the insurance or salvage industry. An insurance company faced with a claim first estimates the financial cost of repairing the vehicle to its pre-accident condition.

The cost of the repair will be based on new parts prices and garage labour charges, often making it uneconomical for the insurance company to carry out the repair. A person doing the work themselves and sourcing recycled spares can often make the repair viable.

If the financial cost to the insurance company is the same or near to the market price, the insurance company would normally call this vehicle a write off which means that they will 'write off' the financial cost of the repair, not the vehicle itself.

The term total loss is also often misused. It actually means the insurance company made a complete financial loss, i.e. they recovered no money from the sale of the salvage and therefore made a total financial loss on the claim.

These terms have had quite a bit of bad press due to their common association with unscrupulous dealers and car thieves. Whilst there are a few cases where 'cut and shut' vehicles have appeared back on the road, as a professional salvage dealer we use the category system to ensure that any vehicles coming into our yard are disposed of in a proper manner and in accordance with the category system requirements.

In addition to defining the 'class' of a salvage vehicle, there is also a condition to notify DVLA of destruction for all vehicles in categories A and B. We electronically notify DVLA through a secure internet connection and a 'marker' is added to the vehicle record to show that it has been destroyed. The purpose of this marker is to alert the police if anyone tries to register or license a vehicle that has been destroyed.

A vehicle that has previously been issued with a C or D salvage classification is not necessarily a bad vehicle to own or buy. Since each vehicle over three years old has to pass a MOT test before it can be licensed it should have been repaired to a good roadworthy standard. Obviously if you have any doubts about buying a vehicle that has been previously repaired, you can ask an independent motor engineer to inspect the vehicle before you buy it, or get an AA or RAC inspection done.

Don't forget, the biggest advantage to buying a repairable salvage vehicle is the cost saving when compared to forecourt or dealership prices.