Car a write off - what can I expect to get from insurance?

Goffie

Hi
I'm lucky to be alive this morning but I'm still worried about what comes next. I was driving home around 8pm last night, not driving fast as the road is narrow with bad bends and I don't know it well. As I went into the bend the car the steering wheel suddenly went out of my hands and the car spun into the thin trees by the side of the road, spun right around and ended up back out on the road facing the opposite direction.

Several people stopped to help and stayed with me till the AA arrived, I hadnt a mark on me, just very shaken but the car..my God, its a complete write off. I didnt call the Gardai as luckily nobody else was involved.
The two back tyres were blown out but I can't remember if I heard a bang or not..
My worry is that the car insurance will say I lost control or was driving too fast and won't pay out any money to replace the car. I've never been in an accident before so I have no idea what the insurance companies are like in instances like this. I have fully comp with Traveller. My car was an 02 Opel Astra 1.6 with about 75000 miles on it so worth sod all but it had another year on the NCT so I was hanging on till then.

I've been told even if I get something it'll be the book value of the car minus scrappage minus excess on the policy (which is 500) ..all I want to get is a 01 Mircra or the like but it doesnt look like I'll get enough even for that and I'm looking at a bank loan which I cant afford.

Can anyone shed some light, please? Thanks
G

mazthespark

ya that sounds bout rite. and if u pay by the month they will also take off wats remaining in payments until ur renewal date

Zube

Goffie wrote: »

I'm lucky to be alive this morning

Glad you're OK.

The insurance will pay if you have comprehensive: they can't deny cover based on theories about your driving.

As you say, though, they won't pay much if your car wasn't worth much. Here's a 1.6 Astra asking €3450.

Goffie

Cheers, zube, its better to know what i'm facing..and that's the market price for an Astra, not the book price which will be a lot less, maybe only 1000, less the excess of 500 and i'd imagine scrap a couple of hundred in value if that. I'll be lucky to get 1000

best go crawling to the bank on Monday so. Thanks for letting me know they have to give me something anyway, I'll need every penny. Dont suppose they'll give me a replacement car till I find another one..cant find anything in the policy booklet

Eoin

mazthespark wrote: »

ya that sounds bout rite. and if u pay by the month they will also take off wats remaining in payments until ur renewal date

No text speak please

mazthespark

yes that sounds about right. and if you pay by the month they will also take off the amount remaining in payments until your renewal date

Graham_B18C

Sorry to hear op, Would you be better off leaving the insurance? Because if the car is worth so little, then why bump your policy up for another 5 years.

Then just buy something dead cheap to tick you over. Somebody crashed into me, while I was waiting on the money and saving for a better car, I bought a 96 Micra...never let me down so if you want something cheap, I couldn't recommend them enough

Goffie

Thanks Graham..trouble is I'm caught whichever way I turn. I have NO money to even go buy a banger and insure it, I have to have a car so I'll just have to take what I can get from the insurance company to get me on the road ad and take the hit on the no claims.

Spoke to a neighbour who works in insurance who says they must pay you the market value of the car, not the book value, less the excess and scrap value. It wont be much but its better than the book value. She's years in the business so she knows what shes talking about.

I used to drive Micras for years, great cars..last time the Astra was the only automatic I could find second hand so I took it, but there's loads of automatic Micras on carzone now so that's what I'll be going for.

[-0-]

Glad you are OK OP. My car was written off recently and I got the market value for the car. You should get the same.

mickdw

The scrap value wont come into it if they are writing it off. By doing that they are taking ownership of the car so they have to pay you the market value of it before accident. Policy excess will reduce this though