buying back a "right off" in the uk?

Question

Ive been hit from behind at traffic lights and had cosmetic damage to the car. the insurance company MIGHT right off the car because of the cost. a friend told me the insurance company will let me keep or buy back the car cheap.
is this true?
what are my chances?

Answer 1

yes you can buy a right off back....its just the same if you went to scrap yard and buy a car from there,you just have to re register the car back with the DVLA

Answer 2

Where is it.
If at home it may be posible to get a contribution to the cost of repair but you will have real problems getting any insurance apart from 3rd Party only on it.
If it is at a garage the various costs including storage costs will probably make it difficult.
I got £ 2000 contribution on a stolen car insured for £2000, bought the car for £100 plus £100 excess so £1800 cheque.
Needed dash, Door lock steering lock torn seat etc.
Stitched seat. locks and Dash cost £100 from a breaker, fitted it myelf, £ 1800 for 3 days work not bad.
I was hit in the side in an old morris, I told the insurance it was only worth £275 and the cheque arrived 6 days after the accident I should have said £ 500.
Insurance companies are not stupid, they save hire car costs and unforseen costs by writing off when repair costs are at 50 or 66% of value. If it dont drive walk away.If it drives, If the damage is not MOT fail or is DIY repairable and the parts are available, like tomorrow, literally tomorrow, then buy it back but just make sure you have some transport while it is off the road. The instant you agree to accept the write off the hire car goes back or you start paying for it. and if there is unforseen damage the repaired car may still prove to be beyond economic repair. You need a good mate what is a mechanic.

Answer 3

You can as long as it's not a cat a or b write off - these are too dangerous to sell to the public so the law prevents this.

Sounds like this will be a cat c - this is usually minor damage but the value of the car can make even replacing a bumper and lights more expensive.

Salvage companies give decent money to insurance companies so I would check with the ins comp how much they will deduct from your settlement and have a word with the garage to ask how much they could fix it for... they may do a deal once it is no longer an insurance job. Don't tell your insurance company though... the repairer will soon back away if you do (insurance companies know this sort of happens but it is very hard to monitor).

Answer 4

You are not automatically entitled to buy back the car from the insurance company. Once they have paid out, the car becomes 'salvage' and the DVLA like to see salvage being crushed and got rid of, although their efforts to achieve that aim have been very limited.

If you want to buy the car back, you will have to badger them, and not surrender any documentation (V5, MOT etc.) that relates to the car at any time. If they get the documents off you, you can kiss the car goodbye.

Answer 5

Many years ago I was in the same position when my damaged vehicle was declared a write off because it was beyond reasonable economical repair costing. I wrote to the Insurers disputing their decision and although they would not authorise the repair, they did pay me the estimated value and accepted my very low offer to purchase the wreck of my car - which I subsequently sold - "AS SEEN" and making a good profit!
Try it and good luck.

Answer 6

yes. I have bought my car back for £1.Talk to the man who comes out to look at it. Sometimes they are glad for you to keep it because it costs them to have a lorry to cart it away. I once towed a lotus in that had run into the back of a peugeot and was even paid for storing it my garage It made a nice car after I repaired it. I had someone run into me once. I was paid by their insurance company more than what I paid for the car. £26-00 later I drove the car for another year.So you see it can be done

Answer 7

yes you can buy a write-off back DEPENDING ON THE DAMAGE...... if it is higher than a category C write-off then to my knowledge you cant, but if its only "cosmetic" damage then yes im sure you should be able to, and yes it is cheap as the company scrapping it will not be able to make much moey from the car by sellin it as scrap so they let it go cheap for greater profit :D (category c write off to my knowledge is damage substained to a car that deems the car "unfit" to be on the road but still driveable) << or something along those lines :D, i hope this has helped you out

Answer 8

beware , if you by back a right off , and put it back on the road , when it comes time to insure it you will be asked if the car has ever been written off , it's details will be logged with the DVLA and you may have a problem if you claim again in the future if you do not declare it.

Answer 9

HAHAHAHAHHAHA! Mark Lester is full of crap! How does Paris look anything like his ugly daughter? She frickin doesn't! And they can't be the spitting image of eachother anyway unless his stupid kid Harriet has the same mother as Paris, which she bloody well doesn't. I'm glad Katherine and all the Jacksons aren't letting the FREAK see Paris, Prince or Blanket, and it should always be that way. I hate Mark Lester...

Answer 10

If they do a write off, and pay you for the vehicle, it will become theirs. If you want to keep it, you can probably buy it back from them, and no, it won't be cheap.