Only Had It 7½ Weeks ...............!!

[Wack]

Hello folks, Just thought I'd share my loss with you. I bought my very first Surf last year and fetched it on Christmas Eve. During the short time I had it I grew to love it, it was my pride and joy. Last Tuesday on sheet black ice, I spun it, hit the curb and flipped it on it's side. It's now been written off and I'm waiting for a settlement figure from my insurance company (there were four accidents within 1½ miles of each other on the same road that day, three of which were 4x4's, I live on the Lincs / Notts border and our roads don't get gritted).

I'm still in mourning right now, but I think I'm going to get myself another (if I get a fair settlement).

Yours sadly

Surfless

[TAZMAN]

Tough luck mate. Imagine the crap you'd be in if it was a Freelander etc. Getting another Surf would be the 2nd best thing you've done.

[kitesurf_phil]

Tough luck mate.

My brother wrote off a Renault Espace (no great loss there ) when he lived in Lincs. It was on a dead straight fen road. He hit the only tree stump for two miles which saved him from going into the dyke. Luckily he only dislocated his thumb, fractured his wrist and had bruising from the seat belt. He was going relatively steady, as an incomer, compared to the locals.

Did you know that you can roll most cars at just 15MPH if you get it just right (or wrong)? I was taught how to do it by a stunt driver.

Good luck in the search for a new Surf.

[Gizmo]

Tough luck mate.

My brother wrote off a Renault Espace (no great loss there ) when he lived in Lincs. It was on a dead straight fen road. He hit the only tree stump for two miles which saved him from going into the dyke. Luckily he only dislocated his thumb, fractured his wrist and had bruising from the seat belt. He was going relatively steady, as an incomer, compared to the locals.

Did you know that you can roll most cars at just 15MPH if you get it just right (or wrong)? I was taught how to do it by a stunt driver.

Good luck in the search for a new Surf.

Sorry to hear of your loss, but I bet the dyke was happy that the guy didn't drive in also!

[Wack]

Cheeky Buggers !!!!!!

Just had the letter from my insurance (Liverpool Victoria) with the initial settlement offer for my truck. For a 94 3.0 TD SSR-X with 46k miles and in very good nick, maroon over grey, CD & MD, 16" alloys etc etc, the cheeky buggers have offered me £4,495. Looking on the net I can't find anything of similar spec and mileage for much less than £5,500, and many are considerably more (up to £7,000).

What would you folks consider to be a fair settlement figure ???

Doesn't look like I'll get a decent replacement unless they up the offer a good bit.

Wack

[Slugsie]

Just had the letter from my insurance (Liverpool Victoria) with the initial settlement offer for my truck. For a 94 3.0 TD SSR-X with 46k miles and in very good nick, maroon over grey, CD & MD, 16" alloys etc etc, the cheeky buggers have offered me £4,495. Looking on the net I can't find anything of similar spec and mileage for much less than £5,500, and many are considerably more (up to £7,000).

What would you folks consider to be a fair settlement figure ???

Doesn't look like I'll get a decent replacement unless they up the offer a good bit.

Wack

Sorry to hear of the loss.

The problem is that the figure they cam up with may well be the only figure they'll offer. I had a similar experience when I had a car written off. The insurance came back with a stupid offer, I rejected, they said you can't reject it. I then pointed out that it had taken six months to get the offer, so they did up the offer by six months of depreciation. So basically, unless you can give a very good reason why their offer isn't good enough, you may be stuck with it.

But try anyway.

[stormforce]

i know what your saying as i had the same thing a few years ago with a car i bought from a garage.I was told by the engineer who asses the vehicles for the insurance companies that if i wasn't happy with the with the settlement figure then it was tough luck so i asked for the car back aswell so i could use it for spares just to try and get some of the loss back.my car was stolen but the sods just totally wrecked the inside of it and the insurance said it wasn't worth putting right.
it may well be worth trying to get your surf back aswell and sell it as spares

[DaveD]

Their offer is based on trade prices mate..........I would have thought that you could argue that the depreciation in 7 1/2 weeks is minimal so any offer should be based on the valuation when they insured you there again i have never heard the words fair and insurance company in the same sentence

[Chillitt]

they HAVE TO put you back on the road no better off and no worse off. mike66 has just been through all this palarva, 1st offer is usually them seeing what they can get away with. show them the prices of similar surfs to yours with prices, explain how 'special' your particular one is, and have them for every thing! i hope they have provided a suitable 4x4 hire car while they are messing you around. tell them what you are prepared to accept, in writing and suggest interest if it takes more than 10 to settle. good luck, chap!

[Wack]

My Response......

......was pretty much what I said in my original post - that there is no way I could replace my vehicle with what they had offered. Suggested that they consider a figure somewhere nearer £6,000, or perhaps they'd like to source the replacement vehicle for me. They're going to get back to me (sometime !). The hire car they've provided for me is a Corsa 3-door poxy thing.

But HEY, it's the weekend Have a gud'un all.

Wack

[DaveD]

Ggggggggggrrrrrrr tell em you want a 4x4 Hope you get sorted ...let us know how it goes

[StevenN]

Car Claim

My Scenic was shunted on the M-way 16 months ago. Oct 93
The Insurance assesor looked on the internet to try to find a similar vehicle to base a price. He could only find vehicles miles away. He based his price with this in mind and as I had kept the car in good condition upped his final offer when pressed. they paid out at the Christmas. Because the Scenic had crumpled I decided a stronger car was required, no prizes for guessing what I got.

I would say look at what it will cost to replace your car. send this as proof to your assesor. If you can find a car you want then tell them. They might contact the dealer to knock them down on price!

If they don't play ball you can always slate the insurer on this site.

regards

Steve

[AndyLala]

Bl**dy insurers.


We had the same with a lovely '93 Civic VTi, went like stink.
Insurers were happy to take the premiums... but after a shunt... wrote it off and only paid out as if it was a ESi... We asked them to find us a similar car with 35K on the clock, and they wouldn't budge... We scoured the internet and found similar cars with double the mileage, at considerably more than their offer... and they still wouldn't budge. Got to the point where they wouldn't even talk about it. They wouldn't let us buy it off them.

Turned up 18months later in Ireland... with some scabby oik, whom mailed us to see if the mileage was genuine... (thought they wrote it off, !!!!!!s...)

I have no time for them... get away with what you can... chances are nowadays that whoever you run into, or runs into you isn't insured anyway...

So choose a big truck with bullbars, and sliderz all round.


And deny all responsibility.

[Wack]

[QUOTE=StevenN]

I would say look at what it will cost to replace your car. send this as proof to your assesor. If you can find a car you want then tell them. They might contact the dealer to knock them down on price!


This is what they have now advised me to do, I'll keep you informed.

Wack

[Mike66]

I had mine written off over christmas and they looked around and found the three cheapest surfs they could and offered me £5500. I told them to come back with a better offer and after telling them everything i had put on the vehicle i managed to get £6600 for it.Also they only look with in a 60 mile radius off your post code.So go on autotrader and see what the prices are like on there. Dont accept the first offer ,you may have to prove its worth more but thats easy as you only have to find surfs exactly the same as yours.I told her i found a higher,lower and middle priced one and she agreed her first offer was to low. Dont get uptight with them talk to them and explain things.Tell them you added the tow bar ,wheels ,and all the other extras you can prove. Also a little tip .If you have paid your insurance by instalments they will pay off your whole years insurance out of your settlement. To make sure you go back to them for insurance. Its something i dint get told.
You may find they wont let you buy the car back or if they do they might want 24% of the settlement price .This is what they can get off the salvage yard.


cheers

Mike

Pm me if you need any more info