Car written off but now back on the road?

[ParisianLady]

A few years ago we had an accident in which our car was written off, we were hit from behind.

Car was fairly damaged but not awful, but we were told it was a write off. This was frustrating as we had no plans to buy a new car, but had to take the payout and buy another. Ideally we'd have repaired the old one but were told it wasn't an option.

Today I check on the gov website and our old car is back...it's taxed and MOTed and on the road.

Does anyone have any insight on how this happened? The insurance company sold it off and made money from it? Just very disappointed although I know that isn't a logical reaction

What was the damage?
Cars become a write off when the cost of fixing them is more expensive than they are worth. But it wouldn’t be as expensive if a mechanic fixed it themselves?

I think this is quite common? A car gets written off when the cost of repair (at the inflated prices charged to insurance companies) is greater than its value but someone who can do the work themselves can get themselves a bargain by buying it from the insurance company.

Its legal for this to happen. The insurance paid you so it becomes theirs and it will be classed as a category s or n on the log book.

They didn't make money on it though, they gave you its value. Sometimes you can buy the wreck back yourself.

We did this on our car. Wrote it off in an accident. The insurance company gave us the payoff for a written off car, then we were able to buy back the car and get a mechanic to fix it for us for less than the amount the insurance paid out. Our car is now worth a lot less as it was previously written off but we're planning on using it till it gives up anyway. I think the amount insurance companies get quoted for repairs is marked up by mechanics sometimes.

Being a write off means they consider it uneconomical to repair, because the cost of repair is more than a certain percentage of the car's value. There are different categories of write-off - some can't be repaired, but other categories mean it can be repaired, if someone is prepared to put the time and money in, and the damage wasn't too catastrophic. Written off cars, if they don't have to be destroyed because they were so badly damaged, can be sold, and may be used for parts, but some people might repair it and it can then go back on the road if the repair has been assessed as sufficient and it's passed an MOT. I'm not a mechanic, so I wouldn't but if you had the skills and interest, you could.

If a car is written off for insurance purposes, but can be repaired and returned safely to the road, it's called a Category D, which has to be declared if you sell it on.
My mum's car is Cat D - write off for a cracked tank or something but the garage repaired it. It's worth nothing to sell on, but will last her a few more years.

this is our car.

smashed front wing.
repair cost £1500
cost of car £1500

car written off. We then bought car back from the insurance company, for a small amount (can't remember)

Then repaired car for £400.
Car is good as new.

the key is why it was written off. In our case the repairs were cosmetic, new panel, new wing mirror, new tyre.
they were not structural.

Insurance company will only estimate repairs with full price new replacement, whereas we save 200 by buying a second hand wing mirror.

Ah cool, ok, so this seems like a common thing.

The damage was back bumper and boot but also to the frame of the car we were told (eg the boot structure seemed to have shifted a few inches. It was a decent smash (we were stationary he was doing 40/50mph)

It wasn't worth much at the time, we got £8k I think.

I guess as long as the person who has it now knows it was previously written off and damaged I mind less. They've got themselves a bargain I suppose.

I think all of our cars have been insurance right offs. Dh buys them, trailers them home and fixes them up himself.
Weve had a couple of cat c or s (structural damage). Dh isn't a mechanic so bought them fully repaired but they are mot'd and cost a few thousand less than a perfect off the forecourt car.