850 reversed in to - is this repairable?

[richmac]

Hi,

I had a very similar situation a couple of years ago when an Amazon delivery van did a hit and run in my work car park. If you were parked in a legitimate parking bay, the individual or company he was driving on behalf of is wholly responsible and has to pay for either the repairs or the value of the car.

Coldly, I would suggest you have two avenues:

1. If the A pillar is compromised - scrap the car and claim the value from the other party. You can always swap out the tyres and syphon the fuel.

2. If the A pillar isn't compromised.
- as above or
- have the car repaired and claim it from the other party.

The overiding priority in all cases is to get the agreement in writing before you proceed.

Best regards and good luck,

Rich.

[baggy798]

Anything is repairable if you love the car enough.

A chap on youtube called PrizzaMike repaired this after getting T-boned at an intersection by an idiot.



He's also fixed up and engine swapped a Nissan 300ZX and just welded on the quarter panels on his Nissan Gloria::

+ YouTube Video

+ YouTube Video

Thoroughly nice car guy and he's only about 25!

[rich_f]

Originally Posted by ld0595

As an update, I contacted my insurer who as expected suggested the car will be written off.

You can still buy it back off the insurance company as long as it isn't a category A or B, which it doesn't look like. My wife did this when her car was hit and dented all the side. They told her it was a write off (category D at the time; they've since changed the category names) and that she'd lose the car. I told her this wasn't true and that she could buy it back off them. She got the payout, bought the car back, had it repaired and resprayed, and still had some money leftover...

[ld0595]

Thanks all again for your help. Just to give an update.

I've heard back from the insurer and been offered a decent amount - frankly much more than I think the car is worth but you won't hear me complain about it! As expected, they wouldn't even look at the car and classed it as a CAT N given its age.

I'm really in two minds about what I should do. I think repair costs will be around £1,500 in total. Firstly one to tackle will be the A pillar repair which I was quoted £300-£360 assuming the damage is non structural. Not sure if that includes paint (I doubt it) and a friend has pointed me to another place which might give a decent price.

Second is the new windscreen which I reckon is £350ish, then replacement of the windscreen trim which I'm finding tricky to source. Finally, I'd replace and paint the wing (fibreglass one from Volvo Composites - anyone here had experience with it?) which should sort out the rest of the damage caused by the other driver.

My insurance company has also given me an offer of buying the car back for £400 which seems tempting - even just to break it for spares but sadly I just don't have the space to take parts off.

I told the insurance company I'd mull it over this weekend and decide my next steps next week. On one hand I'd love to repair it and keep it going for as long as I can. I think I can source replacement parts quite easily other than the replacement windscreen trim.

Although considering the realistic value of the car, even when repaired, and other issues I have with it, I'm also tempted to take the money, run and scratch the V70R itch I have if one comes up in my price range. I'm also wary of buying it back and having a nightmare putting it back on the road with having to get it trailered around until a new windscreen is in place and then potentially failing an MOT on something that's tricky to fix.

Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for your help! I've still got a lot of soul searching to do...!

[Derek UK]

Never accept the first offer. Perhaps not even the second offer but you can usually get a bit more. Once you have the final offer it will be your choice. You can buy it back and repair it . You can buy it back and break it if you have the space and patience. There might be someone here who will give you £450. Find out what the scrap value is. Don't forget the cat if it has one. Scrappies like alloy wheels but if yours are good plus tyres they may be worth swapping with someone? The scrappie may not be interested in the interior so that can be sold before it goes. Lots of options. Would you buy another similar Volvo or perhaps go to a ULEZ OK P2?

[ld0595]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

Never accept the first offer. Perhaps not even the second offer but you can usually get a bit more. Once you have the final offer it will be your choice. You can buy it back and repair it . You can buy it back and break it if you have the space and patience. There might be someone here who will give you £450. Find out what the scrap value is. Don't forget the cat if it has one. Scrappies like alloy wheels but if yours are good plus tyres they may be worth swapping with someone? The scrappie may not be interested in the interior so that can be sold before it goes. Lots of options. Would you buy another similar Volvo or perhaps go to a ULEZ OK P2?

For transparency they offered me £2400 which is more than double what I thought it was worth given its other faults. I was gobsmacked when I got the email through to be honest.

The battle I'm having is whether it's worth the £550 scrap I've also been offered. I could break it for much more than that given the interior is in relatively good nick, it's got brand new tyres and everything bar the central locking keys and heated seats don't work. (Plus it has an ABS warning light which presumably is the module but between me and previous owners the bolt heads have been stripped) but space is a slight issue which makes breaking difficult.

[ld0595]

Well, I figured after a month since my latest post, it would only be fair to update on what I ended up actually buying... and what a beauty she is!

Got it on eBay, sight unseen and had to drive home nearly 400 miles and didn't miss a beat other than the wing mirror glass falling off with an hour left in the journey. It needs a few jobs doing but overall it's a decent upgrade from the bog standard 850 and not in bad nick for a 26 year old car.

I'm going to bring it to a garage next week to get a few jobs sorting and hopefully get them to give it a look over. Any advice on things I need to keep an eye on would be appreciated! First priority is sorting out the knocking AWD system...

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by ld0595

Well, I figured after a month since my latest post, it would only be fair to update on what I ended up actually buying... and what a beauty she is!

Got it on eBay, sight unseen and had to drive home nearly 400 miles and didn't miss a beat other than the wing mirror glass falling off with an hour left in the journey. It needs a few jobs doing but overall it's a decent upgrade from the bog standard 850 and not in bad nick for a 26 year old car.

I'm going to bring it to a garage next week to get a few jobs sorting and hopefully get them to give it a look over. Any advice on things I need to keep an eye on would be appreciated! First priority is sorting out the knocking AWD system...

That does look a good example, lovely clean interior and low mileage - one to cherish

[amazondean]

Originally Posted by ld0595

Any advice on things I need to keep an eye on would be appreciated! First priority is sorting out the knocking AWD system...

Just mentioning there is a problem with the AWD scares me already. This could be very costly to sort out. Usually the prop shaft is the first thing that has been removed, so are you sure it still has it? If the prop is still there then maybe removing it might get rid of the knocking but obviously you wouldn't have AWD. I hope it can be sorted easily for you

Weirdly, there doesn't seem to be any history of that number plate when you search for tax or MOT 🤔

[El Padrino]

Very nice car ld0595. Same as mine except mine is FWD. I hope you get the AWD sorted and everything else, so you can enjoy it. Good luck.