Too late I’m afraid… see above, posted while you were replying.
Hi TerryM1,
Yes, I have just edited my reply accordingly!
Hope it all goes well.
JMK
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Thanks JMK - the guy who collected it seemed a decent type. I asked him to please be gentle with it, whatever that’s worth. I told him I expected it to be written off and would buy it back whatever the outcome and he said he regularly returned ‘buy backs’. Fingers crossed.
They can take control of it after an accident. You have an accident. Call the insurer to say you have had an accident. Your insurance includes free accident recovery. Your AA/RAC does not. You’re all shaken up and not particularly interested in them taking the wreck to your house, left in the street because you don’t have a drive, leaking oil and fluids everywhere. So it goes to a yard, the first probably of many yards. Yes, you can go fetch the car back yourself, at your expense. Everyday in the yard there is a storage charge. And this can chip away at any settlement number.
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Its an easy fix, do not let the insurance take her.
M-m
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Yes, I’m aware of that. I’m expecting to take a hit on this.
It’s 100% the other guy’s fault but because he has a fully comp’ed nearly new car he’ll get it fixed and be none the worse financially apart from a possible rise on his next insurance renewal.
Meanwhile I, the innocent party, will have a choice of:
- taking the settlement, which won’t be anywhere near how much it would cost for a like-for like replacement if I could even find one (my car has 35k miles on it, one previous lady owner, full history and looked mint) and walking away
Or
- buying it back, taking hits on storage and return trailering, fixing it, and the hassle of the legalities of putting a (likely) Cat-N write-off back on the road.
Such is life. Or as my old Irish mum used to say, it isn’t always a bowl of cherries.
‘I, the innocent party’ and ‘taking a hit’
Yep…when Bullits’ soft top was slashed I wasn’t sure whether it wasn’t ‘wear & tear’ given her age so got a new Mohair [expensive] from MX-5 parts and paid an expert with 30 yrs experience in the business to fit it. It was him saying…‘You know this soft top has been slashed’ that confirmed my initial [ex-cop] instinct that it was criminal damage
Then I reported it to police…got a crime number and claimed on insurance…so presented a ‘fait accompli’ to them
Didn’t lose my NCD…just my…forgotten the name of it…my contribution if I claim…£250.00
Terry…you experience chap re cars…'‘trust your gut’ [as my old Dad…also called Terry…LOL]…used to say] re Precious and your decision on your options
Kindest me & Bullit xx
Thanks. Unless there’s structural damage to the chassis she’s coming back.
Many years ago, I was a Marine scientist working at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Dauphin Island is basically a sandbar in the Gult of Mexico off the coast of Alabama. Its gradually moving Westward due to the action of hurricanes. Its notable for a Civil War fort. In Winter, it hosts a small com munity, that swells in summer as the sports fishermen arrive.
My car was a little Mk2 Honda CRX HF. The HF suffix didn’t denote anything special in a way that was similar to Lancia special. It meant is was the econo car; the car designed to lift the average MPG of the Honda range so they didn’t have to pay a fine in Californa (so petrol sipping engine, stripped out interior).
I came out to the car to find the drivers window stoved in. Nothing seemed to be missing, but my first instinct, being from the crime riddled UK was to call the cops. Two wagons arrived. This was a major crime for them, as they had never encounterd this crime on the island before, certainly not in winter. Its the sort of place you don’t bother locking doors. Strangers are soon spotted. They were apologetic. Even the sherrif in his tricked out black truck turned up.
Then the penny dropped when I heard the lawn mower. The Coast Guard had their station next to the Lab, and that day was mowing day. Plus the carpark was basically hardcore.
Coastguard in the background
Hiya ask
Give us a clue
Not seeing the link between my post and your reply 
But cool your experience in the tropics [Poster & I discovered we’d both been in Singapore as BRATS…children of RAF personnel…at a similar time] 
Guess…You Talking About ‘Safety’ in Different Locations ? or in the past in the UK ?
Maybe You Talking About ‘Old Style Policing’ …Like Wot I Done 1978-81 in the UK when policing reflected what you are describing happened to you in Gulf of Mexico ??
Anyway…had some experience of ‘old style’ policing recently in the UK
Elderly neighbours and I experiencing bother from 2-3 school boys…just simple kids stuff [akin to ringing door bells and running away]
Was nursing my late Tortie Cat so not at my most tollerant when they decided it would be fun to run off with my Cardboard Re-Cycling Bag
Well the Police were excellent and not only contacted their school but turned up with brand new re-cycling bag for me !!
Am I in the ball park of what you are saying ?#
Kindest
PS…ignore the hashtag…pressed wrong key 
The assessor has just called.
The car requires:
- new front bumper
- new offside front wing
- new headlight
- repairs to offside inner wing
- steering realignment
Total estimate £2,816 inc VAT.
The report is now with the insurance company who will be in contact within 48-72hrs. Given the book value of a 2005 NB it’s going to be a write off as suspected.
So it’ll be…
- secondhand front bumper
- secondhand front wing
- secondhand headlight
- repairs to offside inner wing
- steering realignment
Job done, depending on how much of a repair is needed on the inner wing.
If you can get the body parts in colour great, but of course add a paint job too if not.
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Whatever it takes!
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New parts would be less than £1k from mx5parts so should be able to fix using used parts for around a £1k
You can ask for a chq and get her repaired yourself. and it will not be anywhere near 3k.
Their cost will be based on brand new parts ( possibly direct from a Mazda dealership) and a big rip off rate from where ever they use to “repair her”, as they will force you into using their “recommended” body repair shops only, we have always refused and they don’t like it, its your Mx , don’t let them rail road you.
M-m
But no structural damage to the chassis ?
Hopefully not as Precious was pretty ‘mint’ 
When the insurance company contact me they will tell me (assuming they write it off) whether it is:
- Cat N – Non-structural damage that can be repaired
Or - Cat S – Structural damage that can be repaired
Fingers crossed it is Cat N. More hoops to jump through to get it back on the road if it is Cat S.
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And there was me thinking that if I ever get to save enough pennies to give Bullit a respray I might ‘purloin’ some police ‘no parking’ cones to put out every time I park e.g. Tesco 
After what happened to The Precious…perhaps some Bull Bars as well 
Joking aside…What a Palaver 
from Bullit to Precious 
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