Originally Posted By Simon
Originally Posted By Easter
Of course the safety of occupants is paramount but the market for a £50k car written off after a minor prang is limited. Would be interesting to hear from someone with knowledge of Lotus Elise thinking


You won't write an Aero off after a prang; however, if you had an accident in a 911 and took out the front lower assembly, front wing, damaged one side, damaged a wheel and took out both wings (as per the accident in the initial thread), there would be a very good chance the repairs would not be financially viable. Insurance companies work on the theory of better to write off than take a risk that the repair will be an open cheque book.

From the description, it sounds like the car has spun and if that is the case, I'd not call that a prang wink

The issue with a car that has spun is the hidden damage - inertia meeting inanimate object often means chassis and suspension damage. Couple this with the body repairs and I'd suggest repairing it would be a labour of love, not something you'd do because it was economical.

I believe you'd find the insurance company would take exactly the same approach with your Roadster or any other modern Classic. Sad but the bean counters rule the formula of whether to repair or not.


My dentist wrote off his 911(993 Carrera S) in a similar manner to above.
2 points:-

1, the difference between a written off 911 (or Roadster) and an Aero is a competent Fred in a Shed can repair the former when the labour is his own but aluminium tubs require repair beyond the capabilities of all but a few specialists.

2, The 911 was repaired - but had been written off in part because of the fastidiousness of the owner, no repair would ever be satisfactory, so the insurance companies took the line of least resistance, paid off the insured and flogged the wreck to someone who couldn't believe his luck