Found, and lost
It took me six months to find a Mercedes SLK in good condition with AMG bodykit and wheels. On June 9th 2011 I bought locally a SLK 320 73,000 miles 3 previous owners, full AMG kit which had been fitted at factory when new. In very good condition, no rust, registered July 2003. I paid £7,950.
In that price the AMG alloys were refurbished, stone chips on bonnet and bumper removed, 2 new tyres fitted, which gave the car 4 new tyres, MOT, full parts and labour warranty for 3 months. In the 2 months I owned it, 4 small dents were removed and the interior refurbished professionally. I now felt the car was in pristine condition as I was going to show it.
Then on Monday 8th August a lady motorist came around a bend on my side of the road and hit me head-on. On Friday 12th August my insurance More-than phoned to say my car was beyond repair and was written off. The person on the phone asked me how much I had paid for the car. When I told him the price he said I had paid way over the market value. On Autotrader he was quoting the prices of £6,500 for the equivalent of my car.
I tried to explain my car was slightly unusual in having the eye-catching AMG bodykit, etc. and also what the price included from the garage and what I had spent extra. He was not interested. Based on what I have told you could you give a fair valuation. Also, could I claim any difference in the loss of money from the third party via legal expenses on my policy or through Small Claims Court.
In that price the AMG alloys were refurbished, stone chips on bonnet and bumper removed, 2 new tyres fitted, which gave the car 4 new tyres, MOT, full parts and labour warranty for 3 months. In the 2 months I owned it, 4 small dents were removed and the interior refurbished professionally. I now felt the car was in pristine condition as I was going to show it.
Then on Monday 8th August a lady motorist came around a bend on my side of the road and hit me head-on. On Friday 12th August my insurance More-than phoned to say my car was beyond repair and was written off. The person on the phone asked me how much I had paid for the car. When I told him the price he said I had paid way over the market value. On Autotrader he was quoting the prices of £6,500 for the equivalent of my car.
I tried to explain my car was slightly unusual in having the eye-catching AMG bodykit, etc. and also what the price included from the garage and what I had spent extra. He was not interested. Based on what I have told you could you give a fair valuation. Also, could I claim any difference in the loss of money from the third party via legal expenses on my policy or through Small Claims Court.
Asked on 15 August 2011 by HC, Torquay
Answered by
Honest John
No one is obliged to give you more than market value for the car, whatever you paid for it. And if the bodykit was not declared to your insurer then you could be in trouble for not having disclosed a 'modification' that would have affected the risk and your premium. Top book for an 03 SLK320 manual is £6,800, not £6,500, though. And for an auto it is £7,650.
Tags:
insurance
We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.
Insurance group finder and how to save on insuranceSimilar questions
Which would be the best used car for under £2k for a young driver to insure? I've looked at some 1.0L engines but some are over £3k for insurance and some are under £2k. Does it not just go on the engine...
We are taking delivery of a brand new VW campervan and planning on taking it to Europe in September.
The VW warranty provides breakdown cover in Europe for 3 years but I don't believe it extends to repatriation...
I damaged my 2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class and unfortunately I had to initiate an insurance claim via my insurer. I was keen to get the car repaired at the local main dealer but my insurer said this would...
.jpg)
