[Raify]

I wish this wasn't my 2nd or third post here...

Short story - I bought a nice E91 330i auto for £9.5k in November and hit a deer at the end of January. Insurance company want to write it off because they say the market value is £4k

Long story - My E46 touring 300i was on its last legs so I had been browsing E91s for ages. From what I could see over many months of idle searching they were between £6-9k depending on spec. I looked at a few, one pretty ropey for £8 something, but settled on the top end of the price range for a nice one. £9.5k, absolutely mint cosmetically, 2007 88k mile auto M sport leather cruise and sat nav.

Now at 90k miles, and needing a new headlight, bending the bonnet back into shape and perhaps some work to the wing after a deer ran in front of me, the insurance company reckon I was done over by the garage, and the market value is £4k, which presumably means they think it will take more than £2.5k to fix (threshold is 60%).

They are making the valuation of the car and the cost of repair based on the 8 pictures they asked me to send. No-one has physically inspected the car. I'm not prepared to release the car for collection, I'll never see it again and will be in a worse position to argue the value.

Anyone had any experience of what to do next, I've contested the valuation obviously and will be spending most of half term on the phone to the insurance I imagine. So far most calls have been to their "repair agent" apparently exclusively staffed by terrified / clueless sounding 17 years olds on their first day in the job.

Unfortunately, there aren't many for sale at the moment. A couple north of 120k miles for £5k...

[0l0dom0l0]

Can try and argue the valuation if you have the energy. 9.5k for a 2007 E91 with 89k on does sound like it was at the very top of the market.

Other option is to let them write the car off and buy it back. You could list it for sale on ebay or repair it yourself (second hand bonnet & wing in colour, used headlight). You'll have change from the payout after you've replaced those bits if they pay you out 4-5k.

[Chappers 71]

Tell your insurance company that you’d be happy to have it repaired with used parts. I did this with my e36 328i after it was vandalised, firstly my insurance company wanted to write it off but after having a chat with them they agreed to having the work done at a garage of my choice using reclaimed parts.