Hello

Can anyone help advise the best place to value my car?

I cannot find similar on auto trader due to age (2004) only 2 former keepers and  very low, genuine mileage and having been kept garaged for the first 11 years.

Mileage of only 1,000 to 3,000 miles on average in the first 11 years. No expense has been spared to keep my car in genuine original condition.

People ask me to give them first refusal if I ever consider selling.

Someone reversed into my drivers side door, minimal dint. But assessors have written my car off based on the pre-incident value 2,330.

I don't want it written off.

I have it insured for 5,000.

Hence reaching out to this forum hoping you know better than general assessors.

Thank you

Ranjit.

Everybody has an unrealistic expectation of his car's value, and believes it to be worth more than an insurer or a buyer will pay. I'd say £2330 is not an unfair valuation for a 21 year old car irrespective of how many thousands of pounds you may have spent on it.

Welcome to the forum Ranjit. 
Sorry to hear of your issue and the understandable outcome. 
Perhaps you will allow me to offer my comments:- 

You don’t tell us the current mileage or anything about its service history and the fact that it hasn’t been garaged over the last 10 years. However, answers to either of these isn’t really going to affect the overall value of the car to a great extent. 
I would have thought that a valuation of £2,330 is erring on the side of ‘ you cannot really complain at that for a 21 year old car’. 
You say you have it insured for £5,000 so can you confirm that that value was agreed ( in caps) when the policy was taken out, or was that a value figure you placed on it? If the latter then that is meaningless, and ‘ Market Value’ will apply -which it does. 

Why not contact the insurers for a figure to retain the car and you then organise an independent repair? 

Perhaps you could let us have your comments on the above. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Dear cliffcoggin

Thank you for replying.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying.

Best regards.

Dear Magnet

Thank you for replying.

Kept on road outside my house and driveway last 10 years since I've had it.

Prior to which my father in law had it garaged.

£5k was my estimate on my own insurance.

Best regards

 

Thanks Ranjit,

So regrettably, now you realise that whatever figure you put in the value box, it is meaningless, and Market Value will apply. 
Are you considering perusing the possibility of buying the salvage and getting it repaired? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Hello Gareth

Yes, I do.

Yes, salvage is £233, pre incident car valuation is £2,330 so settlement being offered is 2,097.

Problem is audi quoted me £2,607 to repair, which means I have to put £510 in from my own pocket, which doesn't seem fair. Assessors estimate to repair was 3,352 (£745 more compared to Audis repair quote 2,607).

Through no fault of my own I am having to fork out £510 to subsidise a repair I never caused. It sucks. On top of which the car will then be a cat N and reduce the cars value by 20-40% and increase my annual insurance premium no doubt.

whinge over.

Why would you bother to get Audi to do the work? I could understand if the car was newish.

Buy yourself a used door off eBay and fit it yourself, less than £100 all done, pocket the rest to make up for the hassle.

And if you don't want to do the job yourself, take the car to a body shop. Anything except an Audi garage.

I honestly cannot see why you don’t simply take the car to a couple of local bodyshops and get sensible estimates. 
If I was you, I’d snap the insurer’s hand off and just retain it and sort it at your leisure. To not do so would be plain bonkers. 
Regards,

Gareth.