S3 Crash damage

[slewthy]

Wayne,

Over the moon and back again!

Its the first good news I've had for a while.

What they and their website say is that they take pictures during the repair process and give you a CD of them and/or email you with them as they go. They sound very professional and have repaired lots of Elans, TVRs and Esprits. Was very reassuring talking to them. No usual 'garage' speak.

I plan to give the full run down of their work on here so others can make a judgement but I fully intend to let them know I'm going to do this, if you see what I mean.

Fingers crossed

Edited September 17, 2009 by slewthy

[Simon350S]

That really is good news mate!

Hopefully you can get her sorted and not be out of pocket!

[lotusvette]

hi, bit of a result, cash + car, but from my experiance of damaged cars ,write off or otherwise it depends on the car your doing up, family type cars are generally no problem, and can be a cheaper option than a straight one, but sports type cars , lotus,ferrari, porsche etc,can be very hard to shift later on even when documented well , it will always be known in the right circles as damaged, repaired, you might be ok doing it yourself with no cat c-d attached, personally i would break it, double your money or more, and buy a real good one, if theres such a thing, keep the very hard to find parts, you will eventually need them, i know you want to keep it forever, this very rarely happens, sounds like you have a lot of spare time, and for a car that might only be worth the same done, your whole pay out will be gone-its a tough one -sounds dead negative but you have to weigh it all up--been there done that etc,t- shirt,hat, shoes --steve

[slewthy]

Thanks Steve,

No, you are not being negative, just realistic. Thing is, if we just used our heads, we wouldn't own these cars would we?

You are right - cash plus salvaged parts = lots of money for a different car. No doubt there. Problem is, it would also = one less Esprit(my fault) in particular, my Esprit. Its stupid isn't it but there it is.

Obviously if the repair estimate starts going up then the first equation will make more sense but I hope not.

Clearly ownership becomes far more than fix & repair but maybe that wears thin after a while.

Cheers for the advice.

Simon

[wayneb911]

Steve

Also a point to consider. The vehicle will have no category attached. Providing the repair is carried out to a high standard it could actually be more sturdy than the original. Also being that there is no category attached there is no legal obligation to inform the next owner if it is sold on. A s i said if carried out correct then there would not be a need to do thi either.

[silverfrost]

Good news Simon

Thats a pretty good settlement from the insurance company considering what the car was insured for, Its nice to know that some companys look after there clients, Hope the workshop report goes well and they dont find anything structual,

I have a feeling that the chassis willl be fine though as the shell will of cushione dthe impact.

Keep us posted regards danny

[matk]

And of course if you did go for a new car there's the uncertainty of what work needs doing, whereas sticking with your own car you know what you've got. I think congrats are in order to the insurance company who appear to have been supportive of your wishes and I'm delighted you're happy with the settlement.

[Paul C]

Progress!!

Well, insurers have agreed NOT to write the car off but have gone for a repair it yourself optin and given a cash settlement of

[smokingkills]

Good news then.

Insurers seem less willing to write off nowadays. My partner has a very basic 8 yr old 106 Peugeot worth little over

[richardvg]

two things to consider;

1.if you sell the vehicle there must be disclosure irrelevant - latent defect clause.

2.doubt if the chassis is damaged - are they going to lift the shell off to do the repair.

anyway good to hear the good news.

richard

[lotusvette]

hi, yep , carry on, fix it , then look back on this thread, you might just kick yourself, [ not hard but slightly], you could also , break yours and help 10 others, and make a bit at same time, your minds made up ,i know, heart ruling the head job, all the best anyway ,hope repair etc works out well, you will learn alot along the way, take pics of repair aswell, it will help later, steve

[slewthy]

Another sad day - just retrieved my car from repairshop back home.

The chassis was badly bent - missed by insurance engineer - and the front end is knackered.

It now sits beside my garage looking miserable. Next door's Porker seems to be sniggering.

Here is plan A.

Find and buy another S3 and use old car as a donor then sell off remainder parts.

Plan B

Buy new chassis(

[wayneb911]

Simon

As you know i am in the middle of restoring mine so it may as well be a chassis up rebuild. Nothings impossible when you put your mind to it and there is plenty of people on hear who will prob assist with information etc. im sure there are even people who ghave engine hoists etc that wouldnt mind dropping by for a lift etc.

I say rebuuild her, new chassis and shell and a whole heap of experience gained not to mention one mint car at the end that you know insiide out.

As you say failing that buy another and sell this one as parts. Would be a shame to break though. I take it the vehicle cant be put on a jig and straightened.

[Bazza 907]

I was in exactly the same position as you with a Lotus Europa about 25 years ago.

I did the former i.e. bought an engine less car and used my damaged one as a doner car. Sold the parts I didn't need through adverts in Club Lotus (not sure the internet was up and running then). With the balance of parts I made as much as I paid for the whole car in the first place. The downside was that the damaged car was hanging around on my parents drive for over a year and didn't look very nice even with a tarp. over it

As a student it made financial sense as I didn't have any funds as the car I wrote off was only insured TPF&T.

[slewthy]

OK, this rebuild and restore idea is growing on me fast!

I went to see the bluish 1981 S3 currently advertised everywhere yesterday. Its a nice car, seems sound but really quite different from my '86. To the extent I could not improve it with the parts I have. Good guy selling it though - it definitely worth the trip for anyone serious. Price a little high though.

ANYWAY, The idea of buying a new chassis and rebuilding ground up is becoming very attractive. Could address suspension and bushes. Fuel tanks and tubing. redo electrics. etc etc.

Working out logistics of moving chassis from deepest Devon to nice Nantwich (250 miles) SWLC say cost is too high for them to do. I could hire a trailer for

[lotusvette]

hi,when i bought my car the previous guy decided to re build it, and that was a straight car, everything came apart and not one nut or bolt unturned ,replaced etc, all that work , respray ,engine, chassis, wheels , tyres, brakes, you name it , it was done , nearly-- 20k spent, that guy must still be on day release from mental home, i finished it off, interior,electrics and some fine detailing, all in all it must have been a bitch of a job, your going down a road that might not see the car mobile again for 2 yrs or more, paperwork for mine went back 5 yrs, even then he paid 3k for a running car, saying that, ins value was 18k agreed, which was too low anyway, car is now sold floating over to hong kong, i ended up with a car too nice to drive, i supose it depends on your standards of finish, say goodbye to any relationships you currently have, and say hello to the guy in that mental home when you go, seriously though if you think its worth the effort, cost it all up first, good luck, dont let everyone rip you off, steve

[wayneb911]

hi,when i bought my car the previous guy decided to re build it, and that was a straight car, everything came apart and not one nut or bolt unturned ,replaced etc, all that work , respray ,engine, chassis, wheels , tyres, brakes, you name it , it was done , nearly-- 20k spent, that guy must still be on day release from mental home, i finished it off, interior,electrics and some fine detailing, all in all it must have been a bitch of a job, your going down a road that might not see the car mobile again for 2 yrs or more, paperwork for mine went back 5 yrs, even then he paid 3k for a running car, saying that, ins value was 18k agreed, which was too low anyway, car is now sold floating over to hong kong, i ended up with a car too nice to drive, i supose it depends on your standards of finish, say goodbye to any relationships you currently have, and say hello to the guy in that mental home when you go, seriously though if you think its worth the effort, cost it all up first, good luck, dont let everyone rip you off, steve

Sorry but you cant put a price on saving a classic!! Something is worth whatever they want to spend on it. Ask yourself if you ever want to sell the car. If the answer is no then go for the restoration and have a brand new Esprit at the end!!

[silverfrost]

Hi Simon,

Sorry to hear about the chassis mate, I personally would go with your plan A. Messing about with 2 esprits will be a pain, Also if you just concentrate on one car you will get it done suprisingly quickly and end up with a much nicer car!

Good luck what ever route you choose to follow mate, regards danny

[slewthy]

Well, tomorrow is the next big day. I get to hear if the 'other' Esprit I've been watching is a go/no-go.

If its a no-go, then I'm going to rebuild mine. Not going to wait around for any other cars, just going for it. Kind of hope this is the case - bottom up rebuild. Depends on many things but after musing over things for ages, I have a sort of plan in mind that I think I can execute.

Taking many restorations on here as a major influence and boost. Wayne's is the most contemporary and will be gunning with him if it works out that way.

I'll need to switch back to my own restoration thread if this is the case.

In the mean time, I wonder what the lottery results will be in 4 years time........lets see....

[wayneb911]

Simon

I also hope you go down the restoration route as our cars are very similar so will be good to help each other out with advice etc. Im guessing that your car may be in a better state than mine though. At least we can wok on the same levels.

Im occasionally up in your neck of the woods on business so will have to drop you an email when im around. Also we have friends who live in Handforth near audley edge way so dont know how afr you are from there as we get up a few times each year also. Im sure my partner wouldnt appreciate me bringing spanners and overalls but i would love to pop past and see the car.

[slewthy]

Well, I think thats it. The S3 I was watching sold to someone who had already placed a deposit. Still, was at the other end of the country.

So, , here I go. I am going to put plan, whatever, into action. I'm going to rebuild my car with a new chassis and resore as I go - suspension, tanks, cooling system, gearchange, brakes etc etc.

What I do bodyshell wise I'm not sue yet. I havn't ruled out repairing my existing one. Not sure how available a good S3 in the correct era would be. Might drop Lotusbits an email. Bit of a turn around - they offered me