Urgent help to confirm how rare my Legacy Series I vehicle is!

[mysubaru5]

Hi to all Subaru Owners Club members,

 

I'm really needing help to prevent my prized Subaru Legacy saloon from being scrapped, following an insurance claim!

 

Another driver hit my car when it was parked, and I was walking back to it.  I've put in a claim (obviously, as I'm an innocent claimant!) but the insurance situation has become an absolute nightmare.

 

I'll describe my prized model:

 

Legacy Series 1, 2L turbo saloon - M reg

Single turbo with water intercooler

 

Subaru HO Birmingham confirmed 5 yrs ago that I had a very rare model, and were surprised there were any left.  They believed it was one of four models brought into the UK in around 1990.  I had new doors and front wings fitted 2 yrs ago, to keep it in good condition. 

 

I have a Vanguard model of my vehicle, and the write-up says:

 

"Subaru did not officially sell the Series 1 turbocharged Legacy in the UK.  However, a small number were imported by Subaru UK to be used as press demonstrators, rally cars or rally support vehicles and the car modelled K284TFD was one of these.  Although built in 1989, it was registered in Dudley after August 1992, having sat unused in Prodrive's rally preparation workshop, and then sold off as the Impreza became Subaru's front line rally car.  Sister car K282TFD was McRae's '92 RAC Rally car, whilst another, K288TFD was a press demonstrator that was re-shelled after being crashed by a journalist."

 

Does anyone know any other details about my model - I'd be very grateful for any help, as an insurance assessor has valued it at a book-price valuation £190 and states it has to be written-off, as the bodywork garage has quoted £3,500 to replace rear driver-side wing, which was crippled in the incident.

 

I went to an insurance broker with the aim of obtaining specialist cover.  They said it wasn't old enough to qualify for Classic Car ins, so I asked them to accept my valuation of £10,000, taking into account the £4,500 I'd just spent on bodywork, and taking into account the rarity of the model.

 

My brokers have now stated that they 'made a mistake' when they had £10,000 confirmed on my policy in Feb 2013 and Feb 2014 (incident happened on 10th March 2014).  I've involved the Financial Ombudsman, but it's taking ages to go through that loop, and in the meantime I've been asked to hand back my courtesy car, as I'm refusing to accept write-off value!!!!!  This means I won't be able to even drive to work (living in Wensleydale with no bus or train services to Harrogate for office hours)!

 

They say I need to be able to confidently prove how rare this model is before they will change any book-price valuation.
 

I'm sure you will be aware that this is a nightmare I cannot wake up from, and ask for  any help from any angle please  :0(

 

Cheers from 'mysubaru5'

 

 

 

 

Subaru 1.pdf

[Jay762]

wotcha and welcome - really sorry to hear of your situation however I can offer no advice on the rarity of your motor - a member 'Miggs' had recent dealings with his insurance company and came to an agreement where it wasnt written off and he purchased the car back off the insurance company

[Gambit]

Hi mate welcome to S.O.C 

I too can't really help hopefully one of the Legacy owners will know more :) And as Jay said ost cars can always be bought back and will need fixing MOT and a Vic test from Vosa to get back on the road. 

[tom_gr7]

I don't know much about car insurance, but can you not buy it back from the insurance coy? Then repair it back up? Or am I missing the point?

[Gambit]

No thats what alot of people do mate. It's what I was on about but you have checks that need to be made once it's repaired I.e MOT and vic 

[4758nigel]

if they're saying that the car's only worth £190 (might be missing the point totally) then i'd just do like other's have said and just buy it back from them fix it up and retest and vic test it then put it back on the road

[BoozyDave]

it depends what category write off it is, cat D or C you might be able to buy back, cat B only trade can buy to break for spares
 
tell them to find another one for sale, if they can't, surely that proves how rare they are
 
if you have paperwork proving £10k, the insurance accepted it was worth that and charged you accordingly. if there is a dispute about value they should have questioned it when you took the policy out

 

the accident isn't your fault, so why should you be punished? lose your car and get a !Removed! payout too

the car should be repaired into the same condition as it was in

[mysubaru5]

Ta very much for all your input.  The problem is I haven't got any cash to fix it, which is why I made sure I insured it for enuff dosh to cover most eventualities  :0(

 

A no-fault claimant should never end up in this tight corner???????

 

This is my fifth Scooby, with by far the best engine of any of the first 4 - she's not gettin scrapped, that's for sure, but need to fight my corner with as many big bullets as poss!

 

Cheers, mysubaru5

[BoozyDave]

you need to speak to your insurance company, they should be on your side, you pay them to fight your corner

 

they can either find one for sale and pay you out that amount so you can go and buy it or they should repair it

[Jay762]

I like the - find another for sale approach - Miggs did something similar

[Tlag]

Sorry to hear of the situation you are in.

When the insurance company originally agreed to the 10K value, didn't you have to supply an agreed valuation certificate or similar?

Or was it a case that you simply filled a form in on line and put £10k as the value?

If you have an agreed valuation, then you should have no problems.

Other than that, I can't think of any way to get a valuation on it.

[mysubaru5]

The 10K was agreed over the phone with the broker's rep, after I'd said there was £4,500 bodyworks done two months before, on top of 4k valuation which already stood on my policy.  I then told the rep how Subaru Birmingham had told me it was one of 4 very rare versions of this model coming into the UK.  They then agreed the 10K, and it's been on my policy for two years.  I've been paying premiums to match that.

 

The brokers are now saying "we made an error in putting 10K onto the policy doc" - so either way I say it's their responsibility  :0)

[Gambit]

I would agree with you if it's in black and white the agreement I.e you have the paper to confirm that is what is in the policy and that is how much you have been paying for they have no leg to stand on. I would push for the cost and to buy it back with the agreement you want to buy the car back with the aim to return it to the road. But either way if you have it written in paper that is how much the cars valued I can't see they can do a thing about it. 

 

You could have a word with Dan on here see if he can help advise better. He does work for Adrian Flux our Club insurance company, so could be risky but I would say would know more than most of us.

[mysubaru5]

Brilliant advice from you all, and it's given me a lot to seriously take into account.  The assessor said it's a Class C write-off (as things stand). 

 

I rang the broker on 11.3.14 (morning after accident) to ask "what is my car valued at" before I actually said I'd claim.  A bloke from their office confirmed it was 10K, I then formally said I wanted to make a claim.  They passed it directly to Quindell, who sort out no-fault claims, and sort courtesy car and assessor out.  It's the assessor Q have taken on who first said it's worth £290.  A week later he rang me to say he'd been to have another look and saw some rust on the opposite rear wing, so he was reducing the value to £190.  I asked him what he was comparing my car with - he said he'd been to Glass for book-price, but I said there wouldn't be another model to compare with, so that can't be right!!!!!  He said he'd never take into a/c the rarity of a car, but Quindell said they will if I can get enough proof of rarity, and make the assessor re-think.

 

They said another way round the C car not being withdrawn is to enter into an 'interim agreement' which allows time to gather information.  I asked wot the downside would be (as I'm sure there will be one) and he said I'd have chance to get another assessor involved, the two assessors would then discuss and try to come to an arrangement.

 

I asked Q yesterday for their 'interim agreement' stuff in writing and email it to me;  all they've sent is an accident form to fill in, no sign of any interim agreement details for me to read through.  I don't trust them any more than the brokers, and I've told them so.

 

The bloke who has the car (a/w bodywork job) says he knows it's a one-off car, and he reckons I've a good case, but that isn't enough to impress the assessor or Q! 

[Scooby Pete]

Have you contracted Prodrive about the cars history/rarity?

[mysubaru5]

Nope, but now you've raised that query, I certainly WILL  !!!!!!!   Cheers for that - mysubaru5

[Jonny b]

Right!! My 2/3pence!!

You are a non fault claimant? Yes??

You are entitled to be put back in the position you was before the accident!!! Don't matter whether they value the car at £500 ɑnd repairs would be £5000!!! Not your problem! Your insurance company should be fighting for you!!!

You want your car repaired!! Ɑnd you want ιt done at subaru!! PERIOD!!!

Ιt's their clients problem, not yours!! They are just trying to pay you off as ιts a lot cheaper for them!!! Stick to your guns bud!! They have to repair your car as their client smashed into ιt!!! A lot of people fall for ιt! I got offered £500 for my mint 1.9 205 gti when a builders lorry decided he wanted to be in my lane!! Luckily my bro in law owns a few insurance brokers!! Hence the next offer of £3500 which I turned down! Got the car fixed at pug in the end to the tune of £4000! That was in 2001!! The car was an 89 non cat non sunroof version!!

Ιt's not your fault!! Value of the car don't come into ιt!!

[tom_gr7]

Right!! My 2/3pence!!

You are a non fault claimant? Yes??

You are entitled to be put back in the position you was before the accident!!! Don't matter whether they value the car at £500 ɑnd repairs would be £5000!!! Not your problem! Your insurance company should be fighting for you!!!

You want your car repaired!! Ɑnd you want ιt done at subaru!! PERIOD!!!

Ιt's their clients problem, not yours!! They are just trying to pay you off as ιts a lot cheaper for them!!! Stick to your guns bud!! They have to repair your car as their client smashed into ιt!!! A lot of people fall for ιt! I got offered £500 for my mint 1.9 205 gti when a builders lorry decided he wanted to be in my lane!! Luckily my bro in law owns a few insurance brokers!! Hence the next offer of £3500 which I turned down! Got the car fixed at pug in the end to the tune of £4000! That was in 2001!! The car was an 89 non cat non sunroof version!!

Ιt's not your fault!! Value of the car don't come into ιt!!

 

So Jonny,

 

If the accident is not your fault, then you can argue to high heaven that they should repair the car? I thought, they could just write it off and give you a crappy payment?

[Jonny b]

Yep!! Don't let them fob you off with a crappy payment!! They will always try ɑnd do what's cheapest for them!! Insist you want to be put back in the position you was before! Speak to your insurance company!

[mysubaru5]

Right, all this excellent advice has given me a grand plan!   Your consensus is, no fault, no pay - simple  :0)

 

I'm gonna write a letter as follows to Swinton (broker), Covea (insurer) and Quinell (in betweeners):-

 

I remind you that the accident was of no fault of my own.  

 

I require the damage done to my vehicle repaired and in the interim period I require a vehicle for my own use (as covered in my insurance policy).

 

Yours  .............................

 

I will go to Prodrive tho, as I need to get proper advice as to how rare my scooby is, and once I get her back on the road, she'll be covered with a proper classic insurance Co as a classic car!!!!

 

I could maybe's do with talkin with your BinL Jonny - I'll pay for his time if he cd help sort the legalities of the insurance 'small print' out, which is wot they're usin to hammer me just now!!!!

 

Cheers everyone for helpin me keep a tight hold of a classic Colin McC scoooby  :0)  If he were still around, I'd be havin a chat!!! 

[Jonny b]

Sorry fella not been on in a while! Fookin busy!! How you getting on with this??

[mysubaru5]

I know you'll ALL luv to hear about the amazin progress today  :0)  

 

I wrote to those concerned as promised, but still got nasty letters from Quindell insisting they were coming for the hire car, as I'd turned down their assessor's valuation of £190 (done by TechReport!).

 

I got a call from another assessor from TR today, saying they'd been speakin to one of the top men at Subaru UK, Birmingham (where I asked them to go 6 weeks ago!!!).  They confirmed my scooby is very rare indeed, so now the new assessor bloke is saying my market value policy will allow them to offer me market value far higher than previously offered.  Sian from PR is really keen to top this challenge, as it's a complaint like he's never dealt with before.  He's trolled 100's of internet searches to find a scooby anything like mine.  The nearest he's got is a two year younger version, but with a twin turbo, of which there were many more made.  The price for that one was £2,200, and Sian said it's "no-where near as good as your Legacy".  I couldn't believe wot he was sayin, and said it was utter relief that someone at last was actually listenin to my many complaints.  He's moving it up to his manager, as he can't find a model like it in any 'book price' paperwork, and he says this is a unique situation. 

 

I said the 'uniqueness of the situation matched the uniqueness of my scooby, to which he laughed.  He also rang Swinton and Q to say "back off this customer, as there's been far too much stress caused to an innocent claimant".  He was angry I'd had yet another nasty call from Q, and a Rec Del letter yest saying there would be legal proceedings taken if I didn't hand the courtesy car back.  He told S&Q to put everything on hold, as all the delays re valuation were of no fault of mine, just the opposite.  I am now goin to keep the car until a proper 'market price' valuation has been agreed.

 

I told him I'd joined this Club, and had been given loads of great tips on wot to do next.  I told him I'd been to Prodrive (thanks Scooby Pete);  Prodrive responded same day to say they were sure it's a rare car, but couldn't give any spec, as they had only handled the same model used in McCrea's rallies.  However, they recommend I approach International Motors Ltd, who have thousands of spec details on such cars, so hopefully they might help prove the actual rarity.  Sian is impressed with my determination to win through, and at long last it looks as though sense is about to prevail to save my classic car??? 

 

I asked Sian wot wd be the best thing to do re insurance once this mess is sorted;  he recomended Adrian Flux (nice one Gambit) and I can't wait to get to them for sensible and professional insurance cover once my car is fixed.

 

So it seems to be goin in the same direction as your claim Jonny b, now approachin a decent offer, enuff to get my prized scooby properly repaired.  I'll keep you all posted - cheers galore, mysubaru5

[Gambit]

Oh some great news mate its always good to see the under dogs get a result. Id search for Dan on here he works for flux I can link his profile if need be. But happy you got a result from it so far [emoji2]

[Jonny b]

Stick to your guns bud!!!! Ιts not your fault!!!!

Keep going..... Keep a rare scooby on the road.. End of the day mate your an innocent party in this. Not your problem.. You want your car back as ιt should be!!!

Glad your on the way to getting ιt sorted!

[Scooby Pete]

Good news lets hope it all gets sorted to your satisfaction.