Accident - two young drivers in sub £1k cars

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Blowpipe

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2019 E220d Cabrio
Grateful for advice and informed views.

Young lad, 18, in the first year of driving in his ten year old 1.2l Skoda fails to see 19 yr old in a fifteen year old 1.2 Renault Clio. Both vehicles valued at circa £500 - £800 maximum.

Collision, clearly down to him, causes damage to both vehicles and no injuries. Both are driveable but if placed in the hands of insurers would result in both being written off and a significant loading on both policies next year (in my view wrongly in the case of the girl, but that's insurance companies for you).

Young lad rightly and fully admits liabilty at the scene and girl says she'll get quotes to repair damage.

Now, theoretically where should this go for a sensible resolution? Both parties will lose out if it goes to insurance (I don't want to go into the notification debate folks, it's been covered before) so with the aggrevied party's vehicle at such a low value what would be a realistic outcome for her? Both aren't keen to involve insurance for above reasons.
 
What is the approx repair cost of the Clio?
 
Apologise profusely on behalf of young lad and pay the young lady £800.

Young lad works hard and pays this off (I'd make a point of this - I have an 18 yo daughter)

Everything goes away. Young lady has no financial loss, insurance intact.
 
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What is the approx repair cost of the Clio?

Early days, but I'd guess will outweigh vehicle cost unless done on the cheap to get the vehicle back on the road, forget cosmetics. Same for Skoda.
 
Early days, but I'd guess will outweigh vehicle cost unless done on the cheap to get the vehicle back on the road, forget cosmetics. Same for Skoda.

Then I'm probably with Red C220
Perhaps having bought it off her he gets to keep the Clio!
 
No doubt both will be written off. As stated try and keep away from insurance, no winners there except the companies themselves. If you explain the reasons for not going through insurance she should go for it, providing someone hasn't told her she can 'claim a few grand for whiplash' etc etc. Let's hope she is sensible
 
Perhaps having bought it off her he gets to keep the Clio!

I wouldn't even suggest that, young lady keeps it (despite suggestions of betterment), I'd consider that part of the young lads learning curve.
 
I wouldn't even suggest that, young lady keeps it (despite suggestions of betterment), I'd consider that part of the young lads learning curve.

Oooh - harsh!

My youngest dinged a golf in a carpark - golf repair done at authorised repairer and cost the boy approx £800 - I hope he learned his lesson
 
Oooh - harsh!

My youngest dinged a golf in a carpark - golf repair done at authorised repairer and cost the boy approx £800 - I hope he learned his lesson

I think the OP is a different case as the entire car is probably worth less than £800.

It's a small price to pay for a moral lesson in life, which I personally think is what's missing a lot lately.
 
In my day, you simply asked a young filly out for an evening ......

Ramming her came much, much later.
 
Lesson firmly learned. Fully and profuse admission of liability, my only concern is that he doesn't get taken for a ride if the repair bill comes in at a sum well above the value of the other car.

I'm sure the other party is a similarly sensible and moral individual, but some may take advantage of his good nature, hold him to quotes that would do for a vintage car restoration and secure enough to buy a much better car.
 
Guessing lad is your son?
If that is the case, maybe he should be pro-active and while waiting for young lady to get quotes for repair, he could get auto trader prices for similar cars to hers and offer these as an alternative to her repairs.
 
Pro-active and 18 year old are rarely used in the same sentence, but I like your thinking ;)

I'm frankly relieved that he didn't come together with a wealthy neighbour's SLS or similar, but he'll do the right thing and it will be a learning experience - we've all been there.

The other party seems to recognise that despite not being at fault it'll ultimately count against her. This really upsets me as it could have gone either way, and is really unjust.

I'll make sure she doesn't lose out.
 
Young lad rightly and fully admits liabilty at the scene and girl says she'll get quotes to repair damage.

20 years ago you'd have bunged her £100 to go away.

Today she'll have some accident management company talk her into pretending to have a sore neck and everyone will be worse off, apart from the £200 a day hire car company, the bent doctor, the crooks at the accident management company, obviously.
 
I agree with most here. Do a deal and look after her. Lad gains some hard and worthwhile experience. Nothing silly. No daft insurance companies doing anything daft. Bonkers to do anything any different.
 
LTD said:
In my day, you simply asked a young filly out for an evening ...... Ramming her came much, much later.

Glad to see you're on form.
 
Is it now not an offence if you don't report this to your insurance? If either go on to have a further accident in a car that has been structurally repaired and the insurance company were not aware of it I think it invalidates the Insurance which may be a real problem.

Only one way IMHO play it by the book go through the insurance companies, both cars get written off, buy new ones simples
 

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