This is a tough question that can often be answered by more questions; how much do you love your car? How much did the car cost you, therefore is it worth repair? Do you have the money for the repair? If you can’t afford to repair your car, whatever the damage is, it’s a write off to you. There’s a chance you could sell it on but be prepared to have to sell for scrap or parts. Some damage just isn’t worth repairing because the costs outweigh the worth of the car when you consider mileage and age. Your car can suffer from varying degrees of damage but some faults will cost you a lot more than others.
When you are buying a car, consider how easy it is to get parts. If you have an older or foreign car, sometimes parts are hard to come by and can cost thousands compared to the same parts by different brands. Consider too the labour, the parts needed may not cost a fortune, but the labour required to fit them may be a pretty penny.
The more mechanical issues with your car are what will cost you the most to repair. Transmission repair is particularly pricey as this is the part that pretty much runs your engine. Suspension repair, radiator and heating and cooling problems, exhaust repair and brake repair all fall under essential work if you want to drive a car that is safe and hopefully reliable once fixed.
Maintaining your car carefully and looking out for problems before they become too big to repair is one way to beat a write off.
If you have been involved in a collision then it may be difficult to make your car road worthy again and you might have to cut your losses. Remember that there are car dealers that will buy damaged cars for parts, so though your vehicle may be a write off, you may still make some money back on your initial purchase.