It took me six months to find a Mercedes SLK in good condition with AMG bodykit and wheels. On June 9th 2011 I bought locally a SLK 320 73,000 miles 3 previous owners, full AMG kit which had been fitted at factory when new. In very good condition, no rust, registered July 2003. I paid £7,950.

In that price the AMG alloys were refurbished, stone chips on bonnet and bumper removed, 2 new tyres fitted, which gave the car 4 new tyres, MOT, full parts and labour warranty for 3 months. In the 2 months I owned it, 4 small dents were removed and the interior refurbished professionally. I now felt the car was in pristine condition as I was going to show it.

Then on Monday 8th August a lady motorist came around a bend on my side of the road and hit me head-on. On Friday 12th August my insurance More-than phoned to say my car was beyond repair and was written off. The person on the phone asked me how much I had paid for the car. When I told him the price he said I had paid way over the market value. On Autotrader he was quoting the prices of £6,500 for the equivalent of my car.

I tried to explain my car was slightly unusual in having the eye-catching AMG bodykit, etc. and also what the price included from the garage and what I had spent extra. He was not interested. Based on what I have told you could you give a fair valuation. Also, could I claim any difference in the loss of money from the third party via legal expenses on my policy or through Small Claims Court.