Insurance company wont let me keep car?

The registered keeper on the V5 does not confirm ownership. I suspect that they have a national deal with a consortium of breakers, with a pre agreed scrap value, so they have a standard process.

I had a motorbike stolen and the insurance paid out. It was recovered by the police and the insurance company would not let me buy it back, they said they do not do that. They did tell me what auction it was going to and that I could go and bid on it if I wanted ha.

On the other hand my wife's micra was rear ended and they made an offer and said we can just keep the car. We thrashed it up and down our track until it run out of petrol then scrapped it.

Hmm I suppose when they settle the claim and pay out they are essentially buying the car off you so they will be the owners, hopefully they can deduct the scrap value off the settlement and let me keep it though!

Who's fault was it?

If your fault and they pay out in full you don't necessarily have any right on the salvage, check the terms in your policy.

If you we're not at fault, then the third parties insurance company cannot claim the salvage, they should give you the option to settle at pre-accident vehicle value less salvage amount, if they pay out the whole amount as a cat A or B write off then you may find things get more difficult.

I had someone rear end my daily and went through loads of hassle, don't let them take the car, either to assess it or otherwise, if drivable then keep the keys in your hand when it goes for quotes, or email the insurance pictures. My claim took 4 months to sort and eventually I got 75% of the cars value and kept the salvage, still driving it now after straightening some bent parts and a few essential bits.

Brian

if you still have possession of it and it is off road and on private property (drive), they would have to get a court order to remove it via bailiffs surely? Just thought i would throw that in as a thought.

But then they might refuse / delay payout for the write off value ?

The insurance company (or their agents) are banking on exactly this fear to force you to stick to their procedures.
The procedure will be designed to accommodate 80-90% of claims with very little human input, leaving as few as possible to be dealt with in a more human input intensive way.
If the money isn't a huge issue and you can afford a delay, just be polite, decline to let them take it away and sit it out.
Some manager somewhere in the insurance business will have to explain to their manager why claim such and such is still sitting un-assessed and they'll be prepared to deal with your case outside the normal procedure to get it back on track.

and don't forget to post about it on a publicly accessibly forum, wouldn't the police find it strange that an engine was removed and no one noticed?

Doesn't really matter, you should never (ever, ever) accept the first offer anyway.
If you're able to find other examples for the right money it'll be fine. The fact that it was assessed at your place sounds like you're halfway to getting the result you want. Good work.