The Zohan

How bad is a Cat C as i know nothing of the rating for this sort of thing?

mrs bootsy

A Category C Vehicle is a Salvaged Vehicle which is damaged to the extent that the retail cost of repair to the vehicle exceeds the retail pre-accident value thereof. Category C Vehicles may be subject to a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) prior to being returned to the road and as such will not come with a V5. It is for the Dealer to check whether the Salvaged Vehicle requires a VIC and for the Dealer to arrange a VIC if necessary in order to obtain a new V5.

The Zohan

Thank you, car has a VIC and V5

dsmith

As an example, last year my MG Midget suffered some front end damage. There was however zero chassis damage.

New Panels alone would have cost £1200. Plus paint and labour made it uneconomical and officially a Cat C.

I took the the offer for total write-off and retained the salvage. I reckon by doing the work myself and refurbing second hand panels from Ebay I can do the whole job for about 20% of what it would have cost via insurance. So I'll actaully be well ahead financially - but short a fair few hours of time.

Alec

Following on from thats, what is a Cat d?

Thanks

mrs bootsy

A 'write off' is a colloquial term for a vehicle which has been declared a total loss by an insurer, either following accident damage or theft. There are some 450,000 accident-related write-offs every year and another 150,000 insurance thefts, many of which are subsequently recovered damaged and re-classified. Many write-offs are legitimately allowed back on the roads following a repair; the safest ones to buy are those which have passed an independent vehicle inspection, such as those on HPI's Condition Inspected register. However, almost half of all write-offs are so badly damaged that qualified insurance inspectors determine that they should never go back on the road. To assist the industry and the used car buyer, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has since 1997 provided the following classification of damage to vehicles that have been deemed an insurance write-off:

o Category A:

Scrap only - this vehicle should have been crushed. It should never reappear on the road and there are no economically salvageable parts. It is of value only for scrap metal - e.g. a totally burnt-out vehicle.

o Category B:

The bodyshell should have been crushed. The vehicle should never reappear on the road, but it can be broken for spare parts plus any residual scrap metal.

o Category C:

Vehicle extensively damaged and insurer has decided not to repair. May be repaired and put back on the road. Has to pass an inspection to be re-registered as damaged repaired.

o Category D:

Vehicle damaged and insurer has decided not to repair. When fixed can be re-registered as damaged repaired.

o Category F:

Vehicle damaged by fire and insurer has decided not to repair. When fixed can be re-registered as damaged repaired.