Buying a CAT C write off.
 

Would it be mad?

I have been looking for a new car for a while, but as of Sat I think I will need a new one :(

I have bought a CAT D in the past and new the full history and extent of the damage caused to the car.

So I was wondering what people opinions are?

I wouldn't even consider it if the car had major work done, at the end of the day I have the children with me now, but if the damage was really small would it be an issue?
I know the re sale would have to be considered, but to be honest, if I were to get said car for the price it's at, I would probably run it until the end of it's days.

The car was a CAT C in 2003, and has been running since then.

With Cat C the damage will not have been "small"

I expect so, if it were a CAT D it wouldn't be so bad.

I don't think the old man is too fussed anyway.

I think I need to realise that I can't get the car I want :(
Not that actual car but that model.

Cat C means its had a tidy old thump. Whereas a Cat D can be anything from a little door dent to a stolen recovered with zero damage. So it is a differrent kettle of fish. At least with Cat C you know its some form of damage (be it via flood damage or impact), where some clear 'HPi clean' cars have had a tidy thump but is not recorded as the insurer repaired it.

For starters the asking price must be MUCH lower than that of a comparable "clean" car. Not because of its condition, but moreso the stigma surrounding it s cat C status makes it a less desirable car. And of course, your current insure will know this and devalue it based on that.

Seeing the repair was done in 2002, first thing I'd look for is rust. Bad repairs often rust due to lack of corrosion proofing on the repaired area. Regardless of rust, you need to find the repaired area(s) anyway to ensure it was fixed properly and safely.

Other things is to ensure the car's spec is what its supposed to be and not a 'bitsa' where the car has been reapired and upgraded to a higher spec using parts off a superior spec doner car (engine, interior, body trim, extras etc). For example, if its a BMW M-Sport, makes sure its an M-sport and not just a SE with Sports body trim and adjust its value accordingly. In terms of gadgets and electronics, one has to be careful with modern cars as electronic parts fitted to different year cars may not operate correctly in a ealier/newer year of the same model car. For example a 2006 model year engine fitting into a car with a 2002 model year ECU may cause problems. Same for things like radios, sat navs, electric seats, steering wheel remotes (especially if airbags have been replaced) etc.

All in all, check it over, then double check it again. If in doubt walk away. Oh yes, and make sure the V5 is in order (engine number, VIN window tag AND chassis number stamping) and its had a VIC check

Got to be worth a look anyway.

Les

Make sure your insurers will insure it too. I know a lot don't like to touch them.

Will see what the bloke says when he gets back to me.

I have asked what the extent of the damage was, so will have to wait and see.

What is it? (Why has no one asked this question?) :)

With an impreza most will be listed as CAT C not a CAT D, it doesnt mean its had a massive hit or bump just because its a CAT C If the repairs are too expensive its a CAT C but that also takes into account costs for hire cars etc not just repairs so it can still in many instances eb a minor bump, I used to buy damage repairables back then around the same time and any car going back on the road from a CAT C has to have a vehicle inspection VIC CHECK. These are quite stringent and check the quality of the repair etc. Find out what damge is was and check that said area, any signs of rust etc mean the repair may not have been 100%. If its been repaired right then there are no problems at all.

It's not an impreza, it's a polo gti.

At the moment it all seems pretty sound. Drivers door motor is playing up, a small amount of peel on the back bumper, but as he hasn't got back to me I still don't know.

I'm only really looking at a lupo gti or the deisel equivilant, and this just came up while looking about at some other VAG stuff and just happened to raise an eyebrow.

my v3 Sti v limited was wrote of for a damage headlight. wing,bonnet,bumper just caught the corner of each and is cat d I wouldn't worry about it so long as it's been repaired correctly and being a cat c atleast it will have had a Vic check to say it's road worthy again

..

Agreed. I'd never buy one as you can never be sure what the original damage was ... if it was written off all those years ago (when the cars value was higher) then the damage / repair must have been a lot.

TX.

PS

Why is it that owners of Cat C cars always maintain the damage was minimal :lol1:

As said before a CAT C can have had minimal damage, I dealt in these for years, you just have to know what to buy and what not to buy, and unfortunatly one thing that cant be given over a forum is experience.

I know a impreza on a 04 that was written off for a headlight and wing on a CAT C the wing i repaired and replaced headlight job done. Now tell me that wasnt minimal damage.

The reason it was a CAT C was when the repair price was added to the cost of a hire car while it was in for repair made it an uneconomicle repair (i know my spelling is wrong lol) but the damage itself was minimal.

Again you need experience in this field to know what to buy and what not to. Again with bodyshop experience in pricing up repairs that also helps

How long does it take to replace headlight & wing? A week? Hire car can only be a few hundred £'s ... I can't see how it's possible to Cat C a car for that unless the car is only worth a few hundred £'s itself. You see cars at Cat C when they're worth £20k which frankly is scary as hell :eek:

TX.

Bought a lot of salvage myself. I've seen CAT D's, yes D's, with less damage than a C. Not in all cases though.

Some people who have bumped their car, and really don't want it back, would push to get the status changed to a CAT C. You can see it at salvage yards where they have put a chalk mark around loads of pre-accident bumps and scrapes, to highlight the cost it needs to be repaired to A1 status.

Personally I wouldn't buy a CAT C repaired, unless it was priced right and you knew what the damage was.

Get yourself a full AA check done for peace of mind.

As long as you factor in the reduced selling cost and problems when you come to sell it when buying, you should not end up out of pocket.

Does anyone know if dealers have to declare a cat d when they are selling a car? I saw one of my old lagunas for sale the other day an I know it is a cat d but there is nothing in the advert mentioning it.

I think its a bit grey.

They HAVE to tell the truth IF asked. So obviously the buyer must always ask if its been recorded as a insurance write off (as well and any outstanding finance). If the buyer doesn't ask, then the buyer won't be told.

Obviously some dodgy dealers will plead innocence and say "we never checked the history or HPi'd" etc. So its still down to the buyer to do their homework.

Http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2440069.htm

That is the car. Reading the advice here I don't think I would bother. If it's had a smack up the back end, that would explain the peel on the bumper.

Obviously i need to go into detail. AND HAVING WORKED IN A INSURANCE APPROVED BODYSHOP its easy done.

Right how long does it take to replace a headlight/wing. Not very long at all we all know that.

But when your car goes into the repair shop its at the back of a queue which is usually around 7-10 days before its started.

Also people have usually like for like on a hire car depending on insurance company.So as in my case i have a impreza they would generally issue a BMW diesel as they dont have a like for like with imprezas but offer similar. now one of these for 2 -3 weeks is way more than a few hundred quid. As they will factor in delays and usually allow 3 weeks for repairs and sometimes it can be more depending on availability of parts

Also they wouldnt repair the wing it would be new dealer parts only which are a fortune also. CArs over so many years can be repaired with pattern parts at cust request to avoid been written off also.

On top of this if the repair/hire car costa exceed the insurance companies set% then its written off and some can be as little as 25% of the cars value some upto 50% but it varies. And the repair times are all taken from set times from the dealers which the repair companies have to quote on and cant change the time to suit. There is more to it than people think.

The bumper is not really the issue here - thats just cosmetic and probably due to a second hand bumper being resprayed and it not being prepped properly.

Whilst its not a good indicator it doens't really reflect on whats been done to the cars....One needs to look at what isbehind the bumper, which involves getting underneath the car, and also looking under the carpet in the boot floor to see whats what, it may also reques removing the trim panels either side of the boot.

IIRC Polos have a silly metal valance under the back bumper and these are forever getting damaged by people reversing up high curbs and steep driveways.

always ask yourself as dealers wont hpi older cars as its not worth it in many cases and the customer wont either so you may buy something thats recorded although if you see the full logbook its on their if its a CAT C but not CAT D

BE WARY OF NEW KEEPER SLIP ONLY AS THEY MAY BE HIDING THE EVIDENCE

Do you know why cat c is recorded on the log book bough not cat d?

Assuming you mean an 04 WRX then they go for what, £5.5k+? Even taking into consideration dealer part prices and car hire I wouldn't have thought it would have cost that much to repair?

Because C is counted as dagerous and the car needs a special inspection before it can be put back on the road. (in laymans terms).

Bearing in mind this is Cat D... They can vary wildly. I'm not sure i'd put the family in this one!

http://images.copart.com/website/dat...1865961_1X.JPG

5t.

it was a few years ago so it was worth more

and as for the reasons C is on the logbook but not D i have no idea as above to do with safety i guess. Its not a set rule as D's are somtimes on logbook just not always where as C's are 99.9% of the time

Rubbish! Ive got a Porsche with a dent inbetween the rear lights that was a Cat C.

There are no hard and fast rules (and copied and pasted text from the ABI site really only shows you that the poster nows next to nothing), so each car has to be taken on its own merits.

Ive seen Cat Ds bodged and dangerous and Cat Cs repaired beautifully. Likewise Ive seen slaughtered cars up for repair and dented cars with destruction orders.

Pictures of the damage help, but a knowledgeable inspection is more important.


Simon

Youd hope/think so, but that isnt actually the case. The VIC (Vehicle Identity Check) is only intended to establish the vehicles identity. Essentially theyre checking that the car was repaired, as opposed to having its identity transfered onto a similar stolen replacement.

Autolign used to inspect repaired vehicles (and may still do) but their business dwindled after HPI re-negotiated their contract, and vehicles which passed stpped bieng removed from all registers and started being moved onto the 'condition inspected' register. The incentive for using them (and doing it properly) disappeared when you couldnt remove their repair history from HPI, as you can imagine.

Simon

Cheers GC8. I did think there was a safety aspect to it.

Think the Jag makes a good point that D is not always a 'minor bump' as others have pointed out C might not be as serious as it appears.

Mind some I really do wonder about. You can find cars out there that need a new shell. If they get that then I guess they are fine but the not knowing exactly what was done to it puts me right off.

5t.

100% agree