davyboy

What exactly does this mean?

Can they ever be repaired as new?

Will it always have this against its name?

Has anyone ever bought one?

jjones

cat c?


repairable.

jjones

yas always on the register, yes i have 1 cat c motorbike and one cat c car. traded in the wifes cat c car for another at a garage no bother. only lost 1000 quid on it over 3 years and 40K

dnb

Never heard of a catagory 3.

IIRC, there are 4 or 5 catagories of write off.

A - nothing can be saved, the vehicle remains to be crushed
B - some parts can be saved, shell must be crushed afterwards
C - fairly major damage, but can be repaired (not cost effective for insurance to do so)
D - not so major damage, but can be repaired (not cost effective for insurance to do so) or stolen recovered etc...

There is another type for flood damage, but I don't remember what it is.

Yes, C & D can be repaired to a high (as new) standard if done properly. This may or may not be cost effective!

Yes, it will always be listed on the HPI and so on as having been a total loss. There are some inspections that can be done that apparently make the listing less severe, but I have no details...
Also, there is some new fangled ID check for cat C cars, again I have no details to hand.

My father in law's old Montego was declared a writeoff (Cat C I think). He bought it back and had it fixed for rather less than the insurance thought it would cost.

[Edited by dnb - 1/7/2004 12:24:40 PM]

richrussell

Also sometimes an insurance company will pay out 'cash in lieu of repair' rather than put it in cat D, if you say you can get it repaired more cheaply (eg second hand parts etc). The car remains insured although 3rd party only until you send them receipts for the repair, and often an MOT certificate after the repair too.

I did this recently when the insurance company were quoted over £6500 in parts to repair my (import obviously) Legacy GTB after I hit something in a carpark and totalled the bonnet and bumper. I got the parts from IRS in Tokyo for £1400 plus £900 in shipping/duty.

So if you have an accident, and they insurance company want to write it off as cat D, it's worth asking if you can get it repaired yourself, with a cash settlement from them instead.

Rich.

davyboy

I guess he must have said cat "c" and not cat "3", he was a northerner though!

This is why I am asking!

http://www.fuchs.co.uk/_base/stock/pages/p11702.htm

BlueSimon

How do you pronounce fuchs? the name itself would put me off

davyboy

***** I think

CraigH

b4stard

johnfelstead

My westfield was a Cat C rightoff, that was rebuilt using a new chassis and is proabaly in better condition now than when it was built at the factory new.

It depends on the type of car, type of damage and quaility of repair, on something like the prosche its going to drop its value, even if its better than when it was new, something like the westfield it would make no diference in value.

pugoetru

All cat c and d cars will have salvage written in there v5 from now on
you have to take them for a vehicle identification check which costs £25

At least you will now know you are buying a repaired car