Yes, if properly repaired
No, you must be mad!
Hi
I am looking at buying a quite nice car (to my mind anyway) but want to keep it cheap and buy it outright, so this leaves me a dilemma, do I buy an older higher mileage model and run the associated risks of that, or do I buy a Cat D repaired car which looks like a bargain.
I have been assured the Cat D was recent so the repair/damage was not as significant as to 'total loss' a nearly new vehicle and the garage selling did the repairs and have photos.
I am erring towards the Cat D.
Am I mad?
Thanks
It depends how long you intend to keep it. My Dad's car was recently repaired as Cat D which took a significant amount off the trade-in value, and the car is probably in better condition than before the repair.
Also as of the start of this month the categories have changed and C and D have become S and N:
A: Scrap
B: Break
S: Structurally damaged repairable
N: Non-structurally damaged repairable
Last edited by bonzo697; 21st October 2017 at 17:28.
I think it all depends if you receive the assurances as to the quality of the repairs and how through the assessment to the extent of the damage was, is there any paperwork ? Have you seen any photos of the damage before it was repaired ?
How much older and what is high mileage ? Most modern engines are pretty bullet proof and as long as they have been properly looked after high-mileage isn't always a big issue. It also depends how the mileage was racked up, was it town driving with lots of work or were they 'motorway' miles which is generally pretty easy on the engine ??
An idea of the car may be helpful as other members may have or previously had so can give you real world experiences / examples
Depends what it is.
A Porsche 911 cat d will carry a high intrinsic value because of the relative rarity of the car.
An Audi A4 cat d not so much.
What car is it?
Ps as a rule of thumb cat c/d wipes 25%-50% off the trade-in value
I would avoid, regardless of the quality of the repair, simply on the basis that the car will be longer and more difficult to sell.
As said above, it very much depends on the car.
I've sold a few CatD cheapies (sub £1K) and people aren't overly bothered as they are a bit cheaper.
However, over a couple of grand and I personally wouldn't get involved.
The issue will be when you come to sell it I'd think
Do you intend to keep and run into the ground or sell on and still retain a good value in it?
Is the car a very good price?
If very good price, not going to sell and you have the reassurances around quality of repair, then cat D could be a good option
Just to add some detail. The car I was looking at is a Lexus IS250 SE-L
I saw one locally up for £7500, however I have seen another advertised for £4500 Cat D, it is 2008 and 50k miles, the price differential seems very tempting and if I keep it a few years and well it for £2k it'll still be cheap motoring. I just fancy a bit of luxury on the cheap and want to get away from having a car on finance.
My wife recently had an accident. Damage was mostly cosmetic. In fact, she continued driving the car for 2 weeks after. However, the insurance company wrote it off as a Cat D. She really wanted to hang on to the car and we tried having it repaired at a number of places. The advice was universally to give it back to the insurance company as it would have very little value afterwards - and that insurance may be an issue with some providers.
So if you're looking to run the car into the ground and you're comfortable with the quality of the repair, I'd say go for it. If you want to resell it, it may be better to pass...
i don't think it makes a huge difference as long as the car is depreciating.
Buy a good one at £10k and after 3 years it will be worth £6k (£4K loss)
buy a Cat D at £7k and after 3 years it will be worth £3k, but it's still a 4K loss.
You might however ever want to check insurance. Premiums might be different.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I have considered them before, but came to the conclusion above. You save money when you buy, but then not only will you sell it for less when you sell, but it will be more difficult, - probably not worth it just to save a couple of thouOriginally Posted by .olli.
A cat D with no proof of the quality of repair is to be avoided.
However if you have evidence it’s been repaired well (and don’t just take a few receipts as proof of this, go ask the repairing garages) then it’s fine.
It’s reassure you and reassure future buyers.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This.
If it turns out to be a long term keeper, it'll work out way cheaper in the long run.
Be sure of what you're buying. Get help if you're unsure to check the quality of the repairs.
I went to see a Ford Focus private sale and it was cheaper but not a bargain. I put a deposit down but the checks revealed the Cat D, i went back to the seller and she claimed she didn’t know, but i sensed she was lying. Fortunately she relented and gave me back the deposit back. With that knowledge i didn’t want the extra hassle it is, especially at the price it was. I view it as extra hassle and safety worries for not much saving.
Absolutely not!
Why would Someone put their family in a car that may be structurally unsound??
Cat D won't be structurally unsound, even before repair.
Given the amount of cheap cars available why would you bother?
Given spec, mileage and age it's £3k less which represents about a 40% saving, which may get me a 2nd hand Rolex so it starts stacking up to my mind.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Depends on how cheap it is and how long you intend to keep it, you are not a car trader so assume you will be driving it to the scrapyard when you have finished with it.
Its hard enough selling a nice car privatly these days so i wouldnt fancy trying to sell a cat d, you see loads of them on ebay and they are still there months later
wouldn't touch a cat d. i asked a mechanic friend about them and his advice was to stay clear.
i will admit i looked at them as the savings are appealing. but heeded the advice and stayed well clear
What's the difference between cat c and cat d ?
Ive thought of this route previously.
I would buy one - but price and a fully documented/photographed repair would both need to be good. The one you've posted is over-priced: A pal of mine who's a buyer for a large UK main dealer will only pay 50% of CAP for a CatD - so half (or even less) than private typically.
As others have said, if you're keeping it till it drops and you know the history and repair quality....they're worth considering.
As a provate buyer, I'd be less bothered about - say, vandalism damage, than major impact/internal damage.
I see no problem if no ztructural damage and properly repaired.
It's just a matter of time...
Put it this way; If a car has been involved in a serious accident/collision it not going to do the car any good is it?
The only benefit I can see by purchasing any CAT C/D vehicle is to save money. I'd personally justify the extra cost as peace-of-mind.
Of course it hasn’t done it any good, doesn’t make it structurally unsound though, that would be CAT C (and even that can be repaired).
I doubt anyone can see a benefit other than saving money. That’s enough for many.
But you'd be happy buying a non cat D car, not knowing if it's had an accident or not??
Based purely on some shocking cat d write offs I've seen over the years, I wouldn't buy one.
I had a cat D A4 many years ago as a "dog" car... had no issues with it - paid £800, put 40k miles on it over a few years.... If the price is right then I would consider a CAT C/D (subject to inspection), but it would have to be ~20-30% cheaper to make it worthwhile.
Ultimately, you always take a chance on a second hand car....
That said, if I was buying something "special", I would want a mint, accident free example which would rule out a C/D
Interesting - wouldn’t a full independent inspection reveal anything of concern?
Ive never bought a cat D, but haven’t seen an issue previously
It's just a matter of time...
As long as you are not too bothered about the resale price, and the car is well repaired, don't worry about it. The majority of cars I have owned have been Cat C or D. Some of which I have actually turned a profit on. As you are looking at a Lexus and want the cheap luxury motoring, personally I would go down the Cat D route, but again, look over the car, make sure it drives well, and if unsure have a mechanic check it over for you. As long as everything is fine, happy days!
The majority I've seen have been finished to a very poor standard. Greed generally takes over and the amount of money needed to make the job 100% isn't spent
Like I said, that's based purely on my experience however I'm sure there's loads out there that have been done to an acceptable standard.
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 21st October 2017 at 19:57.
I had a scooter which was knocked off of its centre stand and had some scratches to the metal bodywork (Vespa). The insurance made it a cat d and paid me out and let me keep the bike which I then sold on. Most scooters in London get knocked over somehow and pick up scratches, it's only because I caught the offender and claimed on their insurance that my bike received cat d status. I've heard of other stories with cars that have been made cat d for extremely minor stuff as well. As said above, if you know the reason why it has been made a cat d and can live with that, then why not!
I had a cat d Audi A4 convertible. Reason it was a cat d? 3 of the four alloys were nicked which were £700 each but I bought on eBay for £160 each , the bumper needed replacing (looked like it had hit a high kerb ) as one corner was damaged and a window needed replacing. Thank you copart - 6 months of motoring and sold at a profit
I actually had a Peugeot 206 when I was younger that spent most of its life on a dealers forecourt. They wanted too much money for it due to the low mileage, couldn't sell it, and did an insurance job on it. They put the window through, and then sprayed the inside with a fire extinguisher. That was enough to Cat D it and send it through the auction's. Purchased a gti interior, wiped the dash down with baby wipes (was the only thing that got rid of the white residue the extinguisher had left behind) and had a nice little run around for a while.
I wouldn’t wish to even be a passenger in one never mind buy.
Plenty of cars out there to never need to go near a previous wrecked one.
Not all cat d cars have been in a crash
Well I was in the motor trade before retiring. The only people I ever knew of who bought cat c/d bodged them up as cheap as possible to make as much money as possible.
They generally aren’t being repaired to the highest standards by high class garages.
Think about who put it back on the road and why.
I think I heard that spilt paint in a car can cause it to be a cat d. Supposedly garages can't get all the paint out of the interior and the cost to replace would be astronomical.
Yes I heard all those tales, how all it needed was a clean or something similar. Never came across anyone who bought one to do though. And most that needed parts got them from breakers yards or ebay.
Its pretty much all been said above. For me, it depends on the car. I bought this Cat D for £250!
Spent a winter at it - sourcing parts and making things right to end up with this:
I also bought a Cat D Ducati which had no keys! It was stolen recovered but the lack of keys meant a rather large bill which financially wrote it off (no keys = new keys, ignition barrell, ECU and immobiliser!). It had just 1100 miles on the clocks and had sat in a warehouse for 6 years! Mine for... £1500! A race ECU and another winter in the garage resulted in this beauty:
So.... Cat D can produce some great things but for an everyday car, I'd want photographic evidence of the accident damage and the work done. A young car can be in a right state before it becomes a Cat C or worse.
It's not a simple yes or no answer, there's degrees of damage.
I've had two Cat D's and they were both as safe as they were before being designated so. One was just the main ECU having become faulty (the assessors thought the engine had blown) and the other was a vehicle we owned but got hit at the rear in slow-moving traffic, both were readily restored to their prior state with little outlay.
So my answer is 'maybe'.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I think the general rule is to have evidence of the damage eg photos and ideally details of the repair eg itemised invoice of work done.
Remember, you could buy a non cat d car that has the exact same accident and repair as a cat d car.
The difference will be if the cost of the repair, relative to the value of the car is economical or uneconomical.
If the car was 1 year old, it would probably be repaired by insurance, if it was 5 years old they may write it off as a cat d.
Not black and white.
I would avoid a cat c though.
Scirocco looks coolIts pretty much all been said above. For me, it depends on the car. I bought this Cat D for £250!
Spent a winter at it - sourcing parts and making things right to end up with this:
I also bought a Cat D Ducati which had no keys! It was stolen recovered but the lack of keys meant a rather large bill which financially wrote it off (no keys = new keys, ignition barrell, ECU and immobiliser!). It had just 1100 miles on the clocks and had sat in a warehouse for 6 years! Mine for... £1500! A race ECU and another winter in the garage resulted in this beauty:
So.... Cat D can produce some great things but for an everyday car, I'd want photographic evidence of the accident damage and the work done. A young car can be in a right state before it becomes a Cat C or worse.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I’ve had 2 x Cat D cars, both of which were high performance. Both cars took a significant hit on resale; but i enjoyed owning the cars, and kept them for a reasonably long time. Most cars will depreciate anyway, so with the reduced buying price in the first place; I find this a moot point. Both cars I’ve mentioned were Cat D, and the first one had damage to the front and near side front wing. The chassis leg had taken a knock and even after being straightened on a jig; the NSF wheel rubbed on full lock RHD. I had the car set up on coil overs,poly bushed the car and had a fast road (Lance) geo set up. The car was dyno’d and made 567 bhp and 477 lbft, the car handled like a dream and the only time it let me down in 10 years; was due to a failed o2 sensor. The next car was sold to me as having pretty much the same damage (same make and model btw); but upon inspection, I couldn’t see any repair (the car looked spot less). This car (although looking straight as a die) never handled as well as the other car (although didn’t have the same suspension work done) and hit me with several faults throughout ownership: battery drain (poss Clifford alarm), stall on lift off from WOT (poss MAF issue) and a blown radiator. All of the faults could have happened to a non damage repaired vehicle. I would say the biggest difference was that I bought the first car damaged and took it to a garage and saw the before and after and knew the work that had been carried out. The second car was bought after it had been repaired. Another point that I’d like to make is that there are a lot of cars out there that are not on the register that have been damaged and repaired, so it’s not always black and white (as stated several times before).
A bit off topic, but sometimes see historic/supercars totally wrecked (maybe by fire) and rebuilt from virtually nothing. How is this possible as they will be CAT A/B and can only be crushed/sold as parts.
Or it's possible if insurers aren't involved so never classified?
My girlfriends car was made a cat D write off after someone ran into the back of her car, it had a split plastic bumper, that was all. Crazy. She got a decent settlement and kept the car. Had the bumper repaired properly and drove it for a year, it was a bitch to sell as I was very clear over what it was and I kept a host of photos of before during repair and after.
End result was the car cost her very little in total to own.
Another example was I bought a cat D motorbike cheaply, repaired the fairing, only damage, rode it and crashed it, doh. Agreed a settlement with insurance company who then sent me a cheque for 40% less as it was a previous cat D.
If you were to HPi this car, it would come back as clear.
Why you may ask??
Because of the value, the insurance Co decided it was an economical repair.....
After the repair, I enjoyed the car for another 7 years. I sold it in 2010 and the new owner still has it and keeps in touch.
He's done numerous Euro tours in it...
And yes, as an honest seller, he was made aware of the accident damage, and I gave him the full folder of photos showing the repair process... there were lots of photos😎
As someone has said it depends on many factors.
There are specialists who buy cat D's or even C's and repair them with proper OEM parts. The vehicles can be inspected and photo'd before repair. Any remaining manufacturers warranty should not be affected apart from items that have been replaced during repair (the repairer will cover that). They usually come with full keyset and documents. Insurance premium is generally unaffected with most companies. However if the vehicle is involved in a subsequent accident and written off the payout will be 75% of market value.
You can also buy a vehicle from a company such as Copart, buy all the repair parts and take it to same specialist to do the job for you, hence labour only.
I would only buy a D or C in the above circumstances.
As I stated in stated in another thread, people would be shocked to find out how much damage and repair has been and is done to some new or nearly new cars and NEVER recorded.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
