Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • anyone bought a car/ mc thats 'written off'
  • totalshell
    Full Member

    being a motorcycle accumulator….. the chance of a decent classic bike has arisen.. However the v5 is not available and i m told its noted as a catagory C ( finacially unviable repair) on the HPI check.
    is it right i can apply for a v5 from the dvla and they check with the insurers? my question is how long does that process take as i want to crack on with the restoration but not before i know its kosher..

    kendo954
    Free Member

    I had a cat d fireblade, d is cosmetic so no issues, it had all the paperwork.

    Cat c could be structural damage which I would be more worried about, and with no v5 I’d be inclined to walk away

    nickdavies
    Full Member

    Yeah, you apply for V5 from DVLA, and then you need to take it for a VIC test, £35.

    Not a massive issue – but you need to be fairly confident it’s kosher – as if it’s a cut and shut, or all the numbers don’t match up you won’t get it approved. That’s without the potential of it being stolen. I’d be getting the seller to do it for you – if it’s a resto and you’re not paying much for it then maybe not.

    I bought a cat C from a trader and didn’t even know about it until the DVLA wrote to me! The whole process did take quite a while though, I was driving it in the meantime but was probably 6-8 weeks to sort it.

    Edit: didn’t spot it was about a bike so probably easier to tell if it’s OK or not – not sure if it’s the same process but I bet you’ll still be a similar timescale sorting it.

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    Legoman
    Free Member

    My wife’s car was written off Cat C earlier this year.
    We bought it back from the insurance company as salvage, got the VIC check done & still use it.

    Salvage guy who assessed it told me it can be difficult to get fully comp insurance on a car recorded Cat C. Never checked it out as it’s only worth about 15p now, but worth checking if you’d want fully comp after your resto.

    parkesie
    Free Member

    Bought a cat d civic cheap fixed it up ran round in it for 2 years sold it for a bit more than i bought it. If your keeping it for yourself a cat c depending on the damage and quality of repairs can be a good way to save a bit of money. If selling on it can be hard to sell on.

    momo
    Full Member

    My car was recorded as a cat C, have had no problems with insuring it.

    andyl
    Free Member

    ^ ditto. One of our cars was bought from a salvage place specialising in write-offs. I can’t remember when I applied for/got the V5 now but I had to get the MOT first, then the VIC and then I could tax it. It was insured before the MOT obviously.

    totalshell
    Full Member

    just for a heads up i ve spent most of the night researching this..
    cat c is usually’beyond economic repair’ ie usually 60% of insured value..
    cars difffer from bikes in how to get them legit and back on the road.. for the bike all you have to do is fix it and ride… with a car you have to have a vic test before you can put it on the road.. MOTs do not have to be retaken unless they have expired..

    andyl
    Free Member

    with regards to the MOT it depends if you have the certificate really.

    When I got my Cat C it came with a full service history, all 3 keys, key code etc etc but the MOT certificate had been handed into the insurance company so I didn’t get it and I couldnt check.

    Afterwards when I had the relevant info to log into the MOT system I could check but tbh it’s a good idea to get an MOT if the car is new to you anyway and been a write off.

    pitduck
    Free Member

    “My car was recorded as a cat C, have had no problems with insuring it”<this 😀

    cobrakai
    Full Member

    My cousin does a side line of buying cat c/d then fixing them up and selling them on. He is honest about their prior condition so not going to appear on rogue traders anytime soon. Bought a couple off of him in the pass and ran them into to the ground. Works out surprisingly cheap!

    Only prob I came across is retailers will not touch them with a barge pole if you want to part exchange them for a newer car.

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    I’ve had several Cat C’s, never had a problem insuring them, you just get a slightly reduced payout in the event of an incident reflecting the vehicles’ reduced market value.

    I’ve had an import RX7 and a Yank pick up, the cost of genuine replacement parts meant both were written off with minor front end and fixed with 2nd hand bits of the net. Also had an import Westfalia, same deal, cost of genuine parts at a specialist is the nail in the coffin.

    It’s probably best judged on an individual vehicle basis rather than across the board, but I’d say worth it on interesting stuff or REALLY cheap mainstream motors…

    milky1980
    Free Member

    When I lived in the sticks, I used to buy a Cat D car every winter:

    A reg Fiesta Popular Plus – £15
    D reg Volvo 240 GLT- £25
    J reg Citroen AX Spree – £45
    D reg Audi 80 (with full leather, AC and sports pack!) – £52.50

    Get it tested for £25 or so and then hammer it through the snow, floods etc while the shiny new car sits in a cosy garage 😆

    Made sense as the roads never got gritted and if you lost it on ice, there was a few places where the only way it was going to end was in a ditch. The Volvo actually survived three years and numerous ditching events, the best was when I stopped to help a stranded lady and it just slowly slid sideways down a 10ft bank, resting in a stream!! A farmer friend pulled it out with his tractor and left it beside the road for me to collect on the way home 😛

    scud
    Free Member

    Just to hopefully assist things (i work for a motor insurance company).

    * Category A – Must be crushed. All of it.

    * Category B – Vehicle may not be returned to road but parts may be sold.

    * Category C – Repairable. Significant damage. Cost of the repair is more than book value of vehicle at dealer rates.

    * Category D – Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn’t want to.

    * Category X – Repairable. Minor Damage

    You do need a VIC check for a Cat C write off.

    klumpy
    Free Member

    If it’s well within your means to buy it as a toy classic, buy it.
    While/if the paperwork fails, do classic scrambles or hillclimbs.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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