Anyone done it?

Just spotted a bargain that’s gone on Autotrader. (I will be asking for pics etc of damage, and am aware resale is an issue, but I’ll be driving it into the ground anyhow)

I’m going to see it first thing, and probably be biting the guys hand off for it; just the insurance company is shut and wondered if there is any experience of owners of such cars?

Ta

Yes.

Initially, it was insured with Carol Nash, who wanted an ‘engineer’s report’. This was 2 lines on headed paper, from the guy I got it from saying it was fine. I have since switched to Aviva who were cool about it when I told them it was a CAT D.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cat-d-cars-experiences-anyone#post-2253120

My old Civic was a Cat D. I used Chris Knott, they were fine with it.

I’m pretty sure a Cat D only has to pass a MoT test to come back on the road.

Cat d made no odds to my insurance and yes just need to mot it to get it back on the road. Cat C throws up more difficulties.

I had a cat C, repaired before I got it, didn’t even mention it to insurance :-/

Wasn’t aware I had to!

Don’t have it any more.

We had a Cat C. Didn’t mention it either as they will know when they check the reg.

When it got written off for good earlier this year ( 🙁 ) the insurance were quick to point out it was previously a cat C so worth less. I did manage to get them up a little bit higher as I pointed out it was immaculate and below average miles but I was suspicious they could authorise the higher amount without speaking to the other parties insurance. They must have had a mix limit they could go up to. Could have just offered me that in the first place and said it was their max.

Our 2nd car was written off cat C a few years ago. Bought back from insurance company, never repaired and never had any issues with insurance

They usually ask on the phone if the vehicle has been previously written off.

It’s down to you as the owner to tell them, they don’t check from the reg AFAIK.

Useful as ever. Cheers STW 🙂

They usually ask on the phone if the vehicle has been previously written off.

I don’t recall ever having being asked this

It’s down to you as the owner to tell them, they don’t check from the reg AFAIK.

Where people get caught out with Cat D is, unlike the other Cats, Cat D doesn’t show up on the logbook, so the insurer won’t know from a reg check and quite often the owner doesn’t know either if the car has been sold without the Cat D status being declared. So there have been quite a few instances of insurers refusing to pay out claims after accidents on the basis that owners had withheld the information, but if fact they just didn’t know and had no way of knowing.

The rules for personal insurance have changed relatively recently and the premise of ‘utmost good faith’ has been removed.

Utmost good faith meant that you had to tell your insurer everything that may affect their underwriting decisions whether they asked you or not and if you were unsure you had to tell them anyway. Something like a Cat D would fall into this category. Failure to tell you could give them wiggle room at the time of a claim.

It was ruled unfair as Jo Public probably had never heard of utmost good faith and would not necessarily know what needed declaring and what did not and all the implications surrounding it.

It is now up to the insurer to ask all the questions they want answering to provide you with a quote and you must answer those questions honestly. If they ask if the car has ever been written off you need to tell them (or advise you do not know if this is the truth), if they do not you are under no duty to mention it.

Insurance underwriter for 12 years…

They usually ask on the phone if the vehicle has been previously written off.

I don’t recall ever having being asked this

They normally ask it after all other details, around the same time “Have you ever been refused insurance?”

It’s the bit that sounds like small print at the end of the conversation. (If that makes any sense?!)

Just be aware that if you need to claim they will know it was previously written off so will not pay out as much for it, bit if it is a bargain I’m the first place then it works out OK.

They normally ask it after all other details, around the same time “Have you ever been refused insurance?”

Thinking about it – I don’t think I’ve arranged insurance over the phone for about a decade or so

More good stuff thank you. Little more cautious this morning – it really is very very cheap and the domain / Google history only goes back a few weeks.

Still, worth a look I suppose.