Just looking for a second hand car for the missus, looking around 4k, there seem to be some cheaper deals around that state cat c or d repaired, as I am no mechanic is it risky?

Ta all

Run!

Ah so if an ad says “the car is cat c fully repaired no bang or noise”…… 😯

Nope. I have bought CAT D motorbikes for track use though.

I wouldn’t touch one. Not because of any percieved dodgyness, but because you’ll struggle to shift it later on. I recently traded in a Cat C bike, very few dealers were interested.

Ive bought cat d and repaired myself. Id buy catd repaired if the price was right. Cat c id want to see before after photos and any paper work to go with vic tests etc.

Yes. If I could see the cost/breakdown on how much/how it was repaired and by whom.

Also it’d need to be a significant saving as you’ll have to take a hit when selling on/struggle to sell unless you price it well yourself later.

Insurer may also load your insurance a wee bit? (not sure on this bit but you have to declare it).

Finally- every Cat C AND D ad that I’ve seen says ‘light bodywork damage’.

Look at ebay for before repair examples…………

This is a Cat C example

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Ford-Focus-Zetec-Climate-16v-Salvage-Category-C-039601-/161209701690?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2588d8d53a
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-FORD-FOCUS-1-6-DIESEL-TITANIUM-DAMAGED-REPAIRABLE-SALVAGE-AIRBAGS-OK-/321296121804?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4acebdbfcc

Another recent thing- floods. Lots of flood damaged cars around…..

I don’t think I’d touch a flood damaged car but how could you tell?

My friend repairs Cat C and Cat D vehicles for a business, he always does a photo album of the vehicle showing before and after, he lists all the repairs he has had to undertake. He does good business selling them.

My next vehicle will be bought through him as I keep my cars till they’re dead so am not worried about its future resale value, I just don’t want to be spending more money than I need, to get into the car I want. I can buy a newer, lower mileage car for my budget than I otherwise would.

OK i think i’d rather spend more as i can check a car over, but probably not to that degree!

Cheers guys!

I have owned a ’03 Cat D* Fiesta 1.4 Zetec for 2 years, and it’s been brilliant.**

I got to see the damage before repair, though.

…given some of the cars I looked at before getting this one, at least the fact it had some damage was declared.

Not sure I would spend 4k on one.

*or is it a Cat C? I forget.
**Cue it exploding.

Oh he also repairs all our works vehicles (especially our hire and lease vehicles before they go back). Saves the company a fortune compared to the prices the lease companies charge!

Oh and if you do go down that route, don’t let your missus see the before photos, just let her see the finished product!!!

insurance will pay out less in case of write off too.

Err, my car is a Cat C write off.

The rear drivers side door and wheel arch was hit by another driver at ~10 mph.

Cost to repair to insurance standard (new door and pretty much the whole side of the car resprayed) = £1856.

Value of car = £1800.

I bought the car off the insurance company for £300 and a decent repair for £600 later (you have to really look to see that the door is slightly out) and it’s passed it’s MOT with flying colours (and passes the important car wash test).

Body work to be repaired on older cars to insurance standard is a rip off, so I wouldn’t be too worried about the car, but I would expect a reduction on the price.

Some insurers won’t touch repaired write-offs unless they have been inspected by an engineer (usually VOSA) to confirm that the repairs are kosher and the vehicle has the right VIN and other numbers present. (A personal experience).

Cad D, yes, so long as I’d seen the before photos, or perhaps done the work myself. Cat C, no.

Cheers guys!

yep – we have a (hail damaged) Cat D Panda. Saw before photos, price was good enough to go with it. Was from a bodyshop type place, so you could tell that they did it themselves, not pulling wool over your eyes on something else.

For Cat d, with Adrian flux – we only had to discuss the write off, no need for any other paperwork and the price was no different. No idea on other Categories.

Some insurers won’t touch repaired write-offs unless they have been inspected by an engineer (usually VOSA) to confirm that the repairs are kosher and the vehicle has the right VIN and other numbers present. (A personal experience).

Aviva insured mine.

They did ask for an engineers report, so the guy who fixed the car up sent them about one sentence on headed paper.

Sorted.

absolutely would buy a cat c, or cat d. it is fairly meaningless and you cannot tell anything from the d or c, it is only the cost of the repair. all it means is you get a much cheaper car than if it isn’t a cat. same as thinking full service history is going to make any difference.

example, a 50k car gets 2k damage and it’s repaired. a 2k car gets 2k quote for repair(from a insurance approved repairer)and it’s written off. nothing to tell the 50k car has had any damage. it’s all nonsense.

I bought a Cat C peugeot that was all the way up in aberdeen. all I had were a few poor photos from the salvage auction.

I did manage to get hold of the insurance report which helped but when it arrived on the low loader I found it had all 3 keys, full service history and was in excellent condition apart from small dents/scratches on every panel, a puncture and a broken front spring.

Was I bothered? No, for £400 I think I did pretty well out of it.

Car was running great until some silly woman drove into it 2 weeks ago and now it is cat C again but not coming back from this one as the B pillar is touching the door 🙁

You didnt buy from overtons did you andyl? Robbin bams that lot.

yes it was. But it was through the 4salvage web auction. A friend of mine Glasgow had a couple from them in the past so bid for me on his account and then I paid them. I think the site is motorhog now.

It was a risk but it paid off that time. I did call them up and guy walked around the car describing what he saw to me but obviously they have to be careful what they say so you don’t hold them responsible for things they don’t see.

As for flood damaged cars – if you are specificially looking for a flood damaged car and have a souce of replacement engines then fine, if the cars looks okay and it just after flood season and you don’t want to go replacing engines then walk away.

There have been reports of people getting caught out with their insurers when it comes to a claim as the small print can say they don’t cover cars that are already Cat C or D (and a cat D isn’t registered on the logbook so you can buy one without knowing – but the insurer will know when they check come claim time). You get caught out because whether the car is Cat C/D isn’t one of the questions you’ll get asked when taking cover, so it falls to you to spot that in the documentation

The fact you’re asking as a potential buyer raises the issue of what you’ll face as a potential seller – it will narrow the market for you and reduce the price you can get for a sale, so the saving you have when buying is tempered by the reduced price you can sell for later. But if you’re happy with the quality of the repair and planned to keep if for a considerable time – until the car wouldn’t be worth a great deal repaired or not then its worth considering. But I wouldn’t spend £4k on one and expect to be swapping it in a couple of years time.

I don’t think I’d touch a flood damaged car but how could you tell?

Lots of flood damaged cars here in Australia. Rumour is that you want to look at upholstery and inside engine bay to see if any lines of dirt or whatever to show where max water level was. However, I wouldn’t buy a flooded car – I would have thought the electronic components, looms, whatever would all be too risky.

Flood water is rarely clean. Can easily have some efluence content

Interiors carrying spores/never quite dried out vut by by far worse ALL the electric contacts/ecu etc etc have had a thorough bath.

Personally I’d just buy a normal car smarter. Less hassle

Yep, I bought a Cat D Mitsubishi Evo 6 about 10 years ago now. Literally paid pennies for it, due to terrible Ebay listing. It really was just cosmetic work & not very much at all, but it was a time where people were terrified of them & official Mitsubishi spares were astronomical.

We need a new car now, mainly for me to use for work. I’m seriously considering a mid 2000’s A4 diesel estate that’s a Cat D. I should be able to get a 54/05 2.0 S-Line sorted for about £2k all in.

For a car with light panel damage that’s going to get driven into the scrap yard when it’s done, it’s a no brainer if you can find something decent 🙂

Thanks again chaps!

Most flood damaged rights offs are break only, and most break only cars are heading out of the country these days. Because when they get to albaina-astan they are not recorded 😀
uk based car breakers are struggling to by stock cheap enough to sell.

photos and receipts are the big things with repaired cars.
but look at it another way, you could buy a car thats had a big off and not claimed for on the insurance, put back on the road and never know.