I've just put a deposit down on a car and since found out through my own checks that its previously been a Category C write-off.
the car wasn't advertised as a cat c nor at any point was it mentioned when I checked it over in person.
I'm note mechanically minded enough to know if its been repaired properly & to get an independent inspection isn't cheap.
what's people general feeling on things like this?
yeah i read that, says extensively damaged but could be repaired... not really much to go on
walk
b r - walk
something i'm getting very used to doing.
if it wasn't mentioned, then they're not being honest are they? what else aren't they being kosher about you'd have to wonder?
depends what the car is who did the repair and does it have any warranty??
personally I wouldn't risk it, would fancy being in a motorway pile up in a car that's already been crashed.
If you've got kids surely it's not worth the risk even if you're saving a bundle
1) can you get deposit back in the light of the new evidence?
2) How much of a deposit and could you afford to loose it?
3) Find out if you can get insurance on it?
see that's the thing, no idea who did the repairs. could possibly get the deposit back, prefer not to loose it but its not going to kill me (no pun intended) if i do.
Ask the seller about it.
I would have no issue with a properly repaired write off but i would have to be comfortable it was properly repaired.
If your instinct says walk then walk. If they did't tell you then why not?
I've emailed the seller, gonna ring them tomorrow. it was a pretty east check to get the info but at £3 a pop, i'd be skint if i did it on every car i looked at. better skint than sorry i gues.
only reason i did check was that the drivers door doesn't sit flush which seemed suspicious
I've had a few repaired write offs in the past and there's no real reason not to have one if you know what you're looking for and are getting it at the right price. It should be around 2/3 of the price of a normal car.
If they didn't declare it though I'd be very wary of buying it. Did the talk about on the register or vcar or anything else? These are all ways of mentioning the fact that they're a write off.
nope, nothing mentioned at all other than "good little runner" etc
I wouldn't buy one personally, only because they're harder to shift on when you want to change it
You need to find out what happened to it then decide.
I had a car (passat estate) written off for cosmetic damage to the boot! The insurance company simply decided the cost of a full repair (new boot + respray) wasn't worth it. I pocketed their payout bought my car back for £50 and ran it for another year.
My point is, a Cat C right off could be anything form cosmetic damage to a major repair job. If you're satisfied it's the former then negotiate a good price and enjoy the bargain.
thepodge - Member
...............only reason i did check was that the drivers door doesn't sit flush which seemed suspicious
Walk away. if the door don't fit then what else is out of shape?
We had a clio that was writen off as a cat c. I repaired it as the only real damage was to the rear sub frame which was just a bolt on job but it was to costly for the insurance company to do. It depends on what information you get out the current owner (he may not be aware him self) as to how satisfied you feel with it. You can also use this to get a lower price as they are worth less than a 'normal' one but this will also apply when you come to sell it on.
Cat C is technically a structural write off, Cat D is financial.
If you repair a CAT C car it has to be insepcted by VOSA (basically the MOT standards agency), to make sure it has been done to a high standard, and is structually safe (ie not cut and shut). CAT D cars don't as they were written off for financial reasons.
Unless the price was an absoltute giveaway, and you can see the Vosa report, walk away- it will be very difficult to sell on.
If it was a dealer, under the trade descriptions act I believe you would be entitled to your full deposit back.
It's a grey area if you don't ask , they don't have to declare the
fact it's a cat c , I guess it's not a main dealer ? If your looking
at cars with any trade sellers ask to see their copy of the HPI
report they did when the car came into thier possesion , saves
your money and you can see how long they've it in stock .
Personaly walk away , check with your insurace to see if it's
loaded for being a write off .
Whatever had happened to it, it'll have been repaired and have to go through a (VIC?) test to make sure its fully roadworthy. I've owned a cat C before - turned out to be a complete pile of crap so I'd never touch one again. You see cat Ds for sale cheap which as someone mentioned, are financial. Sometimes as little as a wing and a door needing replacing which isn't structural at all.
Personally, if its not been mentioned I'd steer well clear. Even if it had been mentioned, I'd be a bit iffy about it.
If the car was Cat C earlier in its life the damage would have been more. Later in its life the damage would have been less severe (a sliding rule).
A wing and front light on a 10yr old £500 car would cost more than the cars worth to viably fix for a Insurance company. Remember Insurance companies buy new parts (not from scrappys).
What car is it and whats its value?
A friend of my girlfriends sold me his Ford Escort for £150 with 12months MOT. I bought it partly for fun/cheap. On the V5 it actually said 'has been previously recorded as significantly damaged and repaired and listed as recorded outside the country twice'.
Didnt bother me one joint. However I wouldnt have taken it on the motorway or a NSL.
More importantly though. In your situation (and personally) I'd get my deposit back (you have more than reasonable grounds). As you will want to sell it QUICKLY when you leave the country later this year. You'll find it harder to sell on hassle-free IMO.
Cat C would normally require a full VOSA inspection IIRC? C is much higher risk than D, depending on age at time of accident IMO, I'd be very wary without a proper inspection and having the chassis alignment checked. Cat Cs usually require extensive work to get them back to road worthy state (chassis straightening, large numbers of suspension parts replaced etc, whereas D is just not economical to repair).
It's very confusing though: This is a cat D, for example, new car:
whereas this is a cat C:
It depends on what car it is. Its its a £500 Mondeo that your going to use for a few years then scrap then buy it if it all looks straight and drives fine. If its a few grands worth of newer car that you expect to make some money back on by selling it in a few years then remember the resale value will be lower, so the purchase price needs to be lower. I'd either walk, and expect your deposit back (I'd excpet a Cat-C to be mentioned), or hanggle for a lower price.
Not worth the potential hassle IMO.There's loads of other cars out there, look for another. If they have not made it clear to you the car is a write off and they are a trader then i would be very suspicious. Also, if that was the case the trader could land themselves the wrong side of the law.
DaveyBoyWonder - MemberA vic test just checks that the car is what it says it is and doesn't do a road worthyness teat though unless its under 3 years old it would need a new mot.
Whatever had happened to it, it'll have been repaired and have to go through a (VIC?) test to make sure its fully roadworthy. I've owned a cat C before - turned out to be a complete pile of crap so I'd never touch one again. You see cat Ds for sale cheap which as someone mentioned, are financial. Sometimes as little as a wing and a door needing replacing which isn't structural at all.
Not worth the potential hassle IMO.There's loads of other cars out there, look for another. If they have not made it clear to you the car is a write off and they are a trader then i would be very suspicious. Also, if that was the case the trader could land themselves the wrong side of the law.
+1 I wouldnt worry about damage. I'd be more worried about selling it on if you do need to in a reasonable hurry. If its 50% of the other cars of its age though I'd buy it and run it into the ground. Not 20% etc off, sod that.
Cat C could also be an internal fire jobbie.
Cat D could be how Cat Deally signs off her name - as in the previous owner of the car (just to cover all bases)... 
thanks for the tips, i'm not gonna go with the car as there is no way of me knowing the extent of the damage
Ref the comments regarding the VOSA check being a check of the vehicles roadworthyness,it isn't. Another,in fact,the proper name for it is a V.I.C. or Vehicle Identity Check,which is to establish if the car presented to them for inspection is the car it is supposed to be,& not one that has been 'cloned'.
The various categories of 'write off',iirc,are:
Cat A & Cat B :The car should have been destroyed & not on the road.
Cat C: Major bodywork and/or structural damage,insurer decided not to repair.
Cat D: Minor damage,insurer decided not to repair.
Cat F: Fire damage.
A HPi check will show if any of the above apply,also in most cases,but not all,vehicles that have had Cat C damage & have already had the VIC check done,it will be printed down at the bottom of the front page of the log book,under the section headed 'Notes'.
The poster above,who said that the seller doesn't have to declare a write off is correct,it is up to the buyer to ask the seller the question as to if the car has been in an accident and is listed as a write off.
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