SLROC Forum

What are the pitfalls off buying a car  which is cat C.
Or are they best given a wide berth.
Lastly Hpi checks are they worth the money.

www.datachecks.co.uk/insurancelosscategories.htm

Do you mean one that 'was' a Cat C,
now had its VIC & re-registered.
or
are you looking to buy damaged & off the road & you are going to have repaired, VIC done & re-register?

george

Mine is a Cat D that I bought back from the insurers and rebuilt. Insurance company ( NFU) messed me about a bit then decided that they did not care a jot provided it had a new MOT. MOT station ( Lix Toll) were perplexed as to why I needed a new MOT as it still had months to run on the old one....

If you are happy its been rebuilt properly and intend to hang on to it - crack on, but just be aware that the write-off will be hanging over it if you sell it to someone else down the line and you'll have to explain it al umpteen times to folk who do not undertand the difference between "written off as too expensive to repair" and "written off as smashed to bits."

If it was Cat C,
 it was deemed an un-economic repair & then DVLA notified.
It should not now be CAT C, just flagged up as was.
(the reason for the VIC is that often the parts used to do a rebuild are used parts.
Insurance companies easily decide that 'Repairs are un-economic, & lots of times the repairs are not difficult, the parts are expensive tho.)

The link i posted shows that it had to be inspected to have the Cat C lifted & the vehicle re-registered for the road.
There should not be misalignment if everything is done as it should be.
It should be checked.

 
Now if you buy a vehicle that has no Cat from insurance assessor does thay mean there is no chassis mis-allignment?

I dont think so.
Maybe someone crashed their vehicle & never claimed on the insurance or reported it,
just had or did the repair & never got in inspected.

It is a minefield buying if it is a 4x4, sports car, just any car.
Take a qualified mechanic/friend you trust that knows Land Rovers or at least 4x4's.

If you want to buy, then say you want to re MOT it at a garage of your choice at your expense
before you do the deal at an agreed price.
I know it is only a MOT, (& the arguments they are not worth the paper etc)
but it is fifty quid well spent.

Doesnt mean if it doesnt pass that you dont buy.
But it gives you the chance to get a bargain.

have fun looking.
george

Im sure someone will correct me if this is wrong, but i was advised that if youre vehicle was classed as a cat C/D 'write-off', and you bought it back from insurance company and put it back on the road, apart from it possibly causing difficulties when coming to insure it, it can half the value of your motor?? IS this correct? 

Well the Insurers ( NFU) were happy with the value I put on it - and thats what it would cost to replace it with an identical vehicle from Strathearn.

....waiting for Geoge to pile in with some gloom ..... 

Cat C Is more the cost of repairs exceeds the market value of the vehicle.
Cat D is the cost of the repairs exceeds what the insurance companys pecentage but not exceeding the value off the vehicle. Most insurance companys only repair vehicles under.I think it is either 60 to 80% of the value of the vehicle.Depending on age.

I had a  Cat C mg zr and there was no problem with insurance Just was not worth market value.

Vic check just makes sure the vehicle is what is in the v5.Vehicle Identification Check.

Cat C when sold on usualy are cheaper than non write off's.

This all made sence in my head.

Hope it helps.

Gary

If you trade it in, the garage will screw you big time on the trade in value. Its the trade price with another approx another 500 deducted for the cat c. When I worked in a garage I took a cat c in for just above scrap value but it was sold for a good profit. 

If you trade it in, the garage will screw you big time on the trade in value. Its the trade price with another approx another 500 deducted for the cat c. When I worked in a garage I took a cat c in for just above scrap value but it was sold for a good profit. 

More fool the person who traded it in I suppose. There are a lot of people who for whatever reason cannot be bothered with selling a car themselves and just take what the garage offers - A friend was recently offered approx 1/3rd the book "trade" rate for a perfectly decent car - against an over-inflated price for the new job. Garage would have made a packet in both directions !

Landrovers are, I'd suggest, a bit of a market to themselves anyway ? 

 
'Pile on gloom?'

I love Cat C & Cat D.
You get a bargain, & if you can get the bits & do a good repair you have a cheap vehicle.

The Insurance companies are no problem, because it is them that allowed them back into the public & trade market.
(use specialist brokers & underwriters & save your self cash)

Re-sale value, does not matter if you are buying to keep.
If you get a bargain & run it, then why are you loosing out.
You might well make money on selling, you only need one buyer.
If you pay too much, then that is your affair i would think.

A,
 Cat C or Cat D lets you know what you are getting, if you have not a clue then why look.
Get someone that knows to look.
If you think you can spot & buy something that someone in the Trade missed & you can do an economic & safe repair then why not.
A Professional will cost you what the Quotes were that first caused it to be an un-economic repair, so you need to get the parts & labour cheap.

Now buying just any old vehicle that has no checks done or nothing flagged up is risky IMHO.
Then take even more care.
Again get someone that knows their stuff to help you check.

Gloom,
 not me. happy as Larry.
Just a shame if the good Cat C' & D are snapped up.
There are plenty around tho if you look.

Also plenty of cr4p about.
Buyer beware.
Have a good shopping day, i bought an already repaired Cat C this week to sell on after a valet & tidy up., lovely car.
Bargain as well.

george

ps,
re VIC
(the person doing it for VOSA/DVLA should be looking at chassis numbers, engine,gearbox,axle,VIN plate, glass codes etc.
 they are looking at parts that should not have been used because (EDIT) they were reported stolen or used from a Cat A,
 but that could have been done a while ago, does not mean the vehicle you are looking at now was that vehicle, 'Triggers broom')
& no IVA or 'more involved safety/repair quality checks', well get your own done..

 Yes the VIC is only checking the legality of the Vehicle & parts but any competent person checking underneath as they should so spot an obvious horror story..
Get your own checks done before or after buying any vehicle,
 that is if it was a Declared Write Off or not.
Even good looking Cars & 4x4's can have faults that a garage allows out of their workshop.

Clear as mud then!!!! 

I was advised that by a friend who worked in a garage that this was a possibilty when i was fighting with insurance the company NOT to write The Goddess off when the A***h**e CL van hit me.   Not that i would EVER sell her anyway. 

Cheers all. 

Apologises if I was a bit doom and gloom when talking about trading in.
I should also have said buy it and run it until it is only worth scrap value. Just don't do the norm and buy it with the intention of trading in after 2/3 years. You could have a good motor and years of pleasure.