I have a 54 Plate FSI Ambiente, and I was hoping to chop in for a Diesel, must be L&K preferably manual...

One in Fife on Auto Trader that seemed a good deal at £7k recently went, which I was a bit miffed about as I'd missed it by 5 minutes or so.

I've seen this one on Auto Trader, which seems a bit too good to be true...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201005351521095/sort/priceasc/usedcars/fuel-type/diesel/price-to/9000/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/price-from/4000/model/octavia/make/skoda/page/1/keywords/laurin/radius/1501/postcode/cf119jp?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fused%2Fcars%2Fskoda%2Foctavia%2Fpostcode%2Fcf119jp%2Fradius%2F1501%2Fkeywords%2Flaurin%2Ffuel-type%2Fdiesel%2Fprice-to%2F9000%2Fmaximum-mileage%2Fup_to_80000_miles%2Fprice-from%2F4000%2Fpage%2F1%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc&logcode=p

And the only problem is... maybe it is... as it's CAT D.

Had a rear end shunt, bumper and bootlid have been replaced with VRS bumper, which I don't mind the look of. Just feel I should be a bit cautious.

Anyone got any ideas or thoughts?

Or do you know any other cheap Octavia L&K's for sale with a sub 70k mileage??

i would not buy it , i bought a mint straight one owner ,fsh ,19000 miles 07 reg for £10000 in a private sale

i would not buy it , i bought a mint straight one owner ,fsh ,19000 miles 07 reg for £10000 in a private sale

Thanks, that's good to give me a guide... haven't got 10k though :( - so looking at where to cut my cloth. Do I go for an older one, or do I go for this one, which is newer, lower mileage - but possibly a load of agg?

IMHO without looking at the prices it doesn't seem cheap enough to think about. I'm sure its been repair and lets face it whos to say that another car has not been smashed up and repaired without going through the insurance. I would look about and wait for the right car.

If it helps any look at skoda's website, I just got £1000 knocked off the sticker price on a fabia 1.4tdi for my friend..........there are deals to be had if you willing to try!

My worry is that it takes more than a bumper and a bootlid to write of a £10k car.

Nothing wrong with a well repaired Cat D in principal though.

SWMBO's Octavia vRS was rear ended big style when it was a few months old, mullered the rear end, creased the C pillars and bent up the floorpan nicely. Basically the whole car was rebuilt from the rear seats back which I wasn't too happy about at the time.

The car was *that* close to being written off but it was decided that a repair was just about viable as it wasn't that old. It isn't too hard to Cat D a car like that from a rear ender.

The repair work was flawless and is still good as gold 2 years on, no rattles, squeaks or paintwork problems.

That L&K looks tidy from the photos and is the fully loaded 2007 model but I would want to go over it with a fine tooth comb and have a professional inspection done before parting with my cash as repair work varies massively.

I would also push them hard on the asking price as well.

Edited 18 February, 201016 yr by dstev2000

Get it checked out by the AA/RAC etc for peice of mind. The only thing i noticed was the leather on the drivers seat looked a little saggy/loose for a 20k mileage car.

The only thing i noticed was the leather on the drivers seat looked a little saggy/loose for a 20k mileage car.

Thats how the seats are meant to be, my Superb with 12K on the clock is the same.

To be fair, it looks a nice motor and the leather isn't that worn - no worse than my 20k one. As others have said, get a pro to look at it and give you a written report then there's no comebacks. Push them as to why it's Cat D too, I'm sure they're obliged to tell you.

Main thing that concerns is they've used vRS bits, suggests to me bit of a bodge job, couple of guys doing on the cheap with bits from the local scrap yard, that kind of thing.

The leather on my 116,000 L&K is tight down the side of the drivers seat. I think that part is synthetic as well, is it the result of a side airbag deployment and subsequent repair?

The real leather panels in the middle of the seats is supposed to be creased like that.

Another question, an ASKMID enquiry lists it as 'Skoda Octavia - Private Car'. Mine comes up as a 'Skoda Octavia Laurin & Klement TDI PD' Is that a result of the Cat D?

Thanks all for the advice...

I'm feeling a bit cautious at the moment, so will probably hang around and see what comes up!

Thanks

Gavin

Nothing wrong with a cat D if repaired properly.

Out L&K was totalled & I bought it back & had it professionally repaired albeit with quite a few s/hand parts which made the build viable, ie Xenons were £550 each + Bulbs, we got a pair for £250. I have also kept photos of the damaged car so whoever buys it in a few weeks knows exactly what they are getting.

As a guide you should pay around 60% & no more than 75% of the price for a straight car . The 60% of value is the figure used by many Insurance companies if they pay out on a Cat D car

To put things in perspective only cars totalled by Insurance companies ever get listed. Large companies like Tescos, Rental companies such as Avis etc & many dealers run on third party only insurance so smashed cars are sold to the highest bidder, straightened & go back on the road as unlisted. Treat any potential purchase, especially from the "lower" dealers & private with suspision. If they have been repaired properly not a problem but if bodged can be a death trap or at the very least more expensive to own.

If in any doubt or if you arent that knowledgable on cars take someone who knows cars (not a mate who thinks he knows) to check it or get the AA, RAC or an independant engineer to look it over. If you are shelling out a lot of your hard earned a bit spent on an Engineer or even paying a mechanic for an hour may save you heart ache & more expense.

ALSO always get a car HPI or similar checked when buying from a small dealer or Privately, There may be finance outstanding, especially in these hard times & the finance company own the car & will reposses if you cant pay the outstanding amount

If it was a cat C avoid unless you really understand cars & what you are buying

Stuart, what year is your L&K and what are you asking, can you PM me please?

Stuart, what year is your L&K and what are you asking, can you PM me please?

I dont think its what you are looking for as from your posts you want something a lot newer

I was under the impression that if a car is cat D, it would be recorded on the V5 logbook. Yes I know the standard of repairs can vary, but even a good repair won't bring the vehicle back to original. That said, there probably isn't anything wrong with the car in itself.

2 things to bear in mind, though.

1. If it's recorded, although you'll be getting it cheap, how easy will it be to sell on, and at what financial penalty?

2. If your car is your love and pride, could you REALLY live with the knowledge that a £10k motor in your possession has been a former write off? A £10k motor with a front end wil be easy to write off once you consider the cost of replacing airbags and dashboard, but on a rear ended damage? That must have been a fair bit of structural damage to come to that cost of repair.

If it was me, personally, I wouldn't touch it, there are plenty of nice Octys out there at the right price, without this sort of history.

Mike

Cat D not on the log book, Cat C will be. Oh & cat C, run a mile