Seeking advice on this subject.

I have been looking for the last 3 months for a replacement car for the trusty work horse, as it is technically swmbo's motor the choice is ultimately hers. She has decided on a mkV Golf GT either the TDi or the 1.4 TSi.

Whilst browsing the net last night I came across what appeared to be the perfect car - age, mileage, price - however it states on the advert that it is stolen and recovered and has had DVLA/VOSA checks! It also states it in 'unmarked'. Obviously I would need to contact the seller for more details regarding whether it was damaged during the theft and has been repaired therefore a CAT 'D'.

I'm really after members opinions on whether they would or wouldn't touch this type of car with a barge pole, also if it was stolen/recovered with no damage, would this be registered with HPi and even if it is why would it be a problem, would an insurance premium be affected due its status. Finally if it has not been damaged would the fact it was stolen/recovered affect the resale value?

The only other thing to consider, is did the thieving little toe rags thrash the car to within an inch of its life!

Thanks in advance, Lee.

Edited 10 January, 201115 yr by vRS_Pagey

Ive had 2 cat D cars and a cat C and tbh there the same as any other car after being repaired. if it states undamaged then theres no work to do to it and all stolen recovered cars are now classified as cat D for some reason but insurence premium or value is not affected. i wrote off my 2008 clio and got over full value for it and that was a cat D.

I personally would buy cat D/C all the time the only reason i didnt buy a wrote off vRS is cos mine was cheap as it was and for the price it was worth it.

id say go for it but check it over properley before any money is handed over and in need be get the AA or simular to check it out.

P.S check for chassis damage as i failed at this when buying and ended up with a car and a hole in the chassis lol

regards

Matt

Check to make sure the engine rev limit thing has not been set (I think a fault code scan with VCDS or dealer should show it up) . If it has all warranty is void.

For the right price and the damage is on cosmetic i would.

Dont see why not, just check it out for any damage, & pay for an AA/RAC inspection, the ecu check to see if there are any limiter codes is a very good idea.

Cat D would mean hardly any or no damage at all and would probably Be on the car because it was stolen recovered, if all the checks have been done that's a bonus and what tends to happen these days is they stamp the log book with which cat group it's fell into. I think it's to stop major write offs going back on the road like they used to, and to stop ringers and dangerous write off's being sold. re sale value will be affected but if it's the right money and your gonna be keeping it a while then I'd go and have a look and a test drive etc.

As for insurance you'd have to speak to your own company but can't see it making much difference if any.

I thought stolen recovered was a different code to a CAT D

As others have said, I would want a VCDS/Vagcom scan to check for "Engine Overspeed - Warranty Void" warnings or the like.

I'm pretty sure that's what Ian's (Hedge) Octy II scan came up with after recovery

As others have said, I would want a VCDS/Vagcom scan to check for "Engine Overspeed - Warranty Void" warnings or the like.

I'm pretty sure that's what Ian's (Hedge) Octy II scan came up with after recovery

Many thanks for the replies, tbh I will be giving the this car a miss as its not cheap enough (10-15% off book) to make it viable.

Am I right in thinking that this engine speed check can tell if its been throughly red lined? Regarding warranty.

Thought stolen recovered was marked as Cat-X ?

I would, if the example and price was right. Also worth considering resale as it'll be more difficult to shift. But if it's a longer term plan and everything was in order, then I'd consider it.

Steve

Thought stolen recovered was marked as Cat-X ?

I would, if the example and price was right. Also worth considering resale as it'll be more difficult to shift. But if it's a longer term plan and everything was in order, then I'd consider it.

Steve

I think you're right re: Cat X, the one thing that makes me think no, is we don't intend on running it in to the ground, as Golfs tend to hold their price, even the older examples.

I thought when a car had cat x it was still undecided as to what category it fell into and was still being processed?

A quick google search revealed

Category B: The bodyshell should have been crushed.  The vehicle should never reappear on the road, but it can be broken for spare parts plus any residual scrap metal.

Category C: Vehicle extensively damaged and insurer has decided not to repair. The vehicle should have an independent inspection before being allowed back onto the road.

Category D: Vehicle damaged and insurer has decided not to repair.

Category F: Vehicle damaged by fire and insurer has decided not to repair.

Edited 11 January, 201115 yr by sivrs

This might help:

http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Insurance_Write_Off_Catagories

If the car is genuinely undamaged and has been classified correctly (often it's in the insurance companies interests to use another category though!) then in this situation it should be in the Cat-X category.

Steve

A more up to date one

* Category A - Must be crushed. All of it.

* Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road but parts may be sold.

* Category C - Repairable. Significant damage. Cost of the repair is more than book value of vehicle at dealer rates.

* Category D - Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn't want to.

* Category X - Repairable. Minor Damage

 

Insurance Loss Categories - In detail

Category AThe vehicle may not be resold it must be crushed. Severely damaged, total burnout or flood damage with no serviceable parts, or already a stripped out shell. DVLA will require a Notification of Destruction.

Category B The vehicle may not be resold. It will have been damaged beyond economical repair, usually with major structural damage. The DVLA will require Notification of Destruction but parts can be removed and sold on.

Category C Repairable salvage. Usually applies to vehicles with significant damage and where the cost of repairs exceeds the book value. It can be sold for repair but must have VIC(Vehicle Identity Check) inspection before returning to the road. V5 documents are returned to DVLA and recorded as category C vehicles. You can re-apply for registration on the original identity once the VIC inspection has been done. VIC inspection and re-registration removes the Category C classification, but evidence it was at one time Category C remains on the vehicle's record at the DVLA and so will appear on a vehicle data check.

What is a Vehicle Identity Check and how does it work?(taken from the VOSA's site) The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) has been introduced to help reduce car crime. It is intended to deter criminals from disguising stolen cars with the identity of written off ones. When an insurance company ‘writes off’ a car, (Category A, B or C) they notify DVLA and a VIC marker is placed on the DVLA record. DVLA will not issue a Registration Certificate (V5C) or a Vehicle Licence Reminder (V11) to a car with a VIC marker against it. In order to remove the VIC marker the car needs to be inspected by VOSA to confirm its identity. When the car passes the VIC, the marker is removed. The VIC will be carried out by VOSA. It will involve comparing the car against information held by DVLA, such as the vehicle identification number, make, model, colour and engine number. The VIC will also compare the record of previous accident damage with evidence of damage repair as well as checking other components to confirm the age and identity of the car.

Will the VIC confirm that the vehicle is roadworthy? No. The VIC is designed to confirm the identity of the car and does not assess the quality of the repair. You should seek independent expert opinion as to whether the car is roadworthy. If whilst carrying out the check the inspector notices a serious defect which would make the car dangerous to drive, then they will issue a notice which prohibits the car being used. Once it has been made roadworthy the prohibition can be removed.

Note: I understand motorbikes falling into this category do not have to undergo a VIC inspection so will warrant close investigation and clarification of identity.

Category D Repairable salvage. Minimal damage, probably not structural, but insurer does not want to repair, even though it might be economic to do so. Often stolen and recovered after claim has been paid. Or it maybe a vehicle where parts are difficult to obtain so a quick repair is unlikely. Does not need VIC inspection to return to road. Notification will appear in your vehicle history check

Category X has been the subject of a claim but minor or very lightly damaged and required minimal repair work. It would not be recorded with the DVLA so would not appear in any Vehicle Data Check

not recorded - Not an official category, it simply means that there has not been an insurance claim, possibly only had third party insurance and damaged the vehicle themselves or don't know who caused the damaged so can not make a claim or may not even been insured, either way the DVLA will not know in these cases so will not be recorded and will not show on any Vehicle History Check

Where did F go for fire damaged?

Where did F go for fire damaged?

think they come under "A" now or did when i worked on the salvage, that first list must have been and old category listing