Hi all, been offered a car at a good price but its been Cat C written off, but now fully repaired.

Just wondering, what do insurance companys say when trying to insure a car thats been Cat C'd, anything? Will it affect premiums or anything else?

All advice/help appreciated

Some will not insure them, I'd check before you commit to buy.

Any future resale by yourself could prove problematic.

On saying the above of you know the history of the car and level of repair it could be a great buy as a keeper

Regards all

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On the rare one occasion I looked at one it made no difference to the premium as a cat C (serious damage, but OK to put back on the road) has to have a VIC check by VOSA and a new MOT.

The only difference was that if it got written off they would only pay out about two thirds of the value of the vehicle, because a cat C (or D) vehicle is worth less than an equivilent car that's never been smashed and fixed up. Hence they are cheap to buy and one has been offered to you at a good price.

Also, I'd want to see some evidence as to what the damage actually was.

Because I wouldn't be wanting to put my family in a car that's previously had a heavy rear end shunt and been pulled straight (for example) as it could fold up much easier next time...

Yeah i know the car well its a friend who comes in the garage and we have done all the work on it and regularly serviced it. Ive seen the damage before and after the repair. Was just wondering about the insurance and stuff. I think in a couple of years time it would be hard to sell with the obiously higher mileage and previous Cat C damage.

You'll always get someone looking for a bargain.

In the meantime if it's a third off the correct price (which they often are) at least you have less depreciation.

My Pug is a Cat C. It has the VIC certificate and was sorted out so well that it's been seen by a few mechanics who wouldn't have spotted it had I not told them. As for insurance, they weren't bothered to be honest. I told them when buying the car as I thought it would be an issue, but their answer was on the lines of 'Thanks for telling us, but it doesn't affect the premium.'

It's more down to if you're happy to be in a repaired car on a daily basis. As BossFox said, it's more likely to fold a lot easier if it's been smashed once already. I see it as similar to a sheet of paper that's been folded once already. If it's been ironed out, that won't stop it folding on the weakest point again.

What car is it by the way?

Depends on the car a fair amount as to how much damage is needed I guess to Cat C/D it. If I rear ended something in my Polo it would be most likely be written off most likely assuming it needed a new bumper, bonnet and two new lights, just down to the cost of new xenon units from VW. In that respect the whole 'folding more easily' wouldn't be a concern, but I do get the point.

If you know the damage I guess it's pretty easy to assess if that'ls gonna be an issue or something that concerns you though.

I would have thought such a purchase is only financially beneficial if you purchase and then 'run it into the ground'. While there is a market for everything, selling on a cat c or d must be difficult.

Each to their own, but I would not go near one for a variety of reasons.

thanks for the replies guys, its a fabia VRS, but im willing to spend a little more on a HPI clear car just for peice of mind, and not having to worry about all these factors in the future.

Ive owned 2 cat d's.... Dont think id fancy a cat c to be honest

if you are worried about buying Cat C or Cat D, then take a look at this car

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAMAGED-SALVAGE-AUDI-RS4-SALOON-UNRECORDED-MAJORITY-REPAIRED-NEED-DIY-WITH-PARTS-/281027782686?ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123&nma=true&si=SCGJDYOq9o4NhRaAFWPElm6F%2F68%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

This car has not been subject to an insurance claim and is therefore is unrecorded. This RS4 has basically had substantial repair work which can be plainly seen, welding on C pillars, B Pillars and more. To think once its repaired someone will be driving around in it believing it to be accident free since its not listed on HPI as a write off. Basically this car is a cut and shut, considering most of the rear panels has come from another RS4 of the same colour, only the main structure of the car survived.

You may need to click on "See original listing" at the top to get access to all the pictures, but they are there in all their horror.

I've owned a few cat d motors. In fact GFs cat c yaris tsport car was written off and insurance paid out full market value. The difference is very little. I know of garages who push the assessor to categorise as a cat d instead of c to eliminate Vic check.

If its a car you plan on keeping do it. CAT C's will have had a stringent VIC check carried out.

CAT D's are bit more hit and miss as you can easily find a few of these are bodged repair jobs, and sometimes could have been heavy damage. E.g a 1 yr old car on CAT D would have more substantial damage than a car that was registered as a CAT D when it was 5 years old.

Is it a private sale or trade? Do they know where the damage was on the vehicle?

Interesting comments above ref. the validity of VIC, and I wonder if people understand what it is for? (both the General Public and some members on the forum)

I ask because I have presented vehicles for VIC checking on behalf of a previous employer, and subsequently heard showroom salesmen using it as a selling plus point :-

"Yes, it was repaired, but it has been thoroughly checked by the DVLA who have passed it, so it must be OK"

VIC checking has nothing to do with assessing the competence or safety of any repairs carried out, and is solely to make sure that the car presented to them for checking is the one described in their records / on the V5.

It was put in place solely to catch out cloning and "cut and shut" jobs.

The clue is in the name - it stands for Vehicle Identity Check.

Edited 4 December, 201213 yr by BJM

Is it a private sale or trade? Do they know where the damage was on the vehicle?

Yeah i know the car well its a friend who comes in the garage and we have done all the work on it and regularly serviced it. Ive seen the damage before and after the repair.