Just wondered what peoples thoughts are to buying a cat d car. There are a few blob eye STI's on the trader for what seems to be a good saving over a non cat d car.

My main concern is that they have been left in the breakers yard and people have taken bits of them and swapped things about while the insurance company make a decision.

What are the main things to look for?

Geesta

 

Im guessing you mean a non repaired one. Make sure you know exactly whats needed before you make an offer. Some breakers yards want way too much for written off stuff and by the time you've added up the repair costs, its not worth it and you might aswell have bought a straight one.

If you can get it cheap enough and it isnt too badly damaged then i'd consider it.

 

Sorry, I mean an already repaired one

 

I brought my Scooby which was a CAT D (already repaired though).

I was a bit skeptical but just make sure you do your homework (what was the damage and try and get some info from the repairers to make sure it matches up with the seller's story).

You have to remember that CAT D is only cosmetic damage which means it is only when a bonnet or bumper or wing has been replaced and the insurers didn't want to shell out on the costs of doing so. All CAT D's are structually and mechanically sound.

The price of buying a CAT D is much cheaper but then when it comes to sell on, you also have to expect a cheaper sale so it evens itself out in the end. Its a good way to afford a more expensive car if you are on a smaller budget.

For example, I picked up a 2005 Scooby WRX (which was essentially modified to replicate an STi with STi parts and over 280bhp) with just 25,000 miles on the clock and I paid £7000. Compared to a non-CAT D with slightly higher mileage on a standard WRX I would have had to pay £8800. So that is a saving of just under £2k and that was with standard 225bhp power.

 

as above really ive repaired quite a few , cat d can have suspension damage also and slight chassis leg as some cars you can buy bolt on legs ect as long as it does'nt need jigging to straighten the chassis then if it does it goes to a c,

but if its been repaired well i'd buy a one,

alternativley see if you can buy a light unrecorded that needs paint down one side , thats a cheap way of getting one plus none of the depriciation of a cat car

good luck

 

How can that be fella If you have a Cat D car for sale at £10k (they're usually 1/3 less than a non Cat D car) then the damage must have been massive for the insurance co to write it off?

I'm looking at RS4s & have seen a Cat D one for sale at £25k!

You may have guessed my position - I'd never buy one

TX.

 

if its not been recorded and been done real well the majority wouldnt no if it had been repaired !

not saying you though tx

 

Another problem with buying insurance write off's, whatever cat it is d or c, when you insure the vehicle & happen to have another claim on it the car does not have a specific book value, & you can be offered any amount for the vehicle & not really have much leverage to negotiate.
I have repaired dozens on damaged vehicles over the years & a couple of people who have bought them have had another accident & had claimed only to have the above happen, & they had notified the insurance company that they were cat d when applying for insurance.
But if you can see before photo's of the damage & the repair is 100% there's some good bargains out there.

 

The fact that it is a cat D means its recorded as a total loss. That means the repair was not economical for the insurance company. A bumper being replaced does not amount to a total loss, unless the car is of a particularly low value.

 

Very good point. My mate bought an Integrale Evo 2, which had been damaged and "properly" repaired. He overshot a T junction and hit a kerb head on. He got a couple of hundred quid as an insurance payout when it was written off. The insurace co claimed it was repaired salvage and worthless. He paid 10k for the car, which appeared to be a fair price. The insurance company thought otherwise. He took them to court and lost.

 

dont no what you mean by that statement fella

what i was saying is buying a car thats not catagorised.

also if a car has had light front damage say bumber wing headlight with no
chassis damage they will write it off for that even if its a £4 grand motor as most of that cost will be air bag dash seatbelt tensioners ect then, thats what puts the cost of repair above the price of the car.

 

ive currently got wrx 300 55 plate in body shop. Bought it damaged cat c. Why its cat c ill never no, although airbags have been replaced so that may have done it. All id say is make sure you have pics of previous damage, ive looked at cars advertised as having light front end repair, then at a closer look the boot floor is creased

 

you think about it i bet the price of your aibags from subaru are £500 each for the front 2 alone and thats if the passenger side is cassette type if its built into dash the f**k no's how much , so body damage can be quite minimal.
and if you can get hold of second hand airbags from a rear damaged car your saving your self loads on a car IMHO
good luck with it