Tuscan been CAT C'd early in it's life - run a mile?
Discussion
Hi folks,
I'm looking at a Tuscan for sale at the moment with rather high mileage and complete gaps in early service history.
I'm not normally put off by either as I intend for the car to be extensively upgraded whilst in my tenure, engine rebuild/upgrades etc. and probably end up as a track car first & foremost. The price does seem to reflect the mileage but seems visually (from photos) at least to be in decent enough shape.
However what's got my goat is after a bit of digging via a HPI check it turns out the car was a Cat C a mere 3 months after being registered. This isn't mentioned in the advert (a bit naughty if you ask me!) but I'd never buy a car without HPI'ing it first anyway.
My question is what kind of accident would likely require a Cat C write off so early in a car's life - is it likely to have been utterly totaled and barely recogniseable as the car it once was, or could it possibly have been a case of the insurers not really knowing what to do with a car so bespoke and so new relatively early on? mid 2001 would have been the accident so still a fairly new model at that time.
I'll be going into this with eyes open (or just walking away entirely) but I wondered if anyone had experience of these cars being written off for fairly minor (relatively speaking) accidents when repairs could have been easily sorted.
Also is there any massive difference between cat C and cat D or are they used fairly interchangeably? I've seen Cat C's with barely any damage and Cat D's that were in pretty bad shape, but I have seen nothing of the TVR calibre to compare and contrast with.
Any help extremely welcome, thanks very much.
I'm looking at a Tuscan for sale at the moment with rather high mileage and complete gaps in early service history.
I'm not normally put off by either as I intend for the car to be extensively upgraded whilst in my tenure, engine rebuild/upgrades etc. and probably end up as a track car first & foremost. The price does seem to reflect the mileage but seems visually (from photos) at least to be in decent enough shape.
However what's got my goat is after a bit of digging via a HPI check it turns out the car was a Cat C a mere 3 months after being registered. This isn't mentioned in the advert (a bit naughty if you ask me!) but I'd never buy a car without HPI'ing it first anyway.
My question is what kind of accident would likely require a Cat C write off so early in a car's life - is it likely to have been utterly totaled and barely recogniseable as the car it once was, or could it possibly have been a case of the insurers not really knowing what to do with a car so bespoke and so new relatively early on? mid 2001 would have been the accident so still a fairly new model at that time.
I'll be going into this with eyes open (or just walking away entirely) but I wondered if anyone had experience of these cars being written off for fairly minor (relatively speaking) accidents when repairs could have been easily sorted.
Also is there any massive difference between cat C and cat D or are they used fairly interchangeably? I've seen Cat C's with barely any damage and Cat D's that were in pretty bad shape, but I have seen nothing of the TVR calibre to compare and contrast with.
Any help extremely welcome, thanks very much.
Thanks guys, valid points there - I guess only way to know is to go and have a look, it's absolutely miles away so only really want to make the trip once if possible...
The AA will not arrange an inspection on my behalf as it has previously been a Cat C - odd, surely those are the cars most in need of inspection!
I'm not particularly well versed in checking for signs of chassis damage - other than obviously bent bits that shouldn't be bent, are there more subtle signs I should be looking for?
The AA will not arrange an inspection on my behalf as it has previously been a Cat C - odd, surely those are the cars most in need of inspection!
I'm not particularly well versed in checking for signs of chassis damage - other than obviously bent bits that shouldn't be bent, are there more subtle signs I should be looking for?
It is, and thanks for your input, reassuring!
The undeclared Cat C has got my back up a bit and I'm wary, but it's looking like it would be worth the trip to find out.
The price I thought was about right for a car with that mileage/lack of history, but I'm not sure how I feel about the value now I've found out it's on the register.
The undeclared Cat C has got my back up a bit and I'm wary, but it's looking like it would be worth the trip to find out.
The price I thought was about right for a car with that mileage/lack of history, but I'm not sure how I feel about the value now I've found out it's on the register.
Hi TheFarmer,
Apologies if my previous posts cast you in a dim light - I'll admit I hadn't thought of the possibility of you not knowing yourself it was Cat C - I'm sure it was an honest mistake and sorry you had to find out this way. I wasn't intentionally mud slinging, more trying to find out what could have made a car be written off so young.
As the other posters have mentioned, entirely possible it wasn't a major thing. If the car drives well now that's really all that matters!
Did the sale go as planned or are you still in posession?
Apologies if my previous posts cast you in a dim light - I'll admit I hadn't thought of the possibility of you not knowing yourself it was Cat C - I'm sure it was an honest mistake and sorry you had to find out this way. I wasn't intentionally mud slinging, more trying to find out what could have made a car be written off so young.
As the other posters have mentioned, entirely possible it wasn't a major thing. If the car drives well now that's really all that matters!
Did the sale go as planned or are you still in posession?
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