CAT D or not to CAT D?
Discussion
Straight to the point. WIth insurance companies apparently clueless about fibreglass repairs there seems to be a good number of mechanically sound CAT D cars appearing for sensible (ish) money. WIth a couple of new panels and a respray you could find yourself owning something offering exceptional value for money. So my question is: do TVRs offer an almost unique CAT D opportunity or, when all is said and done, are you better off buying a straight used example?
I gave this some thought a while back when I was considering changing the Chimaera for a "T" car. There have been quite a few threads on here about cars being written off due to high repair costs for GRP damage and that got me thinking.
- Can you get a letter from the insurance company clearly stating the write off was for economic repair costs for significant GRP damage
- Get a known TVR specialist to inspect the chassis, suspension etc and provide it with a clean bill of health, possibly after a bit of remedial work if necessary due to age etc
- Send car to Surface & Design for repair and paint job
If a good "T" car came up with the above and it was well priced after costs of repairs compared to others available that were not Cat D then it would probably get my vote.
- Can you get a letter from the insurance company clearly stating the write off was for economic repair costs for significant GRP damage
- Get a known TVR specialist to inspect the chassis, suspension etc and provide it with a clean bill of health, possibly after a bit of remedial work if necessary due to age etc
- Send car to Surface & Design for repair and paint job
If a good "T" car came up with the above and it was well priced after costs of repairs compared to others available that were not Cat D then it would probably get my vote.
For me Cat D comes down to how long you are going to keep the car.
Yes it is cheaper, yes a non cat D car can have had more damage, yes a cat D car could be spot on, but selling it can be a PITA.
If I was keeping a car forever or running it into the ground, then fine, if not, no thanks.
Yes it is cheaper, yes a non cat D car can have had more damage, yes a cat D car could be spot on, but selling it can be a PITA.
If I was keeping a car forever or running it into the ground, then fine, if not, no thanks.
edo said:
For me Cat D comes down to how long you are going to keep the car.
Yes it is cheaper, yes a non cat D car can have had more damage, yes a cat D car could be spot on, but selling it can be a PITA.
If I was keeping a car forever or running it into the ground, then fine, if not, no thanks.
+1Yes it is cheaper, yes a non cat D car can have had more damage, yes a cat D car could be spot on, but selling it can be a PITA.
If I was keeping a car forever or running it into the ground, then fine, if not, no thanks.
edo said:
For me Cat D comes down to how long you are going to keep the car.
Yes it is cheaper, yes a non cat D car can have had more damage, yes a cat D car could be spot on, but selling it can be a PITA.
If I was keeping a car forever or running it into the ground, then fine, if not, no thanks.
Mines a keeper as far as Im concerned.Yes it is cheaper, yes a non cat D car can have had more damage, yes a cat D car could be spot on, but selling it can be a PITA.
If I was keeping a car forever or running it into the ground, then fine, if not, no thanks.
Bought a CAT D Cerb that was purely rear fibreglass damage, didn't touch the chassis. Photo evidence of the damage and the repair from the previous owner.
Got the car VERY cheap and am now in a full restoration situation. I'll never get back the money Im spending, but that really isn't the point.
It's a tricky one. On the one hand I probably be buying with a view to keeping it a long time however, it never hurts to keep an eye on resale. My old Griff was a great car with some very desirable mods, but because it wasn't standard it was more difficult to sell. I don't want to make that mistake again. Having said that it seems that you can remove the CAT D classification from a vehicle's record.
It seems that CAT A/B/C/D vehicles are listed on something called the Vehicle Condition Alert Register. CAT D (and maybe even CAT C - dunno) can be removed from this register if they are repaired to a high enough standard and pass a major inspection. If they pass they move to the Condition Inspected Register which means they will not appear on an HPI check as CAT D. There will be a note to say they have been repaired, but from what I can see that is no different from any other damage repair that makes it onto the register. Very positive news I think.
It seems that CAT A/B/C/D vehicles are listed on something called the Vehicle Condition Alert Register. CAT D (and maybe even CAT C - dunno) can be removed from this register if they are repaired to a high enough standard and pass a major inspection. If they pass they move to the Condition Inspected Register which means they will not appear on an HPI check as CAT D. There will be a note to say they have been repaired, but from what I can see that is no different from any other damage repair that makes it onto the register. Very positive news I think.
consider this,
you have just spent £15k on a tvr you have spent weeks researching and looking at it, and you are pretty positive everything is spot on and its the car you want, as you approach a roundabout on the way home from buying it, someone crashes into the rear of you, pretty extensive boot damage and paintwork needed.
im not sure of the exact workings out, but if its on the borderline, do you have it written off and take the money and hope you will find one in similar condition,or do you have it repaired and be proud of your new catD car?
you have just spent £15k on a tvr you have spent weeks researching and looking at it, and you are pretty positive everything is spot on and its the car you want, as you approach a roundabout on the way home from buying it, someone crashes into the rear of you, pretty extensive boot damage and paintwork needed.
im not sure of the exact workings out, but if its on the borderline, do you have it written off and take the money and hope you will find one in similar condition,or do you have it repaired and be proud of your new catD car?
Gerradiuk, Couldn't agree more, though the info I was giving was only regarding the repair possibilities. I have a former cat D which is now condition inspected and insured for full value, I know that if I ever come to sell it then it won't match the price of a non-damaged car. There is a good thread going on cat D's on the T350, Tamora and Sag forum as well.
Not sure about 50% Noddy, the reason I asy this the wife slid into the drive gates in the snow & ice a few years back (not once but 4 times trying to get up into our drive)& the Offside was scraped & a dent on the front wing just in front of door. It looked nothing & as I had just spent a bit on the clutch & a full service 2 mths earlier I thought I'd ask to buy it from the insurance firm. They agreed but said I could have it less 25% of the agreed amount ?! Not sure if that means all Cat D's are devalued by 25% but in my own experibce it was by this amount on this occasion.
One last point, regarding the M3 ,that my son so foolishly bought, one of the main reasons that this car was a cat D was because the company that owned it refuted the costs etc by the insurer's . The insurance ,after a 18mth period, just paid him out as the legal bills plus a equilvelant hire car to him at their expense sealed the M3's fate.
One last point, regarding the M3 ,that my son so foolishly bought, one of the main reasons that this car was a cat D was because the company that owned it refuted the costs etc by the insurer's . The insurance ,after a 18mth period, just paid him out as the legal bills plus a equilvelant hire car to him at their expense sealed the M3's fate.
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