Cat D advice buying advice

[sheffieldguy]

Hi there,

I am considering buying my first Elise, and in order to afford an 111R I am looking at the following purchase:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1081775.htm

The car was a Cat D but the seller says it's had no damage other than body work. Do you think buying the car is a big risk? How to I ensure that there is no structural damage? (I'm new to this).

I'm quite excited about being able to afford a 111R - but don't want to buy a dangerous car, or one that I cannot sell after a few years.

Many thanks for any advice!

[bogie]

personally Id either save up some more, or get a cheaper model

a CAT D can be in perfect condition, and properly repaired, but you need to be buying it for thousands cheaper to make up for the hassle come resale IMO

most buyers remember will discount anything on the insurance register, so expect to either sell it real cheap or wait a long time to sell it at all

[sheffieldguy]

Thanks bogie!

I believe this one is about £4K cheaper than an equivalent that isn't Cat D - so I am trying to judge if that saving is reasonable or just asking for trouble.

I am particularly interested in how I find out exactly what the damage was, rather than just taking the seller's word for it (who seems to have restored the car to a high standard).

[tig6]

....or for a few hundred quid more buy a straight one albeit with more miles on which is just up the road from you. (OK - so it's an obvious plug for mine but there are other cars out there without CAT D damage)

[bogie]

sheffieldguy said:

Thanks bogie!

I believe this one is about £4K cheaper than an equivalent that isn't Cat D - so I am trying to judge if that saving is reasonable or just asking for trouble.

I am particularly interested in how I find out exactly what the damage was, rather than just taking the seller's word for it (who seems to have restored the car to a high standard).

very hard to prove unless you can get photo evidence from a bodyshop or suchlike....hence people having problems with buying them

If I was buying a project car for myself for track or race use, then saving a few grand on a CAT D could make sense, but for a road car that you will likely want to sell in a couple of years...nah, not really worth the hassle

[james S]

No cheap enough im my opinion. I bought an 06 Exige last october for 18.5. I'd want to pay no more than 12 for this

[cjm]

Slight hijack and talking about buying a higher mileage car, what do people think of this? Seems a bit expensive?

http://www.petrolheads.com/sales/1112199.htm

[Scuffers]

sheffieldguy said:

Hi there,

I am considering buying my first Elise, and in order to afford an 111R I am looking at the following purchase:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1081775.htm

The car was a Cat D but the seller says it's had no damage other than body work. Do you think buying the car is a big risk? How to I ensure that there is no structural damage? (I'm new to this).

I'm quite excited about being able to afford a 111R - but don't want to buy a dangerous car, or one that I cannot sell after a few years.

Many thanks for any advice!

Nothing wrong in principal with a CAT C/D car, the key is knowing EXACTLY what happened to it and how it was repaired.

yes, the Elise/Exige's do get listed at C/D for some real trivial stuff, on the other hand I have seen Cat D's that should have been CAT A (as in crushed), you have to remember the assessor for this is unlikely to know enough about these specific cars.

if you are looking at a CAT C/D then you need to get somebody who really knows what they are looking at to view it and get the history of the repair, some will be 100% good cars, others will not.

[sheffieldguy]

Scuffers said:

if you are looking at a CAT C/D then you need to get somebody who really knows what they are looking at to view it and get the history of the repair, some will be 100% good cars, others will not.

Thanks for this advice. Can anybody recommend a good inspection service? I have found these guys on Google:

http://carinspections.co.uk/

Anybody have experience with them, or similar companies?

Thanks

[Stu_00]

I would also see where the nearest Elise specialist is to the car and see if the owner would be prepaired to take it there.

[Scuffers]

sheffieldguy said:

Scuffers said:

if you are looking at a CAT C/D then you need to get somebody who really knows what they are looking at to view it and get the history of the repair, some will be 100% good cars, others will not.

Thanks for this advice. Can anybody recommend a good inspection service? I have found these guys on Google:

http://carinspections.co.uk/

Anybody have experience with them, or similar companies?

Thanks

No idea, you need somebody that know the Elise/Exige platform inside-out, and I very much doubt any of these guys do (if they did I am sure they would make a point of it).

depending where it is, I could probably point you at somebody that would be safe to use.

[mac4089]

i would find out exactly what was damaged with photos if poss, if their is any sign the chassis has damage i would walk away remember they are bonded not welded, like some people say on here i would buy one that has been looked after with history, good look.

[Risotto]

I'd assess each car individually, but in principle, I can't see an issue with buying a written off Elise.

The Elise is one of those cars that can end up being written off as a result of sometimes very minimal damage. Don't forget for every car that's a known write off, there's another car that's been stuffed into a tyre wall on a trackday and has been repaired in the owner's shed. No insurance involvement, no record of any damage. At least you know a write off has been damaged.

Think about it - any damage to the front or rear clam that can't be repaired means a whole new clam. The insurance company will want to carry out repairs at a professional garage. The garage will assess the damage, note the fact that an insurance company is involved, and produce an estimate based on the use of new, Lotus-supplied parts. These cost A Lot Of Money and the insurance company will decide it's an uneconomic repair and cat d it.

The car will go through somewhere like Bluecycle, be bought by a salvage company and end up in the hands of someone who repairs the car using a perfectly good clam they got off a specialist breaker or eBay for a few hundred quid. Another few hundred to have the clam sprayed and the car is as good as new.

There are people who turn their noses up at these cars but as long as you inspect the car properly and there are photos/paperwork to prove the extent of the original damage and the price reflects the fact that the car has been written off then what's the problem?

You won't get much money for it when you sell it, but as long as you don't pay much when you buy it, who cares?

As others have said a thorough inspection is the key to avoiding dangerous or badly repaired cars.

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

I'm assuming you're in Sheffield location wise If so, then Swifts in town will most likely do an inspection for you, no idea how much they'd cost, but they know their stuff.

[miro]

Honnestly at around that price I would be looking for a 111S. It will hold its value better than a CAT D 111R and be greatly more saleable in a few years

[sheffieldguy]

Hi Miro,

That's exactly the conclusion I've come to! So I am no longer looking at this car, and instead I am looking at an S instead.

[miro]

An S is different to a 111S and there's a yota S and a K S but not a yota 111S. (111S is the best at that price though)

[Mark B]

cjm said:

Slight hijack and talking about buying a higher mileage car, what do people think of this? Seems a bit expensive?

http://www.petrolheads.com/sales/1112199.htm

That's Bunny (I think) on SELOC's car. Looks nice and a good price considering the work it has had done.