Discussion
I'm looking at a car at the moment, sold through a trader, that has been classified as a CAT D. The trader doesn't know the full details of why it was a CAT D, so I was wondering if there is any way of finding out? I have the reg Number. From the photos it looks very tidy, but Id rather not waste my time going to look at it if it has been involved in a major shunt.
Cat D is just minor cosmetic damage.
Cat C is more serious and cars require and inspection before being allowed back on the road.
Cat B and A is beyond repair.
Cat D's are a great way to get a car that you would usually never be able to afford very cheaply. However you must always remember that it will mean it will be harder to sell should the time come.
Cat C is more serious and cars require and inspection before being allowed back on the road.
Cat B and A is beyond repair.
Cat D's are a great way to get a car that you would usually never be able to afford very cheaply. However you must always remember that it will mean it will be harder to sell should the time come.
TheTurbonator said:
Cat D is just minor cosmetic damage.
Cat C is more serious and cars require and inspection before being allowed back on the road.
Cat B and A is beyond repair.
Cat D's are a great way to get a car that you would usually never be able to afford very cheaply. However you must always remember that it will mean it will be harder to sell should the time come.
not always the case. There's no strong rule between how insurance companies rate cat C vs cat D. Some do it purely on the cost of the repair - cat C is >100% of the value of the car needed in repairs, cat D is >80% of the value. So, you could have a cat D that had had a major shunt, but a cat C which had simply been vandalisedCat C is more serious and cars require and inspection before being allowed back on the road.
Cat B and A is beyond repair.
Cat D's are a great way to get a car that you would usually never be able to afford very cheaply. However you must always remember that it will mean it will be harder to sell should the time come.
5lab said:
not always the case. There's no strong rule between how insurance companies rate cat C vs cat D. Some do it purely on the cost of the repair - cat C is >100% of the value of the car needed in repairs, cat D is >80% of the value. So, you could have a cat D that had had a major shunt, but a cat C which had simply been vandalised
The insurer for my accident rated cat C as >60% of the vehicle value, I had always thought it would be 100%.Still, the way the engineers inflated the repair cost estimate even if it was 300% the value it wouldn't have mattered!
5lab said:
TheTurbonator said:
Cat D is just minor cosmetic damage.
Cat C is more serious and cars require and inspection before being allowed back on the road.
Cat B and A is beyond repair.
Cat D's are a great way to get a car that you would usually never be able to afford very cheaply. However you must always remember that it will mean it will be harder to sell should the time come.
not always the case. There's no strong rule between how insurance companies rate cat C vs cat D. Some do it purely on the cost of the repair - cat C is >100% of the value of the car needed in repairs, cat D is >80% of the value. So, you could have a cat D that had had a major shunt, but a cat C which had simply been vandalisedCat C is more serious and cars require and inspection before being allowed back on the road.
Cat B and A is beyond repair.
Cat D's are a great way to get a car that you would usually never be able to afford very cheaply. However you must always remember that it will mean it will be harder to sell should the time come.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=c...
hi there folks i had some job finding out info on driving total loss vehicles or write offs on a cat or cat c vehicle so the link above explains it all and has phone numbers for the vic test station who are happy to put your details into the computer and tell you what you need to do , what i found out was amazing only 1 in 3 cat c cars have to go through a VIC check and no cat d vehicles have to at all regardless to what you are told by the insurance company's although on very rare occasions if the repairers who wrote the car off have raised suspicion on your vehicle being authentic they can put a note to dvla and a marker will be placed on your vehicle i.e if it is not pinched you have nothing to worry about.if the link is not working the webasite is www.gtsalvage.comsalvageexplained. i hope this can save you hours of searching for genuine information that i had to find and will save you money aswell 47.31 for a VIC and the price of an mot according to my insurance company which i never needed to pay and i didn't . hope this is helpfull . johnnie83
hi there folks i had some job finding out info on driving total loss vehicles or write offs on a cat or cat c vehicle so the link above explains it all and has phone numbers for the vic test station who are happy to put your details into the computer and tell you what you need to do , what i found out was amazing only 1 in 3 cat c cars have to go through a VIC check and no cat d vehicles have to at all regardless to what you are told by the insurance company's although on very rare occasions if the repairers who wrote the car off have raised suspicion on your vehicle being authentic they can put a note to dvla and a marker will be placed on your vehicle i.e if it is not pinched you have nothing to worry about.if the link is not working the webasite is www.gtsalvage.comsalvageexplained. i hope this can save you hours of searching for genuine information that i had to find and will save you money aswell 47.31 for a VIC and the price of an mot according to my insurance company which i never needed to pay and i didn't . hope this is helpfull . johnnie83
I have insured a few cat d/c lately. I found that the insurers dont wanna know the first year after returning to the road and will ask for documents like MOT and VIC etc but shopping around you can get it covered ok and without any additional premiums or anything.
After 2years insurers dont ask for anything special, just like insuring a normal car. Better to go TPFT though as you will have a PITA getting a good valuation as your pretty much at the mercy of the insurers in the event of another write off (and any reasonable serious damage will haev it written off again).
After 2years insurers dont ask for anything special, just like insuring a normal car. Better to go TPFT though as you will have a PITA getting a good valuation as your pretty much at the mercy of the insurers in the event of another write off (and any reasonable serious damage will haev it written off again).
You're better off taking someone well versed in repairing crashed cars to look at it and give it a proper inspection, the information held by the insurance companies and HPI is vague at best. If you're lucky it might be recorded as "heavy frontal" but who knows what that actually means. Even asking the previous owner is risky, he might tell you the whole front end was knackered when all it needed was a light pull and some bolt-on panels (or vice versa).
If you think the car sounds promising, go and look but be prepared to walk away if you (and/or your expert) have any doubts.
If you think the car sounds promising, go and look but be prepared to walk away if you (and/or your expert) have any doubts.
Even with a wealth of information available at the click of a button, it amazes me how little people know regarding write offs.
Cat D is NOT always minor. You can have a Cat D car that got a quarter panel, chassis damage, etc etc. Likewise, you can have a Cat C car that only got a wing and a headlight.
It ultimately depends on the value of the car, the type of car, and the cost of the parts required to fix it. It's by no means clear cut.
Cat D is NOT always minor. You can have a Cat D car that got a quarter panel, chassis damage, etc etc. Likewise, you can have a Cat C car that only got a wing and a headlight.
It ultimately depends on the value of the car, the type of car, and the cost of the parts required to fix it. It's by no means clear cut.
SMcP114 said:
Cat D is NOT always minor. You can have a Cat D car that got a quarter panel, chassis damage, etc etc. Likewise, you can have a Cat C car that only got a wing and a headlight.
Contradiction much? I have never, EVER seen a Cat D with chassis damage. Chassis damage is serious, and in most cases will result in a Cat B usually.Of course the value of the car determines what class it get's put into. Any moron could tell you that. However, it can also depend on the bodyshops quote when it comes to repairs.
For example, when a HGV nudged my Accord at 2mph, the rear end caught the very top of the wing, which scrapped that and then caught the bonnet. The insurers bodyshop quoted £10,500 in repairs (yes you read that right!) for a car worth £7.5k at the most, claming the inner wings were severally buckled, which meant the engine mount was buckled as well as the suspension. Insurers wanted to deem the car a cat B, until my Dad sent the insurers pictures of the car with none of the damage quoted above, as well as a coverage letter from an inspector saying the car was in a sound structural state, which only needed cosmetic attention. The car was then deemed a Cat D. The final bill was £850 including labour! It doesn't all just depend on the value of the car!
I have purchased/sold the odd cat c/d for the last few years.. And from what i've seen, some old cars can be written off as a cat c and have f*ck all wrong with them, some newer cat D's can be absolutely destroyed. But then this works the other way round too. Very random and depends on multiple factors.
I would strongly suggest you inspect the car, or get someone else to inspect it with regards to chasis and panel gaps. Ok, so theres only so much you can see/check but it will eliminate the shody bodge jobs. Check door shuts/boot floors/front chasis legs. Wheel camber/angles. Get under the car and have a quick glance. As long as you're happy with it, and it drives 'straight' then cat D is just a way of buying a cheaper-expensive car.
I would strongly suggest you inspect the car, or get someone else to inspect it with regards to chasis and panel gaps. Ok, so theres only so much you can see/check but it will eliminate the shody bodge jobs. Check door shuts/boot floors/front chasis legs. Wheel camber/angles. Get under the car and have a quick glance. As long as you're happy with it, and it drives 'straight' then cat D is just a way of buying a cheaper-expensive car.
NateWM said:
SMcP114 said:
Cat D is NOT always minor. You can have a Cat D car that got a quarter panel, chassis damage, etc etc. Likewise, you can have a Cat C car that only got a wing and a headlight.
Contradiction much? I have never, EVER seen a Cat D with chassis damage. Chassis damage is serious, and in most cases will result in a Cat B usually.Ok. You're obviously well informed. Not like I deal in them for a living or anything....
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