Cat D OK to buy?
Discussion
Looking for a sub £3K Fiesta for the daughter.
Seen an immaculate low miler high spec one at a used car dealer. But he told me its a Cat D. He showed me good pics of the damage before they repaired it.
Been in a low speed sandwich, slight damage to back bumper (not split) and a split about 3" long on front bumper. I'm happy with the repair, he said Cat D does not appear on the V5C or affect insurance premiums etc.
Bear in mind its an 8 year old car which |I will sell privately in a couple of years time so unlikely at that point anyone will do an HPI check.
What does the PH massive think, should I buy it or walk away, its by far the best one I've seen so far
Seen an immaculate low miler high spec one at a used car dealer. But he told me its a Cat D. He showed me good pics of the damage before they repaired it.
Been in a low speed sandwich, slight damage to back bumper (not split) and a split about 3" long on front bumper. I'm happy with the repair, he said Cat D does not appear on the V5C or affect insurance premiums etc.
Bear in mind its an 8 year old car which |I will sell privately in a couple of years time so unlikely at that point anyone will do an HPI check.
What does the PH massive think, should I buy it or walk away, its by far the best one I've seen so far
Well, Cat D write off's are typically written off if the damage is over 60% of teh value of the vehicle.
says its £3000, the Repairs only need to be £1800 for it to be written off (some companies differ but generally its 60%) which is insurance terms in a couple of bumpers, labour charges and hire, so its probably OK.
if she likes it, go for it.
says its £3000, the Repairs only need to be £1800 for it to be written off (some companies differ but generally its 60%) which is insurance terms in a couple of bumpers, labour charges and hire, so its probably OK.
if she likes it, go for it.
Cat D can be a good way to get into a car you wouldn't otherwise available afford. e.g. A BMW M3 for 330i money, provided it is properly repaired and the seller can sartisfatorily answer all the questions a future buyer may ask you in the future. Yes, you'll get less for it when you sell it, but that won't be a problem if you've paid less for it in the first place. May take longer to sell however.
That said, I think at this level of the market I'd be more inclined to buy a straight car for a bit more, especially if it was for someone else.
That said, I think at this level of the market I'd be more inclined to buy a straight car for a bit more, especially if it was for someone else.
TVR keith said:
According to Honest John 4 star NCAP. Its a 2004 car
I know NCAP isn't the be all and end all when it comes to how safe a car is (but it remains the only real scientific data there is on which to compare similar cars) but I'd want my daughter in a 5 star car. How about a Clio/Megane from the same era?As I've said above, I've nothing against Cat D in a lot of instances, perhaps just not this one.
TVR keith said:
Looking for a sub £3K Fiesta for the daughter.
Seen an immaculate low miler high spec one at a used car dealer. But he told me its a Cat D. He showed me good pics of the damage before they repaired it.
Been in a low speed sandwich, slight damage to back bumper (not split) and a split about 3" long on front bumper. I'm happy with the repair, he said Cat D does not appear on the V5C or affect insurance premiums etc.
Bear in mind its an 8 year old car which |I will sell privately in a couple of years time so unlikely at that point anyone will do an HPI check.
What does the PH massive think, should I buy it or walk away, its by far the best one I've seen so far
Go check the car out, make sure you are happy with its condition and remember you need to declare it as a Cat D when selling it on.Seen an immaculate low miler high spec one at a used car dealer. But he told me its a Cat D. He showed me good pics of the damage before they repaired it.
Been in a low speed sandwich, slight damage to back bumper (not split) and a split about 3" long on front bumper. I'm happy with the repair, he said Cat D does not appear on the V5C or affect insurance premiums etc.
Bear in mind its an 8 year old car which |I will sell privately in a couple of years time so unlikely at that point anyone will do an HPI check.
What does the PH massive think, should I buy it or walk away, its by far the best one I've seen so far
That said cat D can be a bit stupid, think about it. All it means is there's been some incident that has involved an insurance company at some point.
A non Cat D car could be in a bigger incident with far more damage only not declared to the insurance. Then repaired and sold on, with no one any the wiser.
Don't be afraid of a Cat D, just make sure you know what happened and how it's been fixed.
4 star was the crash test. 2 star for pedestrian safety. Not all that keen on old small French cars and I've had loads of sub 5 year old Pugs but all big ones (406/407s) this thread has been most usefull to me up untill now so I don't want to provoke a discussion on the merits or otherwise of french cars!!!!!
If its recorded (do your own HPI check to be sure) then assume any buyer from you will knock 30% off its value, so you should do the same
It's a very good sign they've kept pics to show you - get copies and keep them for when you sell and it'll make your life easier
I'd buy based on current condition - what shopping car hasn't had its bumpers scuffed and/or painted by this age?!
It's a very good sign they've kept pics to show you - get copies and keep them for when you sell and it'll make your life easier
I'd buy based on current condition - what shopping car hasn't had its bumpers scuffed and/or painted by this age?!
t.b.h going by my current saga, cat c or d wouldn't bother me.
My insurers are repairing ym car after a rear shunt which needs a new rear quater panel. the car is worth £1500 top's and the repair costs so far are nearly £1000.......
It won't be recorded as c or d!!
(I think its crazy when my friends car was writte off due to front bumper damage only!)
My insurers are repairing ym car after a rear shunt which needs a new rear quater panel. the car is worth £1500 top's and the repair costs so far are nearly £1000.......
It won't be recorded as c or d!!
(I think its crazy when my friends car was writte off due to front bumper damage only!)
If there's pics of the damage before repair, then it's a big bonus. I probably wouldn't buy a write off unless I saw what had happened to it. Normally, if an insurance company doesn't insure cat C's, then it won't insure any write off at all, so just check to make sure. As we know, they do work in mysterious ways, so this isn't definitive! What I do is check the insurance co's T+C's before taking out a policy and if there's no mention of written off cars, then I won't declare it.
I've bought two cat D write offs in the past week, first one looked horrible, but it only needed a wing and bonnet to make it presentable. Contacted previous owner who explained that a taxi door was opened into his path and was unable to avoid hitting it! 1.4 tdci fiesta on the road for half market price! Jury still out on the second purchase!
I've bought two cat D write offs in the past week, first one looked horrible, but it only needed a wing and bonnet to make it presentable. Contacted previous owner who explained that a taxi door was opened into his path and was unable to avoid hitting it! 1.4 tdci fiesta on the road for half market price! Jury still out on the second purchase!
Thanks for all of your replies.
Having slept on it and Googling "Cat D will it affect ins premium" I decided that I was not happy about this one. As it happened I found another Fiesta in great condition that seemed "honest" and purchased it yesterday. Although it was very clean and newly serviced I spent today clay barring, polishing etc plus checking tyre pressures lights etc:
Think she will pretty pleased when she sees it tonight for the first time.
Hopefully I have chosen well with the valuable knowledge of PH.
Thanks
Keith
Having slept on it and Googling "Cat D will it affect ins premium" I decided that I was not happy about this one. As it happened I found another Fiesta in great condition that seemed "honest" and purchased it yesterday. Although it was very clean and newly serviced I spent today clay barring, polishing etc plus checking tyre pressures lights etc:
Think she will pretty pleased when she sees it tonight for the first time.
Hopefully I have chosen well with the valuable knowledge of PH.
Thanks
Keith
TVR keith said:
Thanks for all of your replies.
Having slept on it and Googling "Cat D will it affect ins premium" I decided that I was not happy about this one. As it happened I found another Fiesta in great condition that seemed "honest" and purchased it yesterday. Although it was very clean and newly serviced I spent today clay barring, polishing etc plus checking tyre pressures lights etc:
Think she will pretty pleased when she sees it tonight for the first time.
Hopefully I have chosen well with the valuable knowledge of PH.
Thanks
Keith
Top bloke. I wish you and your daughter well with it.Having slept on it and Googling "Cat D will it affect ins premium" I decided that I was not happy about this one. As it happened I found another Fiesta in great condition that seemed "honest" and purchased it yesterday. Although it was very clean and newly serviced I spent today clay barring, polishing etc plus checking tyre pressures lights etc:
Think she will pretty pleased when she sees it tonight for the first time.
Hopefully I have chosen well with the valuable knowledge of PH.
Thanks
Keith
Cat B,C and D's should have no bearing on insurance at all. Infact you dont even have to mention it... You are insuring a Fiesta. Simple as. You might as well ask to pay more for no reason.
But to be honest, if you have to ask about HPi status and have then thought about insurance, you've abslutely come to the right decision by not buying the car. That sounds really condescending, but it's not meant to be...
I've bought, sold and owned plenty of write offs -some have been the best cars you could wish for. However I have bought them damaged and had them repaired myself, properly. The classification (B,C,D etc) has zero relation to the damage by the way.
Good luck with your search. Stick it out and find the right car for you.
Gallen
But to be honest, if you have to ask about HPi status and have then thought about insurance, you've abslutely come to the right decision by not buying the car. That sounds really condescending, but it's not meant to be...
I've bought, sold and owned plenty of write offs -some have been the best cars you could wish for. However I have bought them damaged and had them repaired myself, properly. The classification (B,C,D etc) has zero relation to the damage by the way.
Good luck with your search. Stick it out and find the right car for you.
Gallen
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