Cat c write off

[chris52]

I was going to buy a 1970's TVR that needs restoring but have since found out it was cat c write off. Would this make much difference when the time comes to sell the car.
Any help would be great as I don't want to end up spending fortunes only to find out that the car is worthless
Chris

[my250gt]

As I understand it, a cat C is a technically repairable damaged vehicle. It would have been written off by the insurance company value wise as too costly to repair.

So whilst you may well find the repair has been done correctly and may be virtually impossible to find, it will remain listed as a cat C vehicle, its all part of its history.

Others have posted on here to say there is an inspection service you can use, they inspect the vehicle and if considered repaired then it is listed as such.

By restoring a vehicle you will repair and replace items anyway, often the chassis itself. The final "value" will be a reflection of the final condition of the car, influenced by a stack of receipts totalling around 3X times more than you will be hoping to get for the car any how !!

I wouldnt let it put you off restoring the car, just dont forget that when you come to sell it may be a little more tricky.

Good luck

[GAjon]

The way I see it, as these cars become older and rarer, the significance of whether they have been a categorised write off will become less important, to the point where we will see full cars built around log books.

[hedgefinder]

but a cat C WILL have a bearing on your insurance, and who will be willing to insure it.

[chris52]

Thanks for the input guys I have decided to go for it anyway so expect loads of questions in the near future.
Pick it up this weekend
Chris

[Slow M]

chris52 said:

Thanks for the input guys I have decided to go for it anyway so expect loads of questions in the near future.
Pick it up this weekend
Chris

Congratulations and good luck.

Best,
B.

[felixlighter]

Category C could mean it was written off for no more than headlamp damage and a dent in the wing.If it wasn't repairable by a DIY expert it wouldn't be category C.

[my250gt]

Don't forget to post some pics as soon as you have it !

[pridaux]

chris52 said:

Thanks for the input guys I have decided to go for it anyway so expect loads of questions in the near future.
Pick it up this weekend
Chris

Well done yes your spot on getting the car my Taimar is a cat C which on showing to the body shop where amazed it was not repaired can only presume it was under insured which is a lesson to us all.
Although no expert when you look at Classics and Cat C etc i really dont think there is an issue as long as the work carried out is properly done and documented there are lots of cars out there that have hardly any original bits as they where raced crashed repaired crashed repaired etc etc and still sell for 40 million Dollars, Ferrari GTO for example
However a Sagaris that would be a different matter as with the value of those cars being 60K and a crash costing 30k to repair then it would probably be written off as cat c or d however if repaired the value would be reflected there greatly i suspect by 20k.
Andrew

[tr7v8]

hedgefinder said:

but a cat C MAY have a bearing on your insurance, and a few may have an issue with insuring it.

EFA & from experience

[donski58]

Many TVRs are categorized C or D by non specialist Insurance companies because they don't know who to approach to repair them. They refer them to the recommended insurance repairer who say "a what did you say TVR, sorry we cant repair that" And that's it a write off Cat D or C.

Donski

[chris52]

Thanks for all the help I'm not new to TVR I currently have a Griff 500 and this is my third over the past 20 years but have always wanted a pre eighties one especially one that I can restore.I will get some pictures up next week when I have it tucked away. All the restoration will be done by me over I expect quite a long period of time.
When I get it here I will be able to inspect it fully and deternine if a full body off is required which I fully expect it will. The car is a 1978 3000m the damage according to the last owner was just a damaged bonnet which was replaced the car was 22 years old when this happened, older TVR values in 2000 were quite low so this is probably quite possible the only damage but time will tell when I start dismantleing.

Chris

[heightswitch]

chris52 said:

Thanks for all the help I'm not new to TVR I currently have a Griff 500 and this is my third over the past 20 years but have always wanted a pre eighties one especially one that I can restore.I will get some pictures up next week when I have it tucked away. All the restoration will be done by me over I expect quite a long period of time.
When I get it here I will be able to inspect it fully and deternine if a full body off is required which I fully expect it will. The car is a 1978 3000m the damage according to the last owner was just a damaged bonnet which was replaced the car was 22 years old when this happened, older TVR values in 2000 were quite low so this is probably quite possible the only damage but time will tell when I start dismantleing.

Chris

If you are completely restoring a TVR then its previous insurance life is matterless. If people are stupid enough to worry about ancient damage on a car with a seperate chassis and fibreglass body then in my view they are the wrong type of people to have a TVR.

Isn,t it funny how old racing or rally cars which have colourful histories sell for thousands yet something with a Cat C or D tag will have a stigma which it carries for the rest of its life...bks!! Condition of the vehicle affects its value and any car properly built will have an appropriate value...hope you enjoy your time with it.
N.

[hedgefinder]

heightswitch said:

If you are completely restoring a TVR then its previous insurance life is matterless. If people are stupid enough to worry about ancient damage on a car with a seperate chassis and fibreglass body then in my view they are the wrong type of people to have a TVR.

Isn,t it funny how old racing or rally cars which have colourful histories sell for thousands yet something with a Cat C or D tag will have a stigma which it carries for the rest of its life...bks!! Condition of the vehicle affects its value and any car properly built will have an appropriate value...hope you enjoy your time with it.
N.

I agree completely that if its repaired correctly a cat c or d shouldnt be any issue at all, BUT when considering spending thousands on a full restoration you need to be aware the effects that a cat C could possibly have on the cars potential value when completed along side others without a cat C history. Unfortunately its a fact and not one that we can do much about if any potential buyer is concerned.

[heightswitch]

hedgefinder said:

I agree completely that if its repaired correctly a cat c or d shouldnt be any issue at all, BUT when considering spending thousands on a full restoration you need to be aware the effects that a cat C could possibly have on the cars potential value when completed along side others without a cat C history. Unfortunately its a fact and not one that we can do much about if any potential buyer is concerned.

No you don't.
You need to have a view about whether you actually want to restore and drive and enjoy the car you are considering the purchase of.
Persons who buy cars to consider their future values are the worst kind of saddo's prevalent in our hobby today!!

N.

[pridaux]

heightswitch said:

No you don't.
You need to have a view about whether you actually want to restore and drive and enjoy the car you are considering the purchase of.
Persons who buy cars to consider their future values are the worst kind of saddo's prevalent in our hobby today!!

N.

I agree fully the Taimar we are restoring will cost far more than what it will be worth at the end but we are doing so because that is the car we want and it is not our plan to ever sell its the right car at the right time if we had thought of value we would buy Johns beautiful 3000s Turbo i am amazed no one has so far and if we put our accountants hat on we should however with the need for the boot and the space for transporting pictures etc it was a sensible choice also a car that can stay out in most weathers as an everyday car and we know its been done right and to our speck or we would have bought one already done.
Andrew

[phillpot]

While I fully agree that these are not the kind of cars to consider if one if after "an investment" it would be nice to think that I'd get a reasonable return (probably no where near a profit) should the car ever have to be sold, maybe a change of personal circumstances or health etc.

A rotten Mini would cost around the same as a rotten Morris 1100 to restore but I know which would top up the pension fund a little better when the Doc says "no more driving" !

[hedgefinder]

heightswitch said:

No you don't.
You need to have a view about whether you actually want to restore and drive and enjoy the car you are considering the purchase of.
Persons who buy cars to consider their future values are the worst kind of saddo's prevalent in our hobby today!!

N.

if i had the choice between 2 cars to restore requiring a similar ammount of money/time to be spent, one with a cat c history and one without I would choose the one without, even if i didnt INTEND to sell at a later date. It comes down to a lot more than considering future values! What happens if you spend 20k restoring and the car is written off a year later.. the insurance company will pay out less for a cat c vehicle, its just common sense to consider these issues, unless you have money to burn that is...

[chris52]

Well I have taken in everything people have had to say and thanks for the input. I have agreed to buy it unseen and left a deposit the price is good so worst case scenario if its not worth restoring I could just break it for parts which would be a shame and an absolute last resort.
I don't have money to burn but all the work will be done by me I have been in the motor trade for over 25 years so things won't daunt me too much. So hopefully I can save a lot of expense and as long as I get to use it that's all that realy matters. You can blow £5k on a 2 week holiday and what do you get back for that?
Once again a big thanks for all the coments.

Chris

[heightswitch]

hedgefinder said:

if i had the choice between 2 cars to restore requiring a similar ammount of money/time to be spent, one with a cat c history and one without I would choose the one without, even if i didnt INTEND to sell at a later date. It comes down to a lot more than considering future values! What happens if you spend 20k restoring and the car is written off a year later.. the insurance company will pay out less for a cat c vehicle, its just common sense to consider these issues, unless you have money to burn that is...

Sorry you are talking a load of bully plops. On a car of this type it is totally irrelevant. A car is worth what someone will pay for it based on its condition and how well it is built or restored. if you conversely with respect to your previous argument, are looking at a fantastic car built with all the right bits on a new chassis that is previously a cat C and lets say a car without built on its original chassis then I would suggest that you would buy based on the condition of what was in front of you and not its past life.

These are not 1.0 toyota yarises !! You don't generally get to window shop and compare many examples.

Taking your argument a step further. what about the bugatti taken from a lake bed of late categorised right off..presumably you would have ran a mile....The older and rarer a car gets the less choice you have and the less any artificial parasitic tag matters!!

If anyone tried to bid me down on a cat C car I had rebuilt they would leave the vicinity of my garage with a big toe up their arse...

regards insurance...Properly restored cars tend to have their values agreed ahead of any claims!!

I wonder if David pipers 917 was knocked down a few grand because of its previous accidents??

N.

Edited by heightswitch on Friday 1st February 20:54