To buy cat D or not to buy cat D

[Jake001]

Hey guys,I have seen a 2011 60 plate barbarian for sale - £13,000 with 36k millage on it
The damage was minimal - Damage to o/s rear tub minor no parts changed,
Im not sure if its worth the risk or not
Any advice would be great


Jake

[Mr2Mike]

How much are you saving over the equivalent non-HPI registered car, and how long are you intending to keep it?

[RKDE]

I would buy a CAT D but you need to be sure you are happy that it has been repaired correctly and you can still insure it. There are a few insurance companies that will not touch a car that has been written off.

If you satisfied that it was done well and you can run it without any issues, go for it but it will always be worth less than a non CAT D

I have owned CAT D cars and fixed a few, all no problems

[430T]

What's a Barbarian?

[405dogvan]

430T said:

What's a Barbarian?

Conan was one

It's also one of those pickup trucks most commonly owned by people who don't need a pickup truck but want people to THINK they do.

The thing with Cat's is that you must

a - find out what the damage was and that it was properly repaired - e.g. have the car inspected properly for anything that was missed or bodged
b - get the car CHEAPER THAN CHEAP because it will be hundreds of times harder to resell and you'll need to balance that out

Catted cars are fine to buy and drive into the ground of course

As for 'how cheap' - generally I'd say it should be 25-40% cheaper than bottom book value - so a £10K car should be no more than £7.5K and probably nearer 6...

Edited by 405dogvan on Wednesday 22 May 20:12

[AdamC1983]

I agree if it looks like a good repair and you have evidence of where it was done then go for it, yeah a cat-d car isnt going to be worth as much but it doesnt matter because you wont pay as much for it in the first place.

[Mr2Mike]

430T said:

What's a Barbarian?

Mitsubishi L200 pickup thing. Also available in "Warrior" spec.

AdamC1983 said:

I agree if it looks like a good repair and you have evidence of where it was done then go for it, yeah a cat-d car isnt going to be worth as much but it doesnt matter because you wont pay as much for it in the first place.

It's worth less, but it's also more difficult to sell, even at a lower price. That's why it probably doesn't make sense as a short term proposition.

[405dogvan]

RKDE said:

I would buy a CAT D but you need to be sure you are happy that it has been repaired correctly and you can still insure it. There are a few insurance companies that will not touch a car that has been written off.

This is a tricky one - they will certainly inflate their quotes to deter you if they don't like the idea but it's unlikely they'd refuse (as they decide which cars are catted, they could easily be accused of rigging the market otherwise).

Certainly it's something to consider - they will know it's catted and it will affect the premium but by how much is another thing altogether.

[Jake001]

The resale valve isnt that important as i plan on keeping it for years anyway,will mostly be used for carrying my camping equipment and MTB's.
I know their is quite a bit of stigma around cat D's, but then again you could end up with a real bargain
This 1 is about £4-5k cheaper plus VAT.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mitsubishi-l200-barbaria...

[p4cks]

The only stigma that CAT C/Ds get is with idiots who don't fully understand. IME.

[12v3pot]

If the car was rare, in demand, the damage minimal and the repair well done, and the saving was significant, then - and only then - maybe.

But for everything else, definitely not.

[McWigglebum4th]

Jake001 said:

The resale valve isnt that important as i plan on keeping it for years anyway,will mostly be used for carrying my camping equipment and MTB's.
I know their is quite a bit of stigma around cat D's, but then again you could end up with a real bargain
This 1 is about £4-5k cheaper plus VAT.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mitsubishi-l200-barbaria...

13grand for a car to go camping

No

Buy an scabby old ex army 110 landrover and save 10grand

Or a unimog for 13 grand

[mrmr96]

p4cks said:

The only stigma that CAT C/Ds get is with idiots who don't fully understand. IME.

But bear in mind that's the market you'll be selling to when you come to move the car on. Therefore you still need a decent enough discount to take the low residual into account when YOU're buying.

[Si_steve]

My current car was a Cat D....nothing wrong with it at all, Mind you it was sub £1k .

[emicen]

Jake001 said:

The resale valve isnt that important as i plan on keeping it for years anyway,will mostly be used for carrying my camping equipment and MTB's.
I know their is quite a bit of stigma around cat D's, but then again you could end up with a real bargain
This 1 is about £4-5k cheaper plus VAT.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mitsubishi-l200-barbaria...

It was Cat D'd for minor damage which didnt require any new parts to fix, so says the ad.

On an £18k car.

Doesnt add up to me.

[Mr2Mike]

p4cks said:

The only stigma that CAT C/Ds get is with idiots who don't fully understand. IME.

Not true at all, I have seen plenty of badly repaired cars.