Cat D - Would you ever touch one?

[Jonny F]

Are there any circumstances where one might consider a 997 that has been writen off and then put back together. Head says one thing....heart says another!

[Paza3]

Mmm I've had a couple of Cat's in the past a few bmw's, but I think I would never consider a Porsche that's been written off to much stigma attached i reckon .... unless maybe if its been rebuilt by a Porsche approved bodyshop with invoices / confirmation lets say. You would have complete confidence it been done to the correctly and then 25-35% below market price... maybe consider it then... but lets be honest it not going to end up at a OPC approved bodyshop due to the cost I would assume, so therefore steer clear I reckon.

[s_mcneil]

On a cooking 911 the choice is so varied that I wouldn't. On a rarer or collectors 911 I would and did. Obviously do all your homework etc etc...

[belfry]

It all depends on the type of original damage and the quality of the repair.

I have bought a cat d Porsche but it has been through 10 MOTs without any issues except brake light bulbs or worn rear tyres. I would want to see the photographic proof of the initial damage.

With the exorbitant claims for care hire etc, etc after an accident it is possible to have a hire car bill of several thousand pounds which can make the insurance company favor writing the car off with only minor damage.

If you are confident about the extent of the damage and the quality of the repair then this can be a cheap way to drive a
porsche. However, it will also be worth less when you come to sell it.

[mollytherocker]

Jonny F said:

Are there any circumstances where one might consider a 997 that has been writen off and then put back together. Head says one thing....heart says another!

Specifically a 997, no. There are plenty of decent ones available at reasonable cost.

[belfry]

But I don't think that I would buy a Cat C Porsche as some structural damage would have taken place.

[Pistom]

You really shouldn't generalise but with any cat C/D purchase history is even more important. It also has to be cheap enough to reflect the damaged status.

[aka_kerrly]

If I knew exactly what damage occurred and how it was fixed then yes I would buy one.

Do remember that a car doesn't have to have been crashed in order to be subject to an insurance claim, damage could be purely cosmetic eg battery acid/paint stripper attacks where fresh paint would resolve the issue, the car could have been broken into and had the interior stolen. Those are just two examples.

Also consider that car parts are expensive these days so an insurer may have written off a vehicle because it is uneconomical to repair using brand new Porsche parts where as someone else will be more than happy to repair the car to a high standard using for example a salvage wing/door that cost a fraction of the price.

[KPE]

I think I saw a 981 Boxster with £8k off the normal price because it is a Cat D. Apparently, the driver knocked the rear bumper.....that was it. So if it allows you to buy a 981 that you previously thougt was out of budget then maybe but remember when it comes to trade in time, then you'll get less and maybe harder to shift but everything sells if the price is right. The key here is whether you need to discount it by more than the £8k in this example in order to re-sell.
What about if someone had a accident in a Cat D car? I'm guessing the insurer will take this into consideration in an event of a claim.

[Thermonuclear]

I very much doubt a rear bumper on its own would cause a cat d record.

For what it's worth there are loads of cars out there badly badly crashed and then repaired that don't show on any hpi check as they were repaired privately rather than using insurance. Eg: track days, 3rd party insurance only etc etc

[mollytherocker]

Thermonuclear said:

I very much doubt a rear bumper on its own would cause a cat d record.

For what it's worth there are loads of cars out there badly badly crashed and then repaired that don't show on any hpi check as they were repaired privately rather than using insurance. Eg: track days, 3rd party insurance only etc etc

Its the standard advert text - 'sadly a cat d but only had lights and bumpers.'

Er, ok, I believe you...

[Cheburator mk2]

So, according to this topic all LHD 964RSs that are fetching north of £50k in the UK are straight and perfect... And so are all the E30 M3s... And the 996 GT3s and 2s... No 997 GT3/2 has ever been bent... As a matter of fact, a 2.7RS is worth nothing, unless the car still carries the original factory paint protection...

[mollytherocker]

Cheburator mk2 said:

So, according to this topic all LHD 964RSs that are fetching north of £50k in the UK are straight and perfect... And so are all the E30 M3s... And the 996 GT3s and 2s... No 997 GT3/2 has ever been bent... As a matter of fact, a 2.7RS is worth nothing, unless the car still carries the original factory paint protection...

Nope, nobody said that at all. We are talking about a 997.

A 964RS is a totally different consideration due to its rarity, value and historic usage.

[monthefish]

Paza3 said:

I would never consider a Porsche that's been written off to much stigma attached i reckon ....

What 'stigma'?

[Pistom]

monthefish said:

What 'stigma'?

I think what he's trying to say is that a Porsche buyer expects things just right. A cat D has connotations of being repaired in some back street garage.

A well repaired cat D can be a good buy if you plan on keeping it forever or it allows you to own a better condition car than you could have for the same money.

Does anyone remember Wrecks to Riches?

The biggest issue is knowing how well it has been repaired. Some are repaired well, some are done badly. The same is true with a none cat car though but you still end up with "stigma".

[BertBert]

monthefish said:

What 'stigma'?

I think that when you come to sell your Cat D you really get to understand what "stigma" means. I had a fantastic Cat D Caterham that had been re-chassied with a fully documented and photo'd build. It was far better than the original would have been as it had a brand new shiny chassis. But what a PITA to sell.

I'd still do it again though if the history and price was right.

BErt

[red_slr]

Nope.

[squirejo]

It's a really difficult question when one considers restoration of early cars and their value when done properly. Physically and structurally much can be done, but more modern cars, with their clever energy absorbing zones and mixed materials are perhaps very specialist.

For me, no, the stigma affects not just value but ability to sell (liquidity) and unless you were the repairer/ bill payer you would never really be 100% confident in the cars integrity and safety.