535d M Sport Touring - Cat D
Discussion
Looking for a smart estate and this has just cropped up:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2266735.htm
It is Cat D but the previous owner had no idea apparently - the dealer obviously altered the deal on the part ex and has now put it up for sale. There is a pile of bills from 2005 which list the names of the BMW Dealers that did the servicing so it may be able to check to verify servicing and mileage.
I plan to keep it and run it for 5+ years so not worried about the resale aspect - what does he PH might think about this as a potential new car?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2266735.htm
It is Cat D but the previous owner had no idea apparently - the dealer obviously altered the deal on the part ex and has now put it up for sale. There is a pile of bills from 2005 which list the names of the BMW Dealers that did the servicing so it may be able to check to verify servicing and mileage.
I plan to keep it and run it for 5+ years so not worried about the resale aspect - what does he PH might think about this as a potential new car?
Check the electrics and get an inspection - chances are its fine (its a dealer so should be straight and you do have legal recourse). Also get one of those vehicle checks to see what the CAT D was / is. Be honest (as the dealer is being honest) and see what is going on. It is cheap, but I guess this is reflected because of the CAT D.
The dealer did say that he would happily pass over the details of the BMW dealers that did the servicing and let me have it to ring them. He also said that the HPI check they did revealed the Cat D status but the owner had no idea so he must have bought it not knowing (or is just not telling!).
Would be an amazing car to have though!
Would be an amazing car to have though!
It's probably worth doing the background and agreeing the deal subject to an independent inspection, preferably at a BMW dealer if the costs aren't too high.
That way you know the cars good and it'll be worth it if you need to sell. Obviously that costs a few hundred but it'll help greatly with resale - even five years on, and you'll KNOW it's all fine
That way you know the cars good and it'll be worth it if you need to sell. Obviously that costs a few hundred but it'll help greatly with resale - even five years on, and you'll KNOW it's all fine
I'd imagine it must have had a fair amount of damage to write off a car worth as much as that would have been if the damage was under the owner before last.
The only thing I'd be slightly concerned of, would be if there was serious chassis damage that hasn't been repaired as strongly as it used to be. For example, if a side impact wiped out the sill and it was welded back up badly, it might fold up in an accident.
I'd certainly want to know what happened to it and what work was done during the repair.
The only thing I'd be slightly concerned of, would be if there was serious chassis damage that hasn't been repaired as strongly as it used to be. For example, if a side impact wiped out the sill and it was welded back up badly, it might fold up in an accident.
I'd certainly want to know what happened to it and what work was done during the repair.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 2nd December 11:39
Its great value at that price, nothing wrong with cat D car provided its been repaired properly (unless you are an expert its well worth having it checked thoroughly).
If its been repaired by BMW you wont be able to spot the repairs, if its been done cheaply you probably will, it might still be ok though (you might find things like broken clips, cracked plastic undertrays that were re-usable if its been done cheaply, that wouldnt put me off if it drives straight and everything works no warning lights etc).
If you can see marks under the paint and any panels dont align correctly walk away. Likewise if not driving as it should not worth getting involved.
If its been repaired by BMW you wont be able to spot the repairs, if its been done cheaply you probably will, it might still be ok though (you might find things like broken clips, cracked plastic undertrays that were re-usable if its been done cheaply, that wouldnt put me off if it drives straight and everything works no warning lights etc).
If you can see marks under the paint and any panels dont align correctly walk away. Likewise if not driving as it should not worth getting involved.
kambites said:
I'd imagine it must have had a fair amount of damage to write off a car worth as much as that would have been if the damage was under the owner before last.
Not neccesarily, I know a load of brand spanking new BMW's that got sold as Cat D, the reason was fire damage - the cars were in the showroom while the workshop caught on fire, the fire damage was nothing more than smoke/ash damage....If my memory serves me right, one of these cars, a Z4M sold for £30-35k brand new on ebay
Tuvra said:
kambites said:
I'd imagine it must have had a fair amount of damage to write off a car worth as much as that would have been if the damage was under the owner before last.
Not neccesarily, I know a load of brand spanking new BMW's that got sold as Cat D, the reason was fire damage - the cars were in the showroom while the workshop caught on fire, the fire damage was nothing more than smoke/ash damage....If my memory serves me right, one of these cars, a Z4M sold for £30-35k brand new on ebay
junglie said:
I am hoping for an email back shortly so I can do some investigations. The last owner has used it for 3 years and did not even know so maybe it was something minor that caused the Cat D?
The longer ago the accident was, the worse the damage must have been to write it off...PedantLosesGrip said:
A friend bought a BMW 535d saloon that was cat d.
Reason for the write off was some scrote took a chisel to most of the panels which warranted their replacement. He bought it and with a good indy, replaced them all. No chassis or engine damage, just fully replaced panels.
Wow I bet that was costly if new parts were used Reason for the write off was some scrote took a chisel to most of the panels which warranted their replacement. He bought it and with a good indy, replaced them all. No chassis or engine damage, just fully replaced panels.
I replaced the bonnet on a CLS and that cost £2k fitted!
Tuvra said:
PedantLosesGrip said:
A friend bought a BMW 535d saloon that was cat d.
Reason for the write off was some scrote took a chisel to most of the panels which warranted their replacement. He bought it and with a good indy, replaced them all. No chassis or engine damage, just fully replaced panels.
Wow I bet that was costly if new parts were used Reason for the write off was some scrote took a chisel to most of the panels which warranted their replacement. He bought it and with a good indy, replaced them all. No chassis or engine damage, just fully replaced panels.
I replaced the bonnet on a CLS and that cost £2k fitted!
Earliest it can be done is 6 Dec 10 which is annoying as, if everything comes back alright, then I have a 6 hour train ride to pick it up - passing the door (almost) this weekend and I am tempted to just buy it. However, this may be just the excitement of a new purchase rather than the thinking man's option.
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