Buying car , Hpi report - C category

noname1_2

Hi, i have some big problems with buying car, first it was with disabled road tax that he told me i can drive with it after buying car ( topic is in disablity section because i cant give link from here)

Now before tomorrow's purchase i made HPI report ( i did some sms earlier and had info that car is clear) and HPI told me that car has Vehicle C category , that it was extremely damaged but repairable but insurance didint repair it.

Guy is telling me that it was on the previous Private plate because it has one and the previous owner had accident and his car is 100 % clear. Today he is supposed to give me v5c and vin numbers to check everything with HPI.

However i remember checking in service history that at one point there was changed vin number and rewritten in history book, that would be in about moment that actual accident could have been.

Anyone know how easily solve it or could he be telling true? it smells like a big cheat though, but i still paied 5 % in advance as a deposit so if there would be some mess maybe there is an option to get it back. HPI told me that once i give those numbers they can make investigation withing few days and check it.

Please help me with it and thanks in advance

InsideInsurance

To the best of my knowledge you cannot change the VIN for a car

TrickyWicky

Actually you kind of can. If the car has serious damage and its repaired with parts from another car (that are marked with a different VIN) then under some circumstances the car can inherit that new VIN instead - as long as it car can be verified as being the old one.

Some cars like Renaults have their VIN on the drivers wing. Imagine being in a head on collision that wrecks that part of the car but the car can be repaired. New or second hand wing / chassis parts aren't going to come marked up with your own VIN but may well carry the VIN of another car. As long as you can genuinely prove to VOSA what has happened and what parts were replaced (and from what source) they will accept it at the VIC check (there is even a section on the VIC form for you to fill in and explain any changes like this to them).

Personally I wouldn't touch a car thats had major chassis / structural repair after a prang as you never know if its really up to the right standard but if it was a Cat C that was purely cosmetic (eg grille, headlights, bumper were smashed up etc) then I wouldn't worry.

noname1_2

Its Mercedes CLK and guy says that the previous owner of Private plate had accident , not on this one. In HPI report i get :

Condition alert VRM recorded by insurers as a 'total loss'
Condition inspected VRM and VIN not recorded as a repaired insurance 'total loss'

Could it be right that the private plate owner in past had accident ? Would it be on the same model of car ?

noname1_2

I updated those VIN numbers in report but nothing changed much , got to check vosa for MOT's now

spacey2012

The main problems arise if the car is in another bump.
The crush zone can be weakened by the first impact, so if it happens again, you dont have the full strength of the car to rely on.
Not the sort of thing you want your kids sitting in.

noname1_2

can i paste results from Vosa for full history MOTS or no?

cb1979

I would walk away and buy a straight one, otherwise when you go to sell it it will be an older cat C, Plenty of others out there

noname1_2

HPI told me that it was on the previous owner of private plate and that car is clear so i think he was telling truth , or could he do sth that everyone could think that ?

noname1_2

So even if i put private plate off its gonna stay in the history that sth with it was for Category C or sth ?

noname1_2

Can i buy it and move without any costs to original plate ? Would it stay in history then ?What you guy suggest on this, if everything looks fine should i buy it or get rid of it and lose 200 pounds deposit