Buy a Cat D car - any advice

scheming_gypsy

deanos wrote: »

i would also get some insurance quotes apparently some company's wont touch them so could cost you more in insurance premiums

Swiftcover being the main one.

scaredofdebt

You have to judge each car on its merits.

You could buy a brand new BMW and have problems with it, the same is true of CAT D cars.

I bought a CAT D car for about half what I would have paid for non-CAT D and it served me well for four years, covering 110k miles in that time, I then scrapped it as uneconomic to repair.

I wouldn't buy a CAT D if I was going to sell it on though, too many sceptics about

They can be good value if you do your research.

scaredofdebt

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

you don't, but as far as I'm aware (and could be wrong), it won't be allowed back on the road if the structural integrity has been damaged.. so a cat D will be repairable and safe.

Correct - a CAT D has to be certified by VOSA to be allowed back onto the road after any repairs have been done.

Not all CAT Ds are damaged, some are stolen/recovered.

For the record my CAT D came with two keys.

paddedjohn

scaredofdebt wrote: »

Correct - a CAT D has to be certified by VOSA to be allowed back onto the road after any repairs have been done.

Not all CAT Ds are damaged, some are stolen/recovered.

For the record my CAT D came with two keys.

Ignore this, no checks are done by VOSA at all, anyone can repair a cat d without having their work checked.

Herzlos

scaredofdebt wrote: »

I bought a CAT D car for about half what I would have paid for non-CAT D and it served me well for four years, covering 110k miles in that time, I then scrapped it as uneconomic to repair.

I think that's one of the main points; a cat D makes sense if it's significantly cheaper than a non cat equivalent, and you run it into the ground. This example (suspect history and repair aside) isn't.

spacey2012

Thats why insurance companies pull towards cat D, the car has a much higher salvage price, they make more money.
Any car that has had a moderate bump will have some weakening of the shell, thats how they work, it may not be evidentially visible, but if one of your family were killed in a write off car that gets hit, would you be thinking if it had not had that bump before, would they still be alive ?
Not the best avenue for money saving when you can save money by cutting out the dealer and buying direct from an auction and have a undamaged repaired car.

Hintza

You also have to remember many cars that are Cat C equivalent or worse never make it on to the register so don't think if there is no mention of an insurance write off the car is clear.

AdrianC

paddedjohn wrote: »

Ignore this, no checks are done by VOSA at all, anyone can repair a cat d without having their work checked.

...and the check on a CatC is only to confirm the identity, not to certify the quality of work.

Horizon81

After reading this thread yesterday I spotted a Corsa in the car park the same colour as this one and the colour of the back bumper was equally a poor match to the body as the one in the autotrader advert above. Of course, it too could have had some work done, but I suspect it was the original bumper and it's just not the greatest match straight out of the factory.

I still wouldn't touch the one in this thread though!

londonTiger

I think a non cat d car will be just a little more expensive. IMO you should get a proper one, owning this will be grating eventually, so much work to do to get it in good condition.