Advice on Cat D car

Aretnap

altin wrote: »

To clarify: I was told the vehicle had Cat D (twice) "cosmetic" issues (bump and scratches)....but NOTHING about accident or insurance write-offs.

Sorry... You knew that it was Cat D, but not that it had been written off? What did you think Cat D meant?

(I see Netwizard types faster than me)

forgotmyname

They informed you of the vehicles history then. Trim panels go missing at service time. So it may not be the result of an accident.

If you were unsure what cat D meant you should have walked away or got the vehicle inspected.

If you dont know what your buying then get an inspection.

StrugglingApprentice

If you knew it was a cat D then your options are very limited.
If he informed you, and you didnt ask for details, he doesnt have to provide you with them.

I was going to say that if you bought the vehicle through finance or on a credit card, get in contact with the finance company and make them aware of the situation. They have an interest to make sure youre happy with it, because a happy customer pays.

altin_2

Well....I can see on what mess I put myself into....all for failing to do a little search.
The dealer agreed to repair all problems free of costs, so probably this may be a better option for me now, instead of going through Trading Standards and thinking to get my money back.
Thanks again

AdrianC

forgotmyname wrote: »

CAT D on a 2012 car would have been a fair bit of damage. Possibly lots of panels with faily minor damage. Or a fairly major accident but not serious enough to say the vehicle is unsafe.

I think the important bit _might_ be where the OP says it was a "new 2012" car. I might be wrong, but I'm interpreting that as saying it had sat around unregistered until now. So it was damaged before being registered.

Cat D means it was damaged but NOT beyond the pre-accident value of the vehicle. Enough, however, to make it not be conventionally retailable in this case.

So that might be really serious, or it might very easily be the sort of thing which - if it'd already been registered and sold - you would never know from the paperwork.

Either way, I'm not sure it makes much difference. I'll agree that it sounds as if it's not been terribly well repaired - but the dealer have agreed to rectify, so that's their SOGA obligation met.

If it comes to claiming mis-selling, and the OP was indeed made aware of the CatD flag, but "didn't understand" - and didn't get clarification then independent examination - sorry, but I'm not sure I see him with much of a leg to stand on.

Netwizard

What car is it and how much did you pay? CAT D's should be much cheaper than none CAT D cars

altin_2

Hi. Sorry for wrong wording... It's a 2012 Corsa, with 14K on the clock. Paid £4995.

Netwizard

Having had a very quick look on Autotrader at similar cars, it seems the car cost you about £1k less than none CAT D cars. Sounds about right to me.

The thing with CAT D cars is they cost you less to buy, but you also get less when you sell it on. Swings and roundabouts. No big deal really.

The issues you describe don't sound like a "massive accident", more a small front end bump. I don't think there is much you can do about the dealer, after all, he did say it was a CAT D.

Would you be happy with the car if you got these issues sorted? Lose battery, headlamps lose, engine fan lose, are all pretty simple fixes. Sounds like this would be the best thing to do. Maybe get a mechanic friend / local garage to sort it if you can't If you can get it fixed for a few hundred quid, I'd do that.

altin_2

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions.

Would you be happy with the car if you got these issues sorted?

Judging how I put myself into this situation, I may be happy.
But seeing the bigger picture:

• From my understanding I lost manufacturer's warranty
• The issues may not be sorted to the standards (do I have any ground to ask for some kind of a MOT...I know car doesn't need one yet)
• Read on CAB that "If the car was a write off and hasn't been properly repaired, the dealer may have committed a criminal offence".
• I sent the car for inspection at a Now / Vauxhall repair center, and is them who pointed to me the issues, so it hasn't been properly repaired.

God. Car buying shouldn't be so stressful..

AdrianC

altin wrote: »

But seeing the bigger picture:
* From my understanding I lost manufacturer's warranty

I don't see why - the repairs should have been done to a standard consistent with retaining the warranty, certainly. Ask a main dealer.

* The issues may not be sorted to the standards (do I have any ground to ask for some kind of a MOT...I know car doesn't need one yet)

Just take it in, anywhere, for an MOT. No problem at all. The fact it doesn't _need_ one doesn't mean it can't have one. But, equally, don't expect it to flag up all the issues there may be. Just the really egregious ones.

* Read on CAB that "If the car was a write off and hasn't been properly repaired, the dealer may have committed a criminal offence".

Nothing to do with it being a write-off, just the usual legal requirement for traders to conform to SOGA - which means selling only vehicles which are roadworthy and of "merchantable quality".

I sent the car for inspection at a Now / Vauxhall repair center, and is them who pointed to me the issues, so it hasn't been properly repaired.

But the place you bought it from have already agreed to fix them. That's their legal obligation under SOGA. If they repeatedly fail to do so, then you can reject it. Not before.

God. Car buying shouldn't be so stressful..

Golden rule number one - and it's not even necessarily car-related... If you think something's a bargain, FIND OUT WHY. The dealer was honest with you as to the basic reason - this car has got a history. From there on in, it's down to you to satisfy yourself if it really is a bargain...