Cat D Car

iltisman

I prefer pre-dented cars it means I can just laugh off supermarket dings etc.

AdrianC

prowla wrote: »

To be clear, Cat C & Cat D are deemed to be repairable.

Indeed. It's just a matter of how the insurer has shuffled the paperwork, and the way in which the numbers have added up.

motorguy

prowla wrote: »

To be clear, Cat C & Cat D are deemed to be repairable.

Indeed. And i dont think anyone is saying otherwise.

Its how well its repaired that you'll never know - particularly from some unscrupulous trader masquerading as a private seller.

AdrianC

motorguy wrote: »

Its how well its repaired that you'll never know - particularly from some unscrupulous trader masquerading as a private seller.

Whereas with an unrecorded car, you can have confidence that...

Oh, wait a sec.

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

Whereas with an unrecorded car, you can have confidence that...

Oh, wait a sec.

That old chestnut - "some cars have accidents that arent recorded therefore you'd be as well just put your head in the lions mouth and buy salvage thats been put back on the road as cheaply as possible"

Yes, that stacks up....

:rolleyes:

Statistically, the odds of buying a car from a reputable source thats had a botched major repair is probably 1 in a thousand.

I'd say the odds of buying a car thats been a Cat C or D salvage, put back on the road with the aim of making as much profit as possible and THAT having a botched repair or significant corners cut is probably 50/50.

Yes, if you're repairing something yourself with a view to doing it right and driving the car then no probs. But to buy something someone else has repaired when you've no idea what has been done to the car? :eek:

AdrianC

motorguy wrote: »

That old chestnut - "some cars have accidents that arent recorded therefore you'd be as well just put your head in the lions mouth and buy salvage thats been put back on the road as cheaply as possible"

Yes, that stacks up...

Not quite what I'm saying...

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

Not quite what I'm saying...

So what you saying? Theres no point buying a perceived "straight" car as it may have been wrecked and badly repaired anyway, so you may as well buy a wrecked and badly repaired one instead?

No?

AdrianC

motorguy wrote: »

So what you saying? Theres no point buying a perceived "straight" car as it may have been wrecked and badly repaired anyway, so you may as well buy a wrecked and badly repaired one instead?

No?

No.

I'm saying don't just go by the paperwork, and use your eyes...

If it really is a bodged heap, then it'll be fairly bloody obvious. No matter what the paperwork says.

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

No.

I'm saying don't just go by the paperwork, and use your eyes...

If it really is a bodged heap, then it'll be fairly bloody obvious. No matter what the paperwork says.

An awful lot can be covered up by some fresh paint and a valet.

And very often for not a big amount of a saving - bearing in mind you will return less come resale time.

And - as per the original advert - very often sold by traders who are masquerading as private sellers and are trying to hide the cars past.

Joe_Horner

motorguy wrote: »

Yes, absolutely. But lets not pretend that all these Cat D cars that are on gumtree / autotrader / eby and usually being sold by unscrupulous traders masquerading as private sellers all just happened to need "a bumper and a wing".

That wasn't the impression I meant to give. My point was simply that, unlike a cat C where the market value gives at least some idea of how severe the damage might have been, with a cat D there's simply no way to know - it could be as the photos you posted or it could be a no damage, stolen with keys from a burglary.

If you're not confident / competent / don't have the chance to judge the condition yourself then they're best avoided unless you have someone else to assess them for you - although strictly speaking that holds true of any car purchase! But the whole "don't touch with a barge pole no matter what" attitude which seems so popular around here sometimes is simply wrong!