Looking at / insuring a Cat S car?

k6chris

Looking at a Cat S car, which was repaired 18 months ago and has since been MOTed etc.  Owner made it clear it is a Cat S, damage to front end and side. I have seen the before pictures.  What are the questions I should be asking and are there likely to be any issues getting insurance?  Is it likely to be more expensive?

Thanks

AdrianC

Insurance probably won't be more, but any payout in the event of a write-off will be less (because it's worth less - and, presumably, you're paying less...)

S means Structural. I hope it's been repaired properly.

k6chris

AdrianC said:

S means Structural. I hope it's been repaired properly.

How should I check?  

BJV

Have to say I would not buy a Cat S.

Cars are made a the factory to precision. Anything structural can never be exactly the same. Can be close but factory conditions are different than having a retro repair. Not sure i would want me or mt family in it. Lots of other people feel the same as well, thats why  when you come to resell you will only get a fraction of the price you would expect for a none cat s car. 

AdrianC

k6chris said:

AdrianC said:

S means Structural. I hope it's been repaired properly.

How should I check? 

That's a bit of a "If you don't know how, this isn't for you" situation.

How bad was the front damage? It's eminently possible to jig it straight, and to replace sections that are too bent to straighten, and to do it absolutely properly. Equally, it's easy to just make things fit so it looks straight.

Remember, even with structural damage, the insurers would have repaired it if they thought the numbers made sense - and it wouldn't have been recorded at all.

EdGasketTheSecond

AdrianC said:

Remember, even with structural damage, the insurers would have repaired it if they thought the numbers made sense - and it wouldn't have been recorded at all.

Nah insurers write off cars because it suits them and their profit model. They will write-off a car if the repairs are only 70% of the car's value.

k6chris

AdrianC said:

k6chris said:

AdrianC said:

S means Structural. I hope it's been repaired properly.

How should I check? 

How bad was the front damage?

Salvage link below
https://www.uksalvage.info/lot/gANYDwAAADAyMjAwMjAyMTE0OTk5OXEALg==/#

AdrianC

EdGasketTheSecond said:

AdrianC said:

Remember, even with structural damage, the insurers would have repaired it if they thought the numbers made sense - and it wouldn't have been recorded at all.

Nah insurers write off cars because it suits them and their profit model. They will write-off a car if the repairs are only 70% of the car's value.

Yes, because there's a risk of the work expanding as dismantling starts and more damage is found - and because of the cost of hirecars etc. With that caveat taken into account, of course they write off if paying the value is cheaper than repairing. That's what a write-off is.

CatC/D used to be repair cost relative to value, C damage above value, D below. S/N takes that out of it, because it's irrelevant, and looks simply at whether it was structural/non-structural - but a car that's cheaper to repair than to write off will be repaired, and if it's repaired not written off, there's no write-off categorisation and no write-off record...

k6chris said:

AdrianC said:
How bad was the front damage? 

Salvage link below
https://www.uksalvage.info/lot/gANYDwAAADAyMjAwMjAyMTE0OTk5OXEALg==/#

Looks mostly panel, but given the location on the car, I'd guess they suspected front suspension mounting point damage. If you're seriously interested, get it to a good tyre place, and spend fifty quid on getting the wheel alignment checked. If that reads OK, then you're probably fine.

swaledale_one

How much is the seller wanting?

k6chris

swaledale_one said:

How much is the seller wanting?

Asking £2k

Aretnap

AdrianC said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

AdrianC said:

Remember, even with structural damage, the insurers would have repaired it if they thought the numbers made sense - and it wouldn't have been recorded at all.

Nah insurers write off cars because it suits them and their profit model. They will write-off a car if the repairs are only 70% of the car's value.

Yes, because there's a risk of the work expanding as dismantling starts and more damage is found - and because of the cost of hirecars etc. With that caveat taken into account, of course they write off if paying the value is cheaper than repairing. That's what a write-off is.

Plus the fact that the damaged car likely still has a salvage value. If the car was worth £10K, the repairs would cost £9K but the wreck has a salvage value of £2K then of course it's cheaper to write it off than repair it - even before you start worrying about the cost of hire cars and spiralling repair costs.