Bought a car cat s but didnt know when purchased

samnorth83

Bought a car 09/2019 and recently decided to sell it and found out it was a cat s.  It's a bit different to the normal situation where it was bough with out a hpi check.  The car was wrote of 08/2018 and then repaired and the dealer bought the car also unknowingly that it was a cat s because the database that hpi experian etc use wasnt updated until 12/2019 after I purchased the car.  Even car auction place didnt know they were selling a cat s car to the dealer.  So I'm at a loss now because obviously the car is worth less.  The log book doesnt state it's a cat s either because again this came back before the data base was updated.  So I dont know were I stand as I've bought a car not as described.  I have found stories online of cars slipping through because the data base has taken over a year to update. Anyone had a situation like this.

AdrianC

You bought the car.
At the time it was not a categorised write-off.
Dealers cannot be expected to be psychic.

The big question here is how it wasn't written off on paper until 16 months after it was apparently written off in reality, 4 months after you bought it - yet it was released for salvage sale.

samnorth83

Yeah I know me or the dealer have done nothing wrong but it's a weird one.  It could be the insurance company havent updated the miaftr data base but I cant believe I'm the only person this has happened too

samnorth83

you can see the dates at the bottom left of screen 

Penelopa.Pitstop

So we can assume it was insurance company or database owner fault? But can you prove loss of value and sue insurance company?

Jumblebumble

samnorth83 said:

Bought a car 09/2019 and recently decided to sell it and found out it was a cat s.  It's a bit different to the normal situation where it was bough with out a hpi check.  The car was wrote of 08/2018 and then repaired and the dealer bought the car also unknowingly that it was a cat s because the database that hpi experian etc use wasnt updated until 12/2019 after I purchased the car.  Even car auction place didnt know they were selling a cat s car to the dealer.  So I'm at a loss now because obviously the car is worth less.  The log book doesnt state it's a cat s either because again this came back before the data base was updated.  So I dont know were I stand as I've bought a car not as described.  I have found stories online of cars slipping through because the data base has taken over a year to update. Anyone had a situation like this.

3 MOT Tests in the same year might have raised some eyebrows
I doubt that you will find out who is at fault and imagine will be unsuccessful in taking any action against anyone as they will all blame someone else

facade

MIAFTR is notorious for slow updates, occasionally the various journos huff & puff about the "scandal", but it is a voluntary thing anyway, and some insurers are not subscribers.

https://www.carveto.co.uk/blog/write-off-scam/

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/106336/exclusive-the-great-british-car-insurance-write-off-scandal-insurers-work-with-dvla

As to what you can do about it, there doesn't seem a lot. Assuming the repair is to adequate standards (it must be or the dealer would have spotted it before they bought it), you have simply bought an overpriced car. The dealer did not attempt to deceive you.

http://www.lawgistics.co.uk/legal-update/1264

What I would do, apart from gnash teeth, is get hold of the salvage auction history, and find out what the damage was, 500 Abarths are very often stolen, and seem to go through the salvage auctions as CAT-S when they repair with a couple of panels and/or the odd suspension arm. (Plenty of examples on youtube, you might even find yours)

Someone like vcheck.uk will search salvage auction history for £3. 

You are either stuck with it for a few more years, or will have to ask less for it to get rid, having the salvage pictures might help with the sale, or put your mind at rest driving it.

A bit late now, but 5 former keepers of a 4 year old hot hatch should raise warning flags.