"cat n, advisory", what does it mean? 7 September 2022 at 9:30PM in Motoring 7 replies 492 views

Andrea15

Hi there,

I am looking to buy a small second car and looking at second hand dealers I have come across this expression, "cat n, advisory". 
I understand that "Cat n" means it was a write off for non structural damage, but what does "advisory" mean? I have googled it, but no joy....

I hate buying cars... I just can't be bothered and I know nothing about them, except that they take you from A to B and when it is MOT time you cry. Anyway, I am looking for something below 4K, small and with cheap road tax and cheap to run (not to be used for long distances), so any advice is welcome.

angrycrow

It just means it has been written off as a cat n non structural. Ignore the word advisory it has no relevance. It should be priced at least 25% less than an equivalent non write off.

There can be bargains to be had but you really do need to know what you are looking at. Non structural part of the cat n refers to only bolt on sections and cosmetic body work. Cat n can include quite extensive damage including suspension and sub frames. You need to be able to check for yourself that the car has been properly repaired. 

I would suggest you give this one a miss. 

Andrea15

Thanks for the explanation.
But what does "advisory" mean, then? From what you say it is equivalent to an"tick" (as in there is a tick next to "cat n").
In any case, as I would not be able to understand whether the repairs have been done well or not, there isn't much to be done. I take it I shouldn't be swayed by the fact that it has an MOT or a warranty. 

Ectophile

It means that they are advising you that the car is a Cat N.

They aren't saying "don't buy this car under any circumstances".  But they think it's something you ought to know about.

Andrea15

So, it is indeed like a "tick", it doesn't have a literal meaning and there is no alternative (liek "advisory" and "confirmed" or something like that)

motorguy

Andrea15 said:

So, it is indeed like a "tick", it doesn't have a literal meaning and there is no alternative (liek "advisory" and "confirmed" or something like that)

Correct. 

lordmountararat

It means they can wash their hands of you when it falls apart because you were advised that it was cat n. They didn't try to hide it.

Richard53

The advisory is there because the dealer has to include it in the description by law. Cat N can cover a lot of scenarios, but bear in mind with a low-value car that a simple bent bumper can take it over the 'uneconomic to repair' threshold, when you take into account all the other costs surrounding an insurance claim, so a Cat N *could* be merely cosmetic. I'd want to know what the Cat N was for and give the car a good inspection following, but it wouldn't automatically put me off. As far as I know, the write-off marker stays with the car for life, though, so the resale price down the line will be less. You'd need to be sure you were paying less for the car in the first place. 25% seems about right.