Cat C / Cat D cars - why do we avoid them?

I bought a Cat C S14a that had been previously repaired. Nobody ever knew any different, insurance didnt cost any more, it was no different to any other 200SX. Saved me a load of dosh too :)
 
I don't in fact I have one/. For a commuter/run around car. I don't wont something to nice. I don't want to worry about get bumps or scrapes. I wont to be able to have a bit of fun and rant it and I don't want to look after it. I don't mind the fact the panels don't quite line up, or that the under tray is in about 8 pieces.
Got it for under 50% value.

Insurance don't care. If you want a run around and don't care about the looks. Then they are amazing.
 
Don't go near a car that has been flipped or rolled. Cat D is major crash damage, Cat C is major damage that is required to be 'professionally repaired' and go through a more 'intensive' MOT test to make sure that it is once again fit for the road. They classify the 2 under value also, so Cat D is not worth the cost of repairing and Cat C would cost more to repair than he car is actually worth.

Both should be fine if fixed properly, but the mindset is there so you will never recoup value on the car, if anything it will depreciate more than regular models.
 
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Cars can end up on Cat D for silly reasons, and will definitely end up Cat D if the insurance company has paid out for it and it's subsequently recovered. Suggesting that Cat D is automatically always "major crash damage" is quite simply wrong. :(
 
Rhyzz said:
Cat D is major crash damage, Cat C is major damage that is required to be 'professionally repaired' and go through a more 'intensive' MOT test to make sure that it is once again fit for the road.
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You got that wrong. But probably what general public think and why cat C/D cars are so cheap.

D - Repairable salvage. Minimal damage sometimes stolen and found after claim has been paid, or cost of repair combined with difficulty obtaining new parts to enable a swift repair.
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Basically un-economical to repair. For sub 1k cars this could be very very minor damage

C - Repairable salvage. Generally applies to older vehicles. Can be sold for repair but must now have VIC inspection.
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More substantial damage but again perfectly repairable. Needs an inspection.

Flipped cars will almost certainly be in
B - Not for resale. Damaged beyond economical repair and/or severe structural damage.
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As all the A pillars and other structural items will be squashed.
 
and the cat c after test is basically to check the vin etc still match up

but the fact the general public know not a lot about it is why there are so many bargains
 
I would (and have!) happily buy a Cat C/D writeoff. BUT only before it was repaired. It's the "not knowing" factor that worries people about these cars.
 
This seems as good a time as any to mention that I (unknowingly at the time) bought a cut-and-shut Astra GTE 2.0i 8v when I was 18 and had over 3 years trouble free motoring out of it.

Being young and stupid I never questioned why I had a 16v dash and white paint underneath the black topcoat. :o
 
Some people on here talking about cat D cars as if they have been FUBAR, ive seen cat D cars with a dent in the rear qtr pannel only.
 
I would consider buying one under the right conditions, if I knew how the car had been damaged and how it had been repaired and by who etc. I wouldn't consider some random cat c/d off Auto Trader or Ebay though.
 
The biggest thing is that they are worth less if you come to sell them, which many people forget. It also depends how good the repair job was as to how good the car now is.
 
Whats the deal with insurance companies? Do they charge a lot more on policies? or do some insurers not even accept CAT vehicals?
 
Friend of mine bought a catergory D Honda Blackbird a while back

It was 3 years old, with virtually no miles on, but the fairing was smashed to bits and it needed a headlight and some other bits.
He got the fairing plastic welded and sprayed for less than half the cost of a new fairing, and picked up the rest from ebay and the BMF and the like.

Took him a year as he did it as a hobby, but the bike looked like new when he finished and cost him less than half the price of an equivalent age undamaged bike.
 
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