Question about Cat C cars.

[Xt500]

I once enquired about a car which was a Cat 'C' repair (it was at a garage)....The fella was quite upfront about what it was, the level of damage etc...He even showed me the original damaged part. So I checked on the internet, and the more I looked into it, the more confusing it seemed to be. There were all sorts of conflicting things said about Cat C cars...and all sorts...ranging from don't touch it with a bargepole to it's fine, I've had one for years and no problems at all. Eventually I decided against it, as it was a bit of a minefield (in my view).....BUT...Had I gone ahead with it, I wouldn't have dreamed of not telling the insurance company.

 

Its not a minefield but everyone has their own opinions.The ones that know the least are the ones most likely to spout dont touch it.

As with any car it needs looking at properly and judging from that.There is plenty of well repaired cars,wether thats one only you can decide.

[willman]

You can get an 05 MGTF with a busted headlight and bumper and it be written off - the definitions are pointless.

The cost of the new parts(if you can get them) in the case above prohibit its repair not the severity of mechanical damage.

[Xt500]

And you can get a car with no damage at all.The owner may have refused it back after its been romped about.

[willman]

And you can get a car with no damage at all.The owner may have refused it back after its been romped about.

 

Exactly,it's all about perception of risk.

If people don't know whet they're doing leave it alone.

[geared]

The date it was written off will tell you a fair bit tho.

 

Last car I looked at was Cat-C, it was written off as cat-C when it was just under 2 years old, and it wasn't recorded lost/stolen so I figured it'd had a fair old shunt.

[Waldo]

Thanks for the advice all. I would have thought a cars status (cat a,b,c or d) would be linked to it's reg number somewhere on a database that all the insurance companies have access to?

 

Anyhow, yes, for the sake of peace of mind, I think it's probably wise to discuss with the insurer.

 

Also, was considering getting a cat c car that has been repaired and vosa checked (I think they just check it's identity, and not the quality of repairs or safety of the car etc). So yeah, need to be pretty sure any repairs have been done to a good safe standard. Possibly get a rac or aa vehicle inspection...

[mc55]

when my car was written off I had the the option to purchase the car and get it VOSA certified, but was warned that getting insurance for the car would always be difficult - there wasn't a satisfactory explanation for why tho.

[geared]

there wasn't a satisfactory explanation for why tho.

 

because insurance companies will use any excuse to rip people off??

 

"oh look, it's a Wednesday - double premiums all around"

[Xt500]

when my car was written off I had the the option to purchase the car and get it VOSA certified, but was warned that getting insurance for the car would always be difficult - there wasn't a satisfactory explanation for why tho.

 

there wouldnt be cos they were talking out of their rear.

[littlebasher]

there wouldnt be cos they were talking out of their rear.

 

No

 

I mentioned above that Swift never used to cover Cat C / D cars, that's because i had first hand experience of having cover refused. Same story with Axa.

 

Another insurer (i forget which) would only do so if i had an engineers report done.

 

How are they to know the extent of the damage, yeah a car could be classed as Cat C for a scratched bumper but so could a car that's been squashed to a third of it's length by a truck. Either way, the risk is therefore greater and they can choose to decline cover or load the premium.

 

Here's a crappy internet article as well

 

http://www.confused.com/car-insurance/articles/the-risks-of-buying-a-car-that-is-a-write-off

 

http://www.quoterack.co.uk/Category-C-D-Write-off-Insurance.aspx

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/legal-advice/code-of-practice-vehicle-salvage.html

 

etc

 

 

To balance the above, i've had no issues insuring either a Cat C and a Cat D elsewhere and at no additional premium. But saying it isn't going to be an issue, you're wrong.