Category D

[jimgallaher]

ive been looking round for an everyday drive mainly to keep the mileage down on the zed. I,ve seen a cracking little ST Fiesta for a really good price, only problem it's had an insurance claim, category D. What does this mean in real terms ? The ad says it had slight panel damage which has been repaired professionally, but being a sceptic I'm always suspicious.. I'd appreciate any views or opinions regarding cat D .

Cheers

[mattbowey]

as far as i am aware cat d is the lowest category for damaged cars. just go have a look at it, if the work looks ok then go for it. i think my car (not my zed, havent got a new one yet) was a cat d repair and i know my bros car is.

 

nothing wrong with either of them as run arounds.

[rtbiscuit]

as long as the work was done well then i wouldn't worry

[Sarnie]

Ensure you pay around 25% less than market value and expect the same when you come to sell it........

[ace]

Nothing wrong with a CatD if you HPI the vehicle it will come up when the vehicle was repaired but remember it will be harder to sell when you want to get rid of it whenever I have looked at buying cars I never even bother to read insurance Cat vehicles I streer clear.

Just me

[dyla350z]

I've owned cat d & c repaired & repairable motors , repaired 1's go for 20-40% cheaper ,you must get them checked out before you buy but imo they are great value , cat D can be anything from keys missing to panel damage , yes re=sale is cheaper but so is buying.

[gurdeep]

I'd say make sure you get a copy of the repairs done - often the repairs will be covered for a couple of years so you mite be covered.......

[zxalex]

cat Cs are recorded on the v5 as far as i'm aware cat Ds are NOT.

[leonk]

Check if genuine panels have been used. With Fords there's a Ford logo stamped into them. St's are notorious for damage to front subframes, wishbones and struts. Check suspension geometry. Check all panel gaps. Still Hpi it to make sure it is not on finance. Check airbag light comes on then goes off. Speak to previous owner if poss.

 

Hope that's a bit of help.

[shire350Z]

Cat C's also need an inspection before there allowed on the road again whereas Cat D's don't

[leonk]

As Shire says, but be aware that this is a Vehicle IDENTITY Check, to make sure it's not been "ringed" . i.e. you've not just "borrowed" another similar car and put your number plates on it!!. It is not to be taken as proof that the vehicle has been repaired to a high standard.

This said, it is always a good idea to check v.i.n. numbers are matching and not tampered with on any car you are buying from someone you don't know, be it any Cat. or even Hpi clear for that matter.

 

Zeds are great because they have a little tamper proof vin sticker on every main panel!! Easy to check if panels are original and all numbers match.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

[rabbitstew]

Very often there is nothing wrong at all with Cat D motors. I used to buy, repair and sell on accident damaged cars many years back. The main reason for Cat D cars is that the repairers which insurance companies use tend to seriously rip the insurance companies off.

 

As an example, my missus has a small prang in her car last year. She rolled into the back of someone at about 20mph. I priced up the replacement parts needed - bumper, radiator, 1 spotlight, and maybe a new bonnet if i couldnt repair the old one. Came to about £400 all in, including paint. But, because there was another car involved we went through the insurance company.

 

The Insurance company took the car to their repair shop and came back saying that her car was a boarder line write off!!!! But, they decided to repair it in the end and we got it back. I got a copy of the repair invoice from the bodyshop and they charged the insurance company £3200 for the work, and the car was only worth about £3750 or so.

 

Had the insurance company decided to write the car off, I would have bought it back, and for £400 got it repaired properly.

 

The key thing really if you buy an accident repaired car is to try and establish what was repaired / replaced and how badly damaged it was before the repair. Just because it was written off, it does not mean the car is dangerous or even been involved in a major serious accident.