CAT C BEWARE

[sg27]

Contacted the seller of this on eBay, asked a few questions to be told that the van is ok, nothing majorly wrong, just the odd bump and scrape. It's actually a Cat C write-off, so beware!

HN05 CWY

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130942051883

[evdama]

It flipped over!

[ffrenchie]

Nothing wrong with cat C as long as it's been repaired and VIC checked and is not expensive. If you are buying to make a profit on it stay clear but as a runner to keep it's no problem. Examine it closely and take a test to see if it drives alright.

[Gadgetman]

A Cat C as I understand it is a car that has suffered enough damage that the insurance company considers it too expensive to repair.

For an older car, that could just mean banged up quarterpanels, maybe a cracked window or two. For a newer car, it usually means more and harder damage.

This is a 2005, 2.0HDi... What's the typical list price for that car?

Personally, I'd feel very uneasy about this car, especially as the seller writes:
---
Van does have the odd couple of dings n scrapes but nothing serious
---
A Cat C writeoff is 'nothing serious'?

If he had written that it was a Cat C, and was willing to show papers as to why it was a writeoff so that it could be checked to see that it had been properly repaired, that would have been another thing.

[sg27]

The vehicle check showed it was a Cat C in April 2008 and that there's no record of a VIC check since (so it could even be a cut and shut).

[evdama]

Its a difficult one this,given that ebay has such a solid reputation of hosting quality goods........:whistle:

[addo]

One reason for insurance companies to declare repairs as "uneconomic" is they are then excused from having to supervise and warrant repair work.

Also, I'd suggest most declarations of uneconomic repair are uncontested, so if your assessor/adjuster is having a bad hair day, everything gets a line through it. Pressure from an owner to write off a vehicle may also factor into the situation.

There is nothing wrong with a "cut and shut" so long as it's correctly done - guides such as those once published by Thatchams made safe repairs a matter of following the instructions thoroughly.

I do have an issue with non-disclosure however.

[demag]

I thought I read somewhere it's illegal for the seller not to declare cat c when selling it on. So if someone on ebay bought it without that info being disclosed it could be seen as fraud or something similar.

[mikep1973]

A Cat C writeoff is 'nothing serious'?

If he had written that it was a Cat C, and was willing to show papers as to why it was a writeoff so that it could be checked to see that it had been properly repaired, that would have been another thing.

Cat C doesn't automatically mean it's anything serious. A Xantia I bought some time ago had been Cat-C'd from.... of all things, a collision with badger which did awful damage to the underside of the car. Hard little sods.

Got a friend with a Cat-B write-off Toyota Corolla, and despite going over it with a fine-tooth comb, and getting the mechanic from the racing team he works with to look it over, other than it needing a set of locks, there's absolutely nothing untoward about it.

[brad22000]

personally I would always view a vehicle before buying. if you know where to look its easy to tell if a vehicles been in a bump. remember that a vehicle could have had a bump and repaired by the owner without being recorded at all. I bought a bmw knowing it was a cat c a few years back, the repair was a1 but because it was a cat c I paid 2k less. there are bargains to be had!