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Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: aaronjb on 15 May 2012, 18:24:04

Title: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: aaronjb on 15 May 2012, 18:24:04
So, my own fault really but;

Put down a deposit on a car a couple of weeks ago - it's finally ready to pick up tomorrow after a little bodywork and MOT etc, and I suddenly realise I never did an HPI check..

Did one now and it was a CatD back in 2008 (it's a 1999 car) - dealer never mentioned it, and it's my own fault for not HPIing (at least via a text check) before going to look at it.

Remind me, does CatD have any future insurance implications?
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: RobG on 15 May 2012, 18:27:42
So, my own fault really but;

Put down a deposit on a car a couple of weeks ago - it's finally ready to pick up tomorrow after a little bodywork and MOT etc, and I suddenly realise I never did an HPI check..

Did one now and it was a CatD back in 2008 (it's a 1999 car) - dealer never mentioned it, and it's my own fault for not HPIing (at least via a text check) before going to look at it.

Remind me, does CatD have any future insurance implications?
Nope, plenty of companies will quote you
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: albitz on 15 May 2012, 18:27:58
Worth a lot less as a result. Dealer should have told you.I would be demanding my deposit back if I were you.
Not sure about ins. implications.
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: Martian on 15 May 2012, 18:29:42
Remind me, does CatD have any future insurance implications?
The only real implication where a Cat D is concerned is that you won't get full book money if you lose it.

For example, if it was worth £5K with a blemish free history and it was subsequently stolen or caught fire then you could expect to see an offer of £5K from the insurance.
A Cat D example however will be worth less (and hence cost you less than retail), so if it gets nicked or catches fire then don't expect to get the market value.
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: martin42 on 15 May 2012, 18:31:40
i would get deposit back,the trader must tell you it is a cat c/d and some insurance companies will refuse to insure a car that has been a cat c/d .
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: Martian on 15 May 2012, 18:33:31
Must type faster.

I'm with Albs, regardless of whether you are paying retail or discount, the dealer should have declared it because they don't buy anything until they HPI it themselves so they would have known.

If you are getting a serious discount and are happy then go for it, if you are paying retail then get your dipper back and go elsewhere.
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: Del Boy on 15 May 2012, 19:13:16
Get your money back.
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: Lazydocker on 15 May 2012, 19:14:35
Would I still buy it? Yes, if the price was right ;)

But, as others have said, the dealer should have declared it
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: aaronjb on 15 May 2012, 19:33:27
I suppose, looking at other cars on the market right now, there was a significant discount on the price (maybe £5-700, it was only a £3700 car and others with similar low mileage are £4200+).. and if I get my money back (not that I expect to get my deposit back, I don't have that much fight in me) I'll still lose out on insurance as I've already switched that over - since I was meant to be picking it up on Saturday - until it failed it's MOT on a brake switch.

So if I pull out I fully expect to end up some £650 out of pocket (£300 deposit + £300 to swap the insurance over + £65 short term insurance on the MR2 to sell it) .. I suppose at this point I should just go ahead anyway. I couldn't see the damage from 2008, that's for sure.

What a way to end a crappy day. Ignorance was bliss!
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: omegod on 15 May 2012, 20:41:16
Cat d is usually pretty light panel damage so I wouldn't worry too much, push the dealer for a couple of hundred off and a full tank of petrol. I did a Cat C 728i BMW last year and it just needed a new bumper!!
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: sassanach on 15 May 2012, 20:46:53
my rangie is a cat d, it was written off because a woman hit the trailor it was towing at the time.the insurance insisted on changing the towbar (as a precaution) and the non functioning sat nav in the boot was blamed on the impact as well.throw in a range rover sport as a temp vehicle and basically the ins co wrote it off.the car was never touched!!!!! ;D
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: jonnyboyws6 on 15 May 2012, 21:11:38
Personally I wouldn't have a problem with it as long as the price was right, but wouldn't want to pay full retail for it. Remember when you sell it potential buyers will find it equally as off putting as you do now. If it was written off in 2008 it was 9 years old so as a cat D it was probably relatively light damage; I got a cat D 24v Senator at about 10 years old and it was written off for a door lock, it cost me £51.76 as salvage!!!
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: sassanach on 15 May 2012, 21:23:13
i must admit i had a hell of a deal on it :y
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 16 May 2012, 00:18:26
Did the dealer make any representations as to its' status?

I.E. They often say "oh, we HPI all the cars before we sell them". That implies it's clear IMHO.

At the end of the day, it depends on your attitude towards the car. If paying top dollar, and making your outlay back is vital, then it's a problem. If it's a keeper, then, other than perhaps struggling to get a full payout from your insurance company, you needn't give it a second thought.

I would mention it and make some noises about cancelling and, if they squirm, legal action to recover your deposit towards the dealer just to see if they cave in. You never know, it might have been hanging around for a while, and they might be desperate to get shot of it. Do it in person at a busy time when other customers are within earshot, of course. ;)

At the end of the day though, a couple of dented panels will see a sub £4k car end up as a cat D so, other than the irritation of having been screwed, it doesn't mean much if the car looks tidy.
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: feeutfo on 16 May 2012, 00:45:45
Other than the price, it wouldn't bother me at all, as said, re sale value needs to be represented in the purchase price. I would guess most buyers wouldn't know what cat D ment.

Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: aaronjb on 16 May 2012, 10:40:24
With the benefit of a night to sleep on it, I'll go through with the deal I think - I don't have the original autotrader advert anymore (d'oh!) to check if it mentioned the Cat-D and I just missed it..

The seller is an M3 specialist and seems reasonably upstanding (as much as a car dealer ever is, sorry Del ;) ;D) and thinking about the car, the trim around one rear light was cracked so I bet it had a minor shunt back in 2008 probably requiring rear bumper/lights (boot floor seems flat as I checked all that) and got written off. Easy to understand given main dealer prices!

So I shall go and pick it up tonight, and hopefully it won't split down the middle and turn out to be a cut 'n shut ;)
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: Del Boy on 16 May 2012, 13:27:11
With the benefit of a night to sleep on it, I'll go through with the deal I think - I don't have the original autotrader advert anymore (d'oh!) to check if it mentioned the Cat-D and I just missed it..

The seller is an M3 specialist and seems reasonably upstanding (as much as a car dealer ever is, sorry Del ;) ;D) and thinking about the car, the trim around one rear light was cracked so I bet it had a minor shunt back in 2008 probably requiring rear bumper/lights (boot floor seems flat as I checked all that) and got written off. Easy to understand given main dealer prices!

So I shall go and pick it up tonight, and hopefully it won't split down the middle and turn out to be a cut 'n shut ;)

  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Would you still buy it if you found out it was a Cat-D?
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 16 May 2012, 13:58:59
i must admit i had a hell of a deal on it :y

And when are you going to sell it to me?  :y