Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Hey all, Bit of a quandry here - it seems every car I go to look at The Cat C car passed a VIC check a couple of years ago - the Cat D doesn't mention anything about a VIC check. So, questions: Would you buy a car, knowing the above history? We're talking cheap 1.4L cars around the £900, that otherwise seem to be in good condition for year. Does a Cat-D car need a VIC check? I am assuming that the damage on both cars will only affect resale value which TBH, I'm probably not greatly worried about anyway seeing as it's a cheap car. Comments and opinions please - potentially looking at these cars later today! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 UPDATE - cat D does not need VIC check.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masenko Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Cat D just throws up a bunch of red flags in my opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 meaning what exactly? I know a cat D could be as little as 1 panel trashed - or could be full side-impact damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 CAT D means there was no structural damage, that would have required a full check after repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I'd buy a cat D runaround with no worries...........just give it a good looking over.......... Loads of cars IMO suffer Cat D type damage and just get repaired by their owners without them ever lifting the phone to inform their insurance company, just use it to hammer down the price as it seems lots of other possible buyers will be put off.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 thanks mate - so a Cat D is a relatively safe bet then, assuming the car looks ok, all shut lines look ok, doors shut properly etc? The Cat D car was Cat-D in 1999, so it's been driven around by various owners since then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 The Cat C was recorded in 2006, passed VIC check early 2007. Far more worried about this particular car TBH, especially if I don't know what the repairs were, but would you still buy it if the price is right? I mean it's got MOT, VIC etc.... so must be ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 The Cat D car was Cat-D in 1999, so it's been driven around by various owners since then... and been through numerous MOT's and thousands of miles.....what it'll normally mean is that the repaired area will normally suffer corrosion problems earlier than the undamaged areas...........but you are not after having a future concours car you want a cheap car to get about in.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 you got it You think the Cat C is worth avoiding then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 IMO for a run around i'd be far more concerned about your view on whether it'll cost you more in the immediate future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 thanks mate I suppose one thing is that the Cat-D car has 12month MOT remaining, Cat C only has a couple of months.... Well I'm off to see them both soon, so I'll post up when I get back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Well that was interesting: The Cat D car was aweful - bonnet was a different colour underneath - could see the stone chips and the fact it used to be a red bonnet. Rear bumper had been repaired. Car didn't idle well at all, had no tax whatsoever, central locking didn't work, coolant smelt like sh*t (literally) and the oil had water in (apparently condensation!?!?) Walked away from that one quite quickly. The Cat C on the other hand looked great - ran great, had no problems that we could see, other than the fact the owner told us he's had it for 4 months only and had to put a fair bit of oil in. Hmmm. The damage from Cat C was found on the rear - lifted the boot carpet and could see where it had obviously had an impact and had been straightened. Looked like a relatively good job, and overall car was quite nice. However, seller wouldn't budge from his top-dollar price and I wasn't prepared to pay that sort of money for a Cat C with not-much paperwork/history. So still on the lookout But suppose one may appear soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Have you tried looking at owners clubs for the type of car you are after? They tend to look after them and any problems are easily found when you search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Have you tried looking at owners clubs for the type of car you are after? They tend to look after them and any problems are easily found when you search. yes mate I have - unfortunately for me, currently there are no club/forum members that are even within 50 miles of me that are selling their car. It's very tricky for me to get to the cars to look at them, and at the current rate I'd not want to have to travel miles to look at what could be an absolute sh*tter..... I'll keep looking - something will eventually come up - just a shame I'm kinda needing a car NOW really - Just have to keep begging and burrowing until I find one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Personally speaking whether a car was Cat C or Cat D has never been an issue for me. I just view it as something that affects the value like high mileage, rust or no service history etc... If the car is Ok then I'd buy it no questions, so long as the price reflected it's history... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 If the car is Ok then I'd buy it no questions, so long as the price reflected it's history... I think that's exactly what put me off the car - it's pretty much priced at about £50 more than the book value of "excellent condition". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I think that's exactly what put me off the car - it's pretty much priced at about £50 more than the book value of "excellent condition". You did the right thing then bud, it needs to be around the 'poor' book price listing for it to be worthwhile imo. There'll be other cars no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 were both these cars the same model? were they off the trader or ebay etc.............got a link to either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_b Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 What model are you looking at? You mentioned 1.4L, so I'm guessing a VW Golf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabs Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 well, both were 1.4 CL VW Polo's - 60bhp model (8v, not 16v) - Group 4/5 insurance. Both on autotrader, neither stating the Cat C/D, and neither really showing the bad points about the car (obviously) However - there may be a huge change in my requirements now - and I may not need this runabout! Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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