Cat D - worth concidering? Would you?

[Wifeb4Life]

Hi, have posted a little bit in the A7 thread but i'm in a pickle and would like some feedback and advice.

Looking for a A7 bitdi and have found a Cat D which ive been to see and test drive and drives brilliantly with its air suspenssion and no problems i could feel. The only remaining mark that anything has happened is a dint on the edge of one of the chrome tail pipe which you can't see unless you look down close and the rest looks good as new.

Its a 14 reg 38000 miles very highly spec'd for £19k.

That's £11k cheaper than anything close to that age and mileage i could find and better spec'd and i plan on keeping it for 8 years. My insurance will insure Cat D (and Cat C) the dealership will send it to a indipendant garage of my choice to get an MOT for mine and my insurances piece of mind.

I'm really concidering it and thinking of paying for an RAC inspection on top of this but want as much advice as possible?

And would you go for it?

 

[Sandra]

Category D cars tend to jump out at you when you're browsing the classifieds. They often cost thousands less than a 'regular' car so are very tempting, but are Cat D cars worth the gamble?

A Category D write-off can often be caused by moderate damage. If the damage is minor, why wouldn't the insurance company pay to repair the car? Well, the cost of insurance claims is made up of more than just the repairs. The insurance company also has to take into account the cost of a courtesy car and inspection fees once the repairs have been completed. So it might decide that it doesn't make financial sense to repair the Cat D car.

If that's the case, the insurer can decide to sell the car to an independent garage, which then repairs the car for less money and is able to sell it on to the public.

Let's say you find one of these Cat D cars in the classifieds, is it worth looking at or should you move on right away?

If you've done your homework, know what to look out for and what questions you need to ask, you can pick up a real bargain.

Here are our six top tips for buying a Cat D write-off:

Buy the car from a dealer instead of a private seller

If you buy a Cat D car from a dealer you have more consumer rights. A car dealer has to declare everything they know about a car; a private seller only has to make sure the car is as described.

Ask lots of questions

What damage did the car sustain? Where were the works carried out? What parts were replaced? The insurer doesn't have to release any information about how the car became a write-off, but some well targeted questions to the dealer can help you uncover what happened.

Get an inspection

This will cost you upwards of £200, but is well worth it. An inspector knows what to check and could find accident damage that was missed. The AA, RAC, Dekra and Autolign all offer inspection services and could save you from buying a car that's potentially unsafe.

Pay for a history check

What if the accident isn't the only thing you need to think about? A history check will show up if the car has been stolen or is subject to any outstanding finance.

Be wary of newer cars with big savings

It could suggest that the repair work has been done to a budget and isn't of satisfactory quality.

Avoid cars that could have chassis damage

Chassis damage will continue to cause headaches even if a repair has been attempted.

If you think a Cat D car is worth the gamble and you've decided to buy one, there are two further things to consider:

Make sure you tell your insurance company that the car's a Cat D. Otherwise you risk having any claim turned down in the future.

Some used warranty suppliers will provide cover for Cat D cars.

 

[Wifeb4Life]

Thanks I've been reading up on it and i'm sure i read that already as well as other sources but i think it would be better to get some personal experience i'm sure others have made the jump and it would be good to get some real world advice/experience.

 

[James_TDi]

I had a Cat C car for years -was fine. I'd consider Cat C or D cars again if buying used and there was a considerable saving, especially if I was keeping it for a while.
Get it inspected for peace of mind if you're not 100%.

 

[Wifeb4Life]

Thanks who do you recomend getting to do the inspection? Glad to see you've had some good experience

Thanks

 

[desertstorm]

It's best to find out if possible what the damage was and if there are any photos. Cars can be written off just because they have been vandalised, if all the glass has had to be replaced along with full respray and some panels and the works been done to a good standard then it could be a good buy.
If however it was in a big smash with front end damage that required a lot of work I might not be so keen.
Obviously when you sell it on you will have to declare it and make it cheap enough, however you shouldn't lose as much money on the car in depreciation and only you will know it's a cat D when you are driving it around.
As the car has already been written off once by the insurers they obviously won't be interested in paying out a great deal for it.
Yes they will insure it but try and find out what they would be prepared to pay out in the advent that you unfortunately were involved in an accident. They might only think the car is worth 12K , Just because you paid 19K for a car doesn't mean it's worth that.

 

[Chop.]

i owned a cat D evo for a while and never had any problems at all only difference being that cost me 4k and not 19k

i suppose it just comes down to if you want to risk it, you could buy none cat D motor and it could break down the next day, any car can have problems, mechanical failure etc cat D or not at anytime, buying a new/used car is always a risk in my eyes and you just need to deal with what comes along, at the very least i get it inspected for your and your familys saftey and go from there

 

[B5NUT]

I've had a cat D which I repaired myself. It's a simple case of the insurance company not willing to repair the car, or the customer trying to refuse the car from being repaired. My cat D was a headlight, bumper, wing & bonnet needing replacing, but with the cost of new parts + labour + paint etc it was over there write-off %. I got a bunch of used parts had them sprayed and the car was a good as new and you could not even tell it was in an accident.

If it was a cat C then I would be far more concerned.

Personally I would go for it, get it to your local Audi dealer for an MOT & alignment check, that will make sure there is no chassis damage as there is very little adjustment in the suspension of an Audi, and if it's way out and cannot be adjusted to within tolerance then walk away.

 

[Underachiever]

I would, but I'd need to know the extent of the damage. If the market value is 30k, I expect the claim to be in excess of around 23k.

One thing that would put me off.......... flood damage.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I've seen plenty of un-crashed A7's around the £20k mark, even some from Audi dealers.

 

[NFox]

As above I would really want to know what the damage was. Providing you are happy with the repair (once you know what was wrong) and you are looking to keep the car for the long term then it's a good way to save a chunk of cash. But also be mindful of sometimes slightly higher insurance premiums and potential difficulty come the time you want to get shot.