Discussion
I was randomly looking at the dreaded ebay when TVR somehow made it into the search box (It happens alot) I was wondering how viable a Cat D car is. There is a few on at the moment. Some even come with the repair panels (a chimera with a new rear end section, for example.)
Is it a question of choose carefully? Or are there definite things to consider?
I imagine that any flip/special paint will bump the costs up.
How will a the Cat D affect the value of the car? Can you get a VOSA assessment done and the Cat D wiped from the car's history? Would you ever get your money back if you were to sell up?
Thanks in advance.
Is it a question of choose carefully? Or are there definite things to consider?
I imagine that any flip/special paint will bump the costs up.
How will a the Cat D affect the value of the car? Can you get a VOSA assessment done and the Cat D wiped from the car's history? Would you ever get your money back if you were to sell up?
Thanks in advance.
I think a Cat D TVR is very different to almost any other CAT D car. Insurance companies seem very keen to write TVRs off and as such I reckon a CAT D could be a very good buy at the right price. I think you also have to place a value on the opportunity a CAT D gives you to create your own TVR. I'm thrilled with my new purchase because it has had all the work done, but if I hadn't found my car I would have looked carefully at buying one in need of serious TLC and throwing a load of cash at it because I know I would have loved the restoration process. I think the key to buying a CAT D TVR is to be brutally honest with yourself about the costs involved and as long as you do that I'm sure it will work out ok.
I had a cat D Impreza for 5 years. It was one of the best cars I owned - it never really ailed anything until it was written off again. It had a full respray with decent paint, so didn't suffer from stone chips anything like the "perfect example" Impreza RA I have now.
That said, it was cheap to buy, the panel fit wasn't absolutely perfect and I got a lower payout from the insurance company in the end.
Apply this to a TVR and it's well worth considering as long as you intend to keep and drive the car yourself - the panel fit is often not great as new, and sooner or later you'll need to do chassis work even if it's just a clean up and repaint.
Just don't expect it to sell quickly for top money. But then the same can be said for modified TVRs too...
As already said, "normal" insurance companies don't seem to understand fibreglass so TVRs can (but are not always) get written off for really simple repairs.
That said, it was cheap to buy, the panel fit wasn't absolutely perfect and I got a lower payout from the insurance company in the end.
Apply this to a TVR and it's well worth considering as long as you intend to keep and drive the car yourself - the panel fit is often not great as new, and sooner or later you'll need to do chassis work even if it's just a clean up and repaint.
Just don't expect it to sell quickly for top money. But then the same can be said for modified TVRs too...
As already said, "normal" insurance companies don't seem to understand fibreglass so TVRs can (but are not always) get written off for really simple repairs.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with cat d cars as long as you are honest. We have done quite a few now for customers and I am currently doing a Cerb (Cat D) for myself.
I sold my T350 last year that was a cat D, the way I see it you can get the car you want for your budget. this sold for 16800.
I sold my T350 last year that was a cat D, the way I see it you can get the car you want for your budget. this sold for 16800.
I think it depends on the car. I'd be very wary of a written off moncoque chassis car like an Elise, where things could be bent or structurally weakened. With a separate chassis, and providing it's a sufficiently special car to warrant buying one with a (slightly) tarnished record I'd go for it. In fact I did. Twice.
You do hear figures as high as a third off normal retail value, but to be honest these are just to overcome the stigma - I'd trust a car that had been resprayed, geometry checked and professionally inspected more than one that had just rolled out the factory at 3 O'clock on a Friday afternoon.
With more ordinary cars it can be a hassle selling a Cat D car, but with something specialist like a TVR most people are fairly realistic about it (although don't forget that I'm talking about a cosmetically damaged Cat D here, not structural damage on a Cat C). I bought and sold my S3 for only a couple of hundred quid under the asking price for a mint original car and I have no doubt that the recent rebuild made it significantly better than average even though it was prompted by a prang. I was very careful to point out it's history and provided an engineer's report and photos of the damage in the ad and as a result it went within hours of being advertised (to the first person who saw it).
You do hear figures as high as a third off normal retail value, but to be honest these are just to overcome the stigma - I'd trust a car that had been resprayed, geometry checked and professionally inspected more than one that had just rolled out the factory at 3 O'clock on a Friday afternoon.
With more ordinary cars it can be a hassle selling a Cat D car, but with something specialist like a TVR most people are fairly realistic about it (although don't forget that I'm talking about a cosmetically damaged Cat D here, not structural damage on a Cat C). I bought and sold my S3 for only a couple of hundred quid under the asking price for a mint original car and I have no doubt that the recent rebuild made it significantly better than average even though it was prompted by a prang. I was very careful to point out it's history and provided an engineer's report and photos of the damage in the ad and as a result it went within hours of being advertised (to the first person who saw it).
scotty_d said:
One more cat D owner here too does not make any diffrence to me or the way the car drives or looks. and got it for the right price.
Most CAT D cars are classified as a write-off by the insurance company because it's the cheapest way of them making a pay out!The insurance company juggles the estimate quotes etc & takes the easiest route (Protecting Profits)
You'll find a lot of CAT D cars that have been repaired for less than 50% of the insurance estimate
[quote]
You'll find a lot of CAT D cars that have been repaired for less than 50% of the insurance estimate
[/quote]
Particularly with their "simpler" and "cheaper" approved repairer schemes where the first question always seems to be "is this insurance or self funded?".
For this reason they Cat C'd my Rover 400 as it "needed" a new bonnet and a new bumper and a new headlight for two minor dents in the bonnet that could have been filled (or even left for a car of its age and value) a bumper with a very minor split about an inch long (£25 from scrap yard already painted - I found one) and the light only had one mounting point broken and I repaired that myself with fibre glass before they wrote the car off. Basically it was road legal without being touched. I ended up accepting their write off though as they refused to grade it Cat D rather than Cat C and insisted that as the quote had been made by their "approved" repairer even if I didn't claim they would still register it as a Cat C despite having previously told me I could pull out of the claim at any point without detriment (Indian call center!!!!).
Their simpler and cheaper repair route estimated £980 whereas I could demonstrate I could do the repair for under £200 with the bonnet and £25 if I left the bonnet - but would they listen? No
You'll find a lot of CAT D cars that have been repaired for less than 50% of the insurance estimate
[/quote]
Particularly with their "simpler" and "cheaper" approved repairer schemes where the first question always seems to be "is this insurance or self funded?".
For this reason they Cat C'd my Rover 400 as it "needed" a new bonnet and a new bumper and a new headlight for two minor dents in the bonnet that could have been filled (or even left for a car of its age and value) a bumper with a very minor split about an inch long (£25 from scrap yard already painted - I found one) and the light only had one mounting point broken and I repaired that myself with fibre glass before they wrote the car off. Basically it was road legal without being touched. I ended up accepting their write off though as they refused to grade it Cat D rather than Cat C and insisted that as the quote had been made by their "approved" repairer even if I didn't claim they would still register it as a Cat C despite having previously told me I could pull out of the claim at any point without detriment (Indian call center!!!!).
Their simpler and cheaper repair route estimated £980 whereas I could demonstrate I could do the repair for under £200 with the bonnet and £25 if I left the bonnet - but would they listen? No
Is there any issues with insuring a Cat D repaired car? I ask as someone I know had some vandal damage to his car and it was written off by the insurance so he bought it off them and had it repaired to the extent he wanted (as said above the odd little dent wasn't fixed) - but when he came to insure it he couldn't get anything above 3rd party - maybe that was something to do with him maybe using the same company again or something but I suppose if its already been written off how could they do that again? Strange one?? Any thoughts?
Jim
Jim
I looked at a cat d tuscan before I bought the cerbera. The tuscan was a dog. I would have considered very strongly as a keeper, if it had been a goo one. I wouls suggest either buying in a raw state - with the work to do, or have a good specialist look at it for you, if the work has been done. The chap I had inspect mine had this philosophy: if it has been crashed and repaired, it should be better than one out of the factory as alll issues should be addressed and more time spent. The one I had checked out was a nightmare of bits from different years/specs and on first glance looked great. The car had just passed an mot, ehich was frightening. The chassis number on the vin plate and the chassis number were not the same, different parts from differnet models had been used, newer lcd screen inserted and mileage looked more agreeable etc. Just take someone you know will have a good look. The car I was looking at was repaired and up for 10800, according to the inspection I woudl have had to pay in the region of 12500 to get it right.
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