Cat C Exige Advice

[assadahmed]

I am looking to purchase an Exige with Cat C status. Its an '04 Touring model in Krypton Green with 50k on the clock.

I have seen pics of the car before the repair work. Seller states that there was no damage to the the chassis but front and rear clams were replaced with new n/s upper & lower suspension arms, new front windscreen, radiator, A/C pack.

Seller is willing to take it to a Lotus specialist so it can be inspected.

I am looking for advice as to how much less a Cat C should sell for as compared to a normal car. This is on the basis that all the car passes the inspection with flying colours. I am not really concerned about the issue of the car being difficult to sell on as I probably wont ever sell it. I intend to use the car for road trips and track days only and don't intend for the car to be a garage queen. On the basis of various ads at the moment '04 cars with circa 40k to 50k are being advertised from around 19k to 22k.

So what would be a realistic price?

[mwmackenzie]

A general rule of thumb is Cat C/D normally wipes about a 1/3 off the value off a car although demand for such cars can see that lessen.. I've seen plenty cat C/D VX220s sell for full retail, some more which is bonkers! I'm guessing it depends on the market at the time, I bought my S1 111s for just under 2/3s of retail at the time.

[assadahmed]

I have offered about two thirds of the normal price so that sounds about right I guess.

[simpo555]

If this car was not recorded as a Cat C it would probably go for around the 18K. The current asking price at 15.5k (open to offers) seems optimistic as it probably represents the trade value of a non cat C car. This having been said, don't see it going much under the 14000/14500. I may be wrong

[assadahmed]

I planned to have a specialist view it this week but the seller is away on holiday and wont be back until 9 June 2013. On his return I will see what the kind of price he will agree on as there is no point in my paying for an inspection if we cant agree on a price.

[gianlu]

register yourself on SELOC, this car has been discussed there, including how much you can try and wiggle on the price. This was from someone who agreed an amount and then pulled out. However i would say nothing major to worry if you are spanner friendly and not concerned by a not-too-good paint job.

[simpo555]

gianlu said:

register yourself on SELOC, this car has been discussed there, including how much you can try and wiggle on the price. This was from someone who agreed an amount and then pulled out. However i would say nothing major to worry if you are spanner friendly and not concerned by a not-too-good paint job.

Ouch. Just been on Seloc. Just goes to show that asking around pays dividends. Also proof that photos can't be used as evidence!

[Terminator X]

Cat C / D car not as seller stated pre-repair shocker

TX.

[assadahmed]

I have checked out the SELOC thread. Paint condition is not too much of an issue for me but I noted the guy to went to check it out also stated that the car had not been been put together that well. Still may get the car properly inspected before I decide but I would only go for this if the seller is willing to take a significant reduction in his asking price. If not then I will just save my pennies for a little while and buy when I have enough.

[gianlu]

assadahmed said:

I have checked out the SELOC thread. Paint condition is not too much of an issue for me but I noted the guy to went to check it out also stated that the car had not been been put together that well. Still may get the car properly inspected before I decide but I would only go for this if the seller is willing to take a significant reduction in his asking price. If not then I will just save my pennies for a little while and buy when I have enough.

If you have seen seloc, you'll have seen what was the offer. If i hadn't 3 elise project on the go, i would go for it.
The damage wasn't much, and there is not much that cannot be done in a garage if you have the time and good with spanners. Check for any 'crunch' noise form the gearbox (3rd). Rest can be seen or easy.

[assadahmed]

Appreciate the advice Gianlu.

Whilst I am no good with spanners, I have lots of friends from mechanics to bodywork experts that will be able to help me out with any issues that may need some attention.