Buying Cat-N or Cat-S cars
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm potentially looking into replacing my car thats just been written off with something a bit sportier again and really fancy a Abarth 595 Competizione, but the budget I have set has left me looking at the older Series 3 cars with the smaller IHI turbo or very late series 3 cars with the Garrett turbo but most of them seem to be Cat-N. I found a nice red one within budget that was Cat-N, did a car vertical check on it and there was no photos of the damage and it just said unknown so in reality a waste of about £25
I've had a chap message me who has a newer Series 4 car for sale, in a lovely blue with the correct interior I wanted etc, actually lower than my max budget as well but its a Cat-S car, just done a cheaper cardetailscheck.co.uk report for £10 and got access to the photos and it did have quite a heavy front end smash, looks like its gone into a bollard, airbags gone off etc. The current owner said hed never seen the pics before but insists its a solid car now and to be fair in the pics it does look really good. It was written off 2021 and he purchased it in 2022.
What I wanted to know is, when Cat-N and Cat-S cars are written off and then put back onto the road, especially Cat-S do they have to be checked by somebody? like an extra MOT? will it have a certificate or similar to say its road legal again and is insurance likely to be an issue?
I'm potentially looking into replacing my car thats just been written off with something a bit sportier again and really fancy a Abarth 595 Competizione, but the budget I have set has left me looking at the older Series 3 cars with the smaller IHI turbo or very late series 3 cars with the Garrett turbo but most of them seem to be Cat-N. I found a nice red one within budget that was Cat-N, did a car vertical check on it and there was no photos of the damage and it just said unknown so in reality a waste of about £25
I've had a chap message me who has a newer Series 4 car for sale, in a lovely blue with the correct interior I wanted etc, actually lower than my max budget as well but its a Cat-S car, just done a cheaper cardetailscheck.co.uk report for £10 and got access to the photos and it did have quite a heavy front end smash, looks like its gone into a bollard, airbags gone off etc. The current owner said hed never seen the pics before but insists its a solid car now and to be fair in the pics it does look really good. It was written off 2021 and he purchased it in 2022.
What I wanted to know is, when Cat-N and Cat-S cars are written off and then put back onto the road, especially Cat-S do they have to be checked by somebody? like an extra MOT? will it have a certificate or similar to say its road legal again and is insurance likely to be an issue?
I believe they have to go for a mot but I’m not 100%.
Anyway whatever the rules are if you don’t know what to look for don’t buy it. Cars are repaired to different standards by different garages and different owners for different damage. I have two cat cars but I knew what I was looking at and managed to get the back story to both. If in doubt move on and if you don’t know how to check “eyeball” the repairs research how to or move on.
Anyway whatever the rules are if you don’t know what to look for don’t buy it. Cars are repaired to different standards by different garages and different owners for different damage. I have two cat cars but I knew what I was looking at and managed to get the back story to both. If in doubt move on and if you don’t know how to check “eyeball” the repairs research how to or move on.
Both Cat N and Cat S have to have a new MOT before going back on the road
Your much safer with a Cat N which can often be no more than multiple panel dents
As you may already know cat N is non structural damage, where Cat S can be a minefield.
You did the right thing getting the report, shame it didn’t include photos.
The damaged vehicle photos are a good indicator of what to look out for and assess how bad was the damage.
As a rule of thumb I would happily but cat N, but would never touch a Cat S no matter how good the deal appears.
Your much safer with a Cat N which can often be no more than multiple panel dents
As you may already know cat N is non structural damage, where Cat S can be a minefield.
You did the right thing getting the report, shame it didn’t include photos.
The damaged vehicle photos are a good indicator of what to look out for and assess how bad was the damage.
As a rule of thumb I would happily but cat N, but would never touch a Cat S no matter how good the deal appears.
You just have to take it each car as it comes and base it on what you can find out and what you can see of the repair.
Cat s of course you need a a deeper look and be more careful but again take it on a car by car basis.
And final thing. Be aware of resale it can make things a bit of a brain twister and a hassle.
Cat s of course you need a a deeper look and be more careful but again take it on a car by car basis.
And final thing. Be aware of resale it can make things a bit of a brain twister and a hassle.
My car was written off cat S. I bought it back and then repaired myself. No special requirement to MOT or anything beyond that of a normal car.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=17...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=17...
I had what was then called a damaged repaired car back in the day, mid 90s before the cat system came in I think.
A mate at the time who was in the trade did it, and so I saw the car when damaged and also the repairs he made.
The car was fine and I drove it for 2 yrs. It was substantially cheaper to buy than an undamaged car, but obviously I also had to sell at a hefty discount when the time came. Overall not much difference financially and quite a lot of faff.
I wouldn't do it again tbh, and I certainly wouldn't knowingly buy a repaired car unless I had seen the damage. Except perhaps if it was a great rarity and the only one available.
A mate at the time who was in the trade did it, and so I saw the car when damaged and also the repairs he made.
The car was fine and I drove it for 2 yrs. It was substantially cheaper to buy than an undamaged car, but obviously I also had to sell at a hefty discount when the time came. Overall not much difference financially and quite a lot of faff.
I wouldn't do it again tbh, and I certainly wouldn't knowingly buy a repaired car unless I had seen the damage. Except perhaps if it was a great rarity and the only one available.
I recently bought a Cat N from a dealer who seems to specialise in super cheap cars in a "stack them high, sell them cheap" model. In this case the write-off was caused by a minor side impact that had dinked both the driver and rear passenger doors, and, given that the car was probably only worth 3 or 4k before the accident, repair wasn't economical. They had absolutely no paperwork for the car and were advertising it for 1.5k
They MOTed it and stuck it on Autotrader. I stumped up and gave it a careful look over and a short test drive. No sign of any problems beyond the dents. It took several weeks for DVLA to transfer ownership via a V62 as the dealer didn't have a V5, so we couldn't tax the car immediately after purchase.
The whole process was simple enough and we've ended up with a very cheap car that will replace our beloved Hilux for tip runs, hauling other cars out of a field when they fall off our driveway, and will get me to the station and back every other week when I have to go to the office for a few days. The only inconvenience beyond a "normal" purchase was the time waiting for the V62 process which typically takes about a month as DVLA need to give the previous registered keeper a couple of weeks to confirm that they've got rid of the car. It's a very simple process and DVLA did everything on time and communicated progress. It just takes a month, so if you're in a hurry it can be a problem.
Edited to change Cat S to Cat N ... Rather a crucial detail
They MOTed it and stuck it on Autotrader. I stumped up and gave it a careful look over and a short test drive. No sign of any problems beyond the dents. It took several weeks for DVLA to transfer ownership via a V62 as the dealer didn't have a V5, so we couldn't tax the car immediately after purchase.
The whole process was simple enough and we've ended up with a very cheap car that will replace our beloved Hilux for tip runs, hauling other cars out of a field when they fall off our driveway, and will get me to the station and back every other week when I have to go to the office for a few days. The only inconvenience beyond a "normal" purchase was the time waiting for the V62 process which typically takes about a month as DVLA need to give the previous registered keeper a couple of weeks to confirm that they've got rid of the car. It's a very simple process and DVLA did everything on time and communicated progress. It just takes a month, so if you're in a hurry it can be a problem.
Edited to change Cat S to Cat N ... Rather a crucial detail
Edited by ATG on Friday 5th April 14:29
I would stay well clear of a Cat-S car. You have no idea how well it has been repaired and it's not exactly difficult to get a friendly MOT. I've seen some dangerous Cat-S cars put back on the road to which the new owner had no clue.
Cat-N on the other hand would be OK as long as you have pictures. This could be a Cat-N due to paint damage, unable to say get a part due to chip shortage.
I still wouldn't get a CAT car because they are a pain to sell on. You are relying on a certain person to take the risk like you did.
Cat-N on the other hand would be OK as long as you have pictures. This could be a Cat-N due to paint damage, unable to say get a part due to chip shortage.
I still wouldn't get a CAT car because they are a pain to sell on. You are relying on a certain person to take the risk like you did.
wong said:
Is insurance more expensive for Cat S and N cars?
Cars are all treated equally with cat marker or without. Tax Insurance MOT and absolutely anything else I have not thought of. Only difference is buyers view on these cars when they are buying. That is only difference. They are all cars. Hopefully that answers all questions?Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff