996 CAT C not recorded on HPI or DVLA !
Discussion
Hi guys
As I am new to the forum, i have been curious to know for sometime the following
In 2005 i Bought a 996, 9,000 miles which was listed on the auction catalogue as CAT "C" vehicle, when i payed and released car from the yard, i immediately did HPI check and also AA check on status of car , both came up not recorded, received V5 as clean, got car repaired, infact good job all spot welded perfectly and panels sitting perfect with lining 100%. But, the paintshop messed up slightly by painting it different tinge of metallic, hardly noticeable until it goes back to OPC. Actually nobodies ever mention that the vehicle was a write-off, but praised it.
I've actually been driving the car 7 years, did a major service a few years ago the technician didn't say anything about accident repair
did come up with a few things though i.e
- car wrong colour
- no undertrays
- advised geometry
and few more little stuff.
and, missing spec sticker underneath bonnet/badge. which worries me abit
Now getting down to the point
Its about time to sell up and buy a proper family car, But, wot I'm worried about is nobody having record of this car being a CAT C, got a logbook
transferred to my name from my dads, no problems from DVLA now being 8 years, Done 20,000 mls as a weekend car, still very low mileage. MOT's are good, i mean according to the salvage guys I'm clearly a winner.
Recently went to try out local car garage with a bit of repute, to see if he would trade for another car, he did the hpi check with nothing coming up was willing to ago ahead with sale.
Now Guys, i think i need to get car resprayed to the right colour, from local guy does excellent job, get the other stuff required and sparkle it up, costing nearly £2000. Clearly i don't want to get caught up in future, but then it has been 8 years and no record. Although I'm quite worried as to the next step of action.
a. Any suggestions as to how YOU would go about this selling this car?
b. Should I be worried about anything?
Im worried about the amount of horror stories on the net, Please help
to get this sorted.thanks
Sam
As I am new to the forum, i have been curious to know for sometime the following
In 2005 i Bought a 996, 9,000 miles which was listed on the auction catalogue as CAT "C" vehicle, when i payed and released car from the yard, i immediately did HPI check and also AA check on status of car , both came up not recorded, received V5 as clean, got car repaired, infact good job all spot welded perfectly and panels sitting perfect with lining 100%. But, the paintshop messed up slightly by painting it different tinge of metallic, hardly noticeable until it goes back to OPC. Actually nobodies ever mention that the vehicle was a write-off, but praised it.
I've actually been driving the car 7 years, did a major service a few years ago the technician didn't say anything about accident repair
did come up with a few things though i.e
- car wrong colour
- no undertrays
- advised geometry
and few more little stuff.
and, missing spec sticker underneath bonnet/badge. which worries me abit

Now getting down to the point
Its about time to sell up and buy a proper family car, But, wot I'm worried about is nobody having record of this car being a CAT C, got a logbook
transferred to my name from my dads, no problems from DVLA now being 8 years, Done 20,000 mls as a weekend car, still very low mileage. MOT's are good, i mean according to the salvage guys I'm clearly a winner.
Recently went to try out local car garage with a bit of repute, to see if he would trade for another car, he did the hpi check with nothing coming up was willing to ago ahead with sale.
Now Guys, i think i need to get car resprayed to the right colour, from local guy does excellent job, get the other stuff required and sparkle it up, costing nearly £2000. Clearly i don't want to get caught up in future, but then it has been 8 years and no record. Although I'm quite worried as to the next step of action.
a. Any suggestions as to how YOU would go about this selling this car?
b. Should I be worried about anything?
Im worried about the amount of horror stories on the net, Please help
to get this sorted.thanks
Sam
That's unusual but not unheard of with salvage cars.
I've heard of a few cases where cars have been sold as a CAT C or D but the category never materialised. Sometimes it takes a while to appear on the registers (HPI etc) but it shouldn't take 8 years.
Do you have the VIC check docs which all CAT C cars need? If not, it's also worth checking the cars status with DVLA, as you wouldn't be able to sell a CAT C without being able to prove the identity of the car.
Otherwise, if all this comes up clear and given its been so long, you are probably safe to assume its not recorded (even though it sounds like it should be)
In this case you'd be within your rights to sell it as a damaged repaired, non-recorded car - which is strictly true. Although, it would be best and honest to be upfront and explain the situation to any prospective buyer.
I've heard of a few cases where cars have been sold as a CAT C or D but the category never materialised. Sometimes it takes a while to appear on the registers (HPI etc) but it shouldn't take 8 years.
Do you have the VIC check docs which all CAT C cars need? If not, it's also worth checking the cars status with DVLA, as you wouldn't be able to sell a CAT C without being able to prove the identity of the car.
Otherwise, if all this comes up clear and given its been so long, you are probably safe to assume its not recorded (even though it sounds like it should be)
In this case you'd be within your rights to sell it as a damaged repaired, non-recorded car - which is strictly true. Although, it would be best and honest to be upfront and explain the situation to any prospective buyer.
sulli said:
I wouldn't echo the above and clearly inform any buyer. The last thing you want is a new owner having an accident with kids in the car and an Inherent weakness from repairs causing serious injury or worse......
This. Last thing you want is a civil case being brought against you.Just be honest about it.
Obviously you have a conscience otherwise you wouldn't have started this thread so stop worrying about it and be up front.
You wont get top money for it but you didn't pay top money for it either. You knew what you let yourself in for when you bought it, so let the next owner make the same choice.
Good luck
Obviously you have a conscience otherwise you wouldn't have started this thread so stop worrying about it and be up front.
You wont get top money for it but you didn't pay top money for it either. You knew what you let yourself in for when you bought it, so let the next owner make the same choice.
Good luck
Lamplighterson said:
sulli said:
I wouldn't echo the above and clearly inform any buyer. The last thing you want is a new owner having an accident with kids in the car and an Inherent weakness from repairs causing serious injury or worse......
This. Last thing you want is a civil case being brought against you.And just to say to the OP, what he says up front in the sale is absolutely up to him. If he wants to pre-disclose the history that's fine as is keeping quiet until asked. Both are perfectly valid (read legal) but different approaches. Lying though is not allowed.
That's the whole essence of selling/buying privately.
Bert
That's the whole essence of selling/buying privately.
Bert
BertBert said:
And just to say to the OP, what he says up front in the sale is absolutely up to him. If he wants to pre-disclose the history that's fine as is keeping quiet until asked. Both are perfectly valid (read legal) but different approaches. Lying though is not allowed.
That's the whole essence of selling/buying privately.
Bert
I'm not sure if that's right. Certainly a dealer can make a "mis-leading omission" by not disclosing something and the same may be true of a private seller (in the same way that a private seller is responsible for anything he says in any description he makes).That's the whole essence of selling/buying privately.
Bert
thegoose said:
I'm not sure if that's right. Certainly a dealer can make a "mis-leading omission" by not disclosing something and the same may be true of a private seller (in the same way that a private seller is responsible for anything he says in any description he makes).
I'm sure. A private seller can say absolutely nothing when selling. At the margins they might have some liability under tort. But in the situation described, the seller is under no obligation to disclose the history up front.Bert
monthefish said:
sulli said:
I wouldn't echo the above and clearly inform any buyer.

Presumably, as you bought it at auction and it was listed as a CatC, you will have got the car fairly cheap.
Therefore, you can/should sell it as a CatC fairly cheap and not lose out.
It's all about "declared" or not.
Lets face it how many 911's (or other cars) might have been on a race track? Now how many might have had an accident on said race track. There's no legal requirement to declare this, you could just sell it or fix it.
Same as, you could roll a Land Rover or Jeep off roading - tell nobody and rebuild the entire car and sell it non declared. You can also fully restore a classic car by totally rebuilding the entire vehicle yourself with new parts. It won't need a safety check, just an MoT (post 1960 reg). Is this really any different?
I think you need to realise that your thoughts are already in print on this page and you need to get the admin straightened out.
Late last year I was going to buy a Merc SL which was claimed to be category "D" with insignificant damage that had been repaired (I was shown photos). Reputable professional guy selling it. I knew who he was and where he worked in public service. He had been sold the car on the basis of Cat "D". The car was superb. I paid a £250 deposit (Cheque) on a Saturday and said I would come back on the following Tuesday with the cash. In the interim I checked the VIC with DVLA and it came up all good with no write off info shown. I then did an HPI with Experian and it came up Cat "C". I informed the vendor who was shocked. He destroyed the cheque and I cancelled the purchase.
On Monday I rang the DVLA and quized them as to why no write off category was shown on the internet VIC search. There was a lot of humming and ha-ing. I spoke to someone senior who eventually told me that there had been a category Cat "C" but this had been removed from the public record as the car had been repaired and inspected by VOSA and therefore the write off info was of no use to a purchaser.
Draw your own conclusions. If I were you I would ring DVLA to check and keep a record of the call. Get the persons name and confirm it in writing by sending a letter by recorded delivery.
H
Late last year I was going to buy a Merc SL which was claimed to be category "D" with insignificant damage that had been repaired (I was shown photos). Reputable professional guy selling it. I knew who he was and where he worked in public service. He had been sold the car on the basis of Cat "D". The car was superb. I paid a £250 deposit (Cheque) on a Saturday and said I would come back on the following Tuesday with the cash. In the interim I checked the VIC with DVLA and it came up all good with no write off info shown. I then did an HPI with Experian and it came up Cat "C". I informed the vendor who was shocked. He destroyed the cheque and I cancelled the purchase.
On Monday I rang the DVLA and quized them as to why no write off category was shown on the internet VIC search. There was a lot of humming and ha-ing. I spoke to someone senior who eventually told me that there had been a category Cat "C" but this had been removed from the public record as the car had been repaired and inspected by VOSA and therefore the write off info was of no use to a purchaser.
Draw your own conclusions. If I were you I would ring DVLA to check and keep a record of the call. Get the persons name and confirm it in writing by sending a letter by recorded delivery.
H
Veering off Porsche content but I thinkl this is relevant here. Speaking from personal experience there is a grey line and inconsistency between cats C & D. My land Rover was written off last year following a low speed rollover As it was an economic write-off. Aviva said this meant it was cat D and gave me a good settlement to cover the loss in value. The vehicle did not require a single penny spent on it although most panels were dented.
4 months later I went to transfer the vehicle from my son to myself. The new V5 never arrived so I called DVLA who told me it required a VIC (vehicle indentification check) as it was a cat C. VIC was done and I got my V5 - no mention on it of a write-off.
4 months later I went to transfer the vehicle from my son to myself. The new V5 never arrived so I called DVLA who told me it required a VIC (vehicle indentification check) as it was a cat C. VIC was done and I got my V5 - no mention on it of a write-off.
hopeydaze said:
Veering off Porsche content but I thinkl this is relevant here. Speaking from personal experience there is a grey line and inconsistency between cats C & D. My land Rover was written off last year following a low speed rollover As it was an economic write-off. Aviva said this meant it was cat D and gave me a good settlement to cover the loss in value. The vehicle did not require a single penny spent on it although most panels were dented.
4 months later I went to transfer the vehicle from my son to myself. The new V5 never arrived so I called DVLA who told me it required a VIC (vehicle indentification check) as it was a cat C. VIC was done and I got my V5 - no mention on it of a write-off.
So Aviva compensated you for a loss in value of a Cat D car, yet classified it as Cat C - sounds like they underpaid you?4 months later I went to transfer the vehicle from my son to myself. The new V5 never arrived so I called DVLA who told me it required a VIC (vehicle indentification check) as it was a cat C. VIC was done and I got my V5 - no mention on it of a write-off.
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