ACCIDENT DAMAGED S
Discussion
IM THINKING OF PURCHASING A DAMAGED REPAIRED 1991 V8S. IT WAS REGISTERED AS CAT "C" COST OF THE REPAIRS OUTWAY THE VALUE OF THE CAR.THE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO BODYWORK ONLY WITH PHOTOS BEFORE AND AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE CARRIED OUT, WHICH HAVE BEEN DONE BY A BODY SHOP TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD.I HAVE DRIVEN AND INSPECTED THE CAR BOTH BODILY AND STRUCTURLY UNDERNEATH AND ALL SEEMS OK.THE PRICE IS AROUND £8000. SHOULD I BE PUT OFF BY THIS CAR
I'm not sure I agree that a Cat D or C should automatically mean a significant price reduction (although I would say that as mine is registered as CAT D)..!!
Sometime in its previous life mine had an accident and was repaired. It is now 15 years old and like many people on here the dreaded rot has meant a serious restoration. The body has been removed and the chassis has been repaired and its alignment checked. It has then been powdercoated and and I'm in the process of putting it back together. When its finished it will bear no resemblance to the car I started with.
If I was to sell it (which I won't…….ever……..period) I believe it would be in much better condition (and therefore be more valuable) than an original car which has never been recorded as accident damaged but may have hidden chassis rot.
So to sum up I think all depends on condition and what has been done.
Ralph
Sometime in its previous life mine had an accident and was repaired. It is now 15 years old and like many people on here the dreaded rot has meant a serious restoration. The body has been removed and the chassis has been repaired and its alignment checked. It has then been powdercoated and and I'm in the process of putting it back together. When its finished it will bear no resemblance to the car I started with.
If I was to sell it (which I won't…….ever……..period) I believe it would be in much better condition (and therefore be more valuable) than an original car which has never been recorded as accident damaged but may have hidden chassis rot.
So to sum up I think all depends on condition and what has been done.
Ralph
Definitely don't be put off by a CAT D or C car. But do go into it with your eyes open. When you come to sell it you will have to declare it and it may be harder to shift.
I full agree with Ralph that a repaird car can often be better than a non repaired one.
But buy the car on condition. If it has been repaired to a high standard then all should be good. Find out exactly what was damaged and see how it was repaired. Was the GRP reinforced and filled or new panels bonded in? Does the colour match exactly?
CAT D is generally body work, but the CAT C cars I have come across have often had some structral damage, wishbones.
If the car is solid it can be a good way of getting a car at a bargain price. Also it means that the owner(s) have been honest. I saw one car that had obviously had more than it's fair share of shunts, each panel being a different colour, cracks in the GRP wrong front end (it was a Griff) it had definitley been patched up quite a few times. But it was clean. So the previous owner had just had it repaired each time it was damaged.
I full agree with Ralph that a repaird car can often be better than a non repaired one.
But buy the car on condition. If it has been repaired to a high standard then all should be good. Find out exactly what was damaged and see how it was repaired. Was the GRP reinforced and filled or new panels bonded in? Does the colour match exactly?
CAT D is generally body work, but the CAT C cars I have come across have often had some structral damage, wishbones.
If the car is solid it can be a good way of getting a car at a bargain price. Also it means that the owner(s) have been honest. I saw one car that had obviously had more than it's fair share of shunts, each panel being a different colour, cracks in the GRP wrong front end (it was a Griff) it had definitley been patched up quite a few times. But it was clean. So the previous owner had just had it repaired each time it was damaged.
Shnozz said:
price sounds high to me. V8S' seem to have had a fall in prices recently and seen several very good looking cars (albeit from the pictures/descriptions rather than an inspection) for around the £8.5 - 9k mark.
I agree, with prices stabilising due to cheap Griff/Chims being around, buying a Cat C/D V8S it needs to be the right price IMHO, otherwise possible reselling could be a problem.
Mine was a cat D when I bought it. It needed a very small amount of filler on the bonnet, a new headlight, new windscreen and new mirror.
Yes, we resprayed the bonnet ourselves, but other than that, that was it.
I have taken pictures of all that was done, so someone eventually will see the car in all it's bare nakedness in case they are slightly put off.
If there is proof of 'rebuild' that would put my mind at ease, but a cat d is minimal. They do seem to be asking top money for it though as that seems to be a decent price for any V8S.
In short, don't be put off by the cat d, but pull the price down a bit.
Yes, we resprayed the bonnet ourselves, but other than that, that was it.
I have taken pictures of all that was done, so someone eventually will see the car in all it's bare nakedness in case they are slightly put off.
If there is proof of 'rebuild' that would put my mind at ease, but a cat d is minimal. They do seem to be asking top money for it though as that seems to be a decent price for any V8S.
In short, don't be put off by the cat d, but pull the price down a bit.
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