Hi all,
I have tried searching the forum but it seems 'cat c' is too short!

Just looking at 500's and i have found a nice one that is newer than the rest at a cheaper price because its Cat c.

I have tried googling about it but the only sort of information i can find it why its Cat c and that if i brought it, then i probably wouldn't be able to sell it as much as i would like to.

I just want to ask what you know about it and if you have any personal experiences with buying one, selling it afterwards and if it affected your insurance and how.

Thank you!

There are some people on here who buy Cat C/D 500s and repair them so they could be useful. Look for threads by Typecastboy.

However any specific car will only be as good as the quality of the repair job and for that you either need to know what to look for or take someone who does. You'd have to declare the cars status as previously written off to your insurance but if you have an mot after the crash it shouldn't cause too many issues if any but always best to check with your chosen company up front.

Things have changed somewhat regarding Cat C & D's. Until last October they required an MOT test and a VIC inspection before they could go back on the road but the VIC check is no longer required. The governments stance is that since it only picked up about 60 or so dodgy cars then it wasn't worth continuing with it, my personal view is that a great many ringers ETC didn't make it onto the roads because it acted as a deterrant. Anyway, back to the question. Values are typically lower but insureance is the same, however I'd want to know exactly WHY a car was written off before I'd buy it.

Please read on as to my experience re Cat C and D.

To my mind, the question would always be- is a small saving on initial cost worth the risk of using a car which has been written off by an insurance company? There's not just personal risk, physical and financial, but also the nagging thought in the back of your mind throughout ownership and the added grief when trying to sell.

I've bought a car previously, through an auction, which was cheap and was a Cat C, though I only found this out later- my fault, I should have been more careful. A Cat C can be a pretty serious issue, more so than just Cat D which is an "uneconomic repair". The repair to the front nearside suspension, of which I was unaware, began to fail on a long journey through rural France, causing even more damage including to the gearbox and sump. The subsequent repairer said the original work was sub-standard. The result- a £1500 bill- fortunately I had taken out after market warranty to cover the costs. I was lucky...only a little out of pocket, I got to my destination with a noisy but still functioning car, and I'm still alive.

There are loads of 500s around- they are not a rare car.So why buy a written off one- especially if you don't know why it was written off, and more so if you did not witness/ know nothing of any subsequent repair? At least have a full inspection done before you part with money.

My wife had a 18month old Pug 1007 which was struck by a 4x4 to the nearside.The insurance company gave me the option- £500 more than I'd paid for the car, or a full repair which would result in a Cat C car. I took the money and ran...........

I can understand the rebuilding of accident damaged cars if they are rare. Rowan Atkinson had his seriously damaged £850,000 McLaren rebuilt, and it was still saleable!! On a smaller scale, I myself owned a rare FIAT Strada Abarth 130TC, which was hit by another vehicle.It was written off as Cat D, as sourcing the bits,particularly panels and plastic trim, was an uneconomical repair for insurers- so I bought back the salvage, sourced the bits myself, had a repair done which I was able to view and document throughout, and then had the car inspected- all was well, but still the car will always carry the stigma to some as having been written off. I declared it when selling it, and fortunately I found a buyer, but many demurred as it had been Cat D, never mind Cat C.

I hope this gives you some food for thought......

Hi,
If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to give us a try.
The majority of our schemes have no issues with category C or D written off vehicles.
Regards,
Dan.

Nice one Dan! If you find a Cat C that you like and the price is right then have an independent inspection for peace of mind. That goes for every car you buy, really. As an illustration, I gave a 500C it's first MOT test on Saturday. Oh dear. Failed on a tyre - all 4 were cheapies anyway and none matched - and it had obviously had a poor front end repair as the arch liners were in tatters and the foglamp hanging loose. Oh, and not a single stamp in the service book. This is on a 3-year old car that you would expect to be looked after. It came back for a retest today with a part worn tyre fitted because they are selling it tomorrow so look out for a pearl white 500C!