I am going to look at a Cat D write off and repaired car later. I know the possible causes for write off Cat D and the car is priced accordingly.
I have a feeling that when I ask whats been done and by who, the dealer will just say 'dunno mate'.

So is there anyway using the reg number I can search to find out when it was recorded as Cat D. What the reason was. Who repaired it or when it was put back on the road etc etc?

I don't really want to pay for this info (unless I really have to), so any ideas?

There is a possibility that the dealer may have all the info I want, but when was the last time you spoke to an honest car dealer that gave you the full story?

Thanks.

isn't there one of those text thingys that give this sort of info (maybe not that in depth?) for £3 or something? can't remember the number though.

An HPI check will only tell you what you already know, i.e. the car has a total loss claim against it, and possibly when it was made. You will have to do your own detective work to find out the rest, e.g. contact previous owner etc.

Yep, laods of services like that and are cheap, some free, but all they tend to say is 'its cat D', as I tried one last night.

I think I need VOSA information or something like it, if thats who administers this category thing.

The trouble is that as its Cat D it doesn't 'need' an engineers report, but I am hoping that its recorded somewhere whats happened. ie if it had a front end shunt then I know to look in that area well.

Most of the cat D I've looked at have been stolen recovered with minor cosmetic and lock damage. If it received significant structural damage it would not be cat D. The damage is assessed by the insurance on how much it will cost to repair against the value of the vehicle, nothing to do with VOSA.

[Edited on 13/5/10 by Peteff]

ok, so its not VOSA.
But surely somewhere there must be a record of why a car is written off. As its permanently logged to the car surely there must be a database that lists it.

It being cat D doesn't bother me, but only if I know why its written off.

iphone app car check! if you have one :O)

No iphone (urgh, shudder at the thought) and would that app (another word I hate, like quali ) actually tell me anything useful?

I was looking at a Cat D car recently and tried to find out what had been done to it - tried contacting former owners etc but had no luck.

In the end I was put off the car, not by the fact that it had been damaged in the past, but by the fact that the milage had magically gone backwards between the last two MOTs.....

It's very easy to clock most cars nowadays - and if it has been damaged then it's quite tempting for the repairer to reset the clocks to a more "sympathetic" milage to make the car more desirable to buyers. the DirectGov MOT site http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/owningavehicle/mot/dg_10020539 is essential viewing before buying any car!

contact prev owner from logbook. in the past, i have found them willing to spill the beans in great detail about the history of the car.

You'll probably find that the only people who could tell you about the damage are the insurers as they will have compiled an engineers report, although they won't neccesarily know anything about the repairs. I'm guessing the insurers won't tell you jack though.

quote:

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Originally posted by Peteff
If it received significant structural damage it would not be cat D.

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If you can get a sense of the year that the damage was done, then that can give you a fair indication because as others have said, a Cat-D on a two year old car would need to be fairly significant damage, whereas Cat-C on an 8 year old mondeo could just be that the electric heater wind mirror was swiped off.

The £3 check website will give you the date that the damage/loss was recorded.

I bought a cat-C mondeo for a song a few years back, simply because it had a light scrape all the way down one side. This scrape touched both body coloured bumpers, two wings, both doors, and the rear view mirror.

[Edited on 13/5/10 by garyo]

My current tintop is a cat D. Bought it 2 years ago for a price that was right and done 50k+ miles since no problem. As most have said, only thing I could find out was when it had happened. Last but one owner who must have bought it just after it was fixed was either a good actor or hadn't a clue. Anyway forewarned I had a good look and it became obvious that it had been a front end shunt as bumper, bonnet and both front wings had been resprayed. Very well I must say but as I was looking hard I could see it. If the price is right and you go into the deal with your eyes open a Cat D can be a good buy, especially if you plan to keep it a while / run it into the ground so you're not trying to sell it on in a short while.

Its worth checking your insurer will cover it first?

quote:

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Originally posted by bmseven
Its worth checking your insurer will cover it first?

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Already spoke to insurer. They are fine but did emphasise the 'reduced payout' warning.

But when I went to see the car I knew what the damage was, the front end had apparently been repaired 2 years ago. And I say apparently as it was a complete pile of bleeping steaming shit. And thats being nice to it.