It is wise to buy a Cat C or D car?

I noticed there are a lot of CAT C or D cars listed for sale. These appear to be cars that have been written off by insurance companies as beyond repair. Surely this is like buying a death trap or am I missing something?

Asked on 28 July 2014 by lenanil

Answered by Honest John
Yes. Cat D's can be written off, for example, because the car was stolen, later found intact, but the insurer had paid off the policyholder before the car was found. Cat C's are written off because the insurer calculates that the cost of repairing the car plus the cost of courtesy car during the repair is greater than the market value minus the salvage value.

If your car is judged to be a Cat C you can usually keep it if you want and only receive market value minus salvage value, then use that money to repair it yourself. Fully explained here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/insurance-write-offs/ Cat B's must be dismantled and sold for parts. They can never be put back on the road. Cat As must be crushed.
Similar questions
I'm thinking of selling my BMW 3 Series privately. It was declared Cat D in 2014 and had an engine replacement after I bought it back from the insurer. Since then, it has been okay. If I sell privately,...
I bought a car in October 2012 from a dealer. At the time, a HPI check showed to us by the trader was clear as was a text we did to carcheck.com. It was an Audi A3 quattro and I paid £15,500. We've come...
I purchased a car 14 months ago and found out yesterday it had been written off as a Cat D but the dealer never told me. What can I do about it please?
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer