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General => General discussion => Topic started by: Tramp on 05 May 2009, 10:39
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Hi
Recently a mate of mine rang me up to say he had seen this Focus that had slight damage to the front. In hindsight now I so wish I had gone with him and feel very guilty about it
Anyway.
He went to purchase the car and bought it for £400 (2000 zetec) . The log book was with it but no service history etc.
We worked on it for a few days and after a week apart from the odd dent which was very minor it was ready for its MOT.
DISASTER!
The damage underneath was severe with arms bent, steering rack + the whole exhaust was wrecked. It looked to me and the MOT inspector that it had mounted a high curb or something similar and just bent the whole underside. Whether this had been in the crash or not I do not know but I suspect so.
The damaged parts will come to around £300, but a huge amount of labour is required. With £250 spent already + £300 needed on top of the £400 we are now on £950 and re spray still needs to be done + all four wheels are borderline and front pads too but they did pass.
The damage was so severe I checked with the DVLA and surprise it was a CAT D. There was no evidence to support this that was given to him all he got was a ‘Sold as seen’ receipt and a log book but no mention of a CAT D.
So it seems my mate in one way or another has been sold a ‘Dog’.
Now this is my question to you guys as I keep getting conflicting views on a CAT D. It seems that it’s the lowest form of damage that could be finance as to give the customer a hire car exceeds the damage repair etc so it’s more of a finance write off if you see what I mean. Does it still need a VIC?
Can it be driven once an MOT has been passed and/or if not can it be advertised on E-bay etc but description as a CAT D but has been repaired?
Some say NO, as long as it passes it’s MOT on a CAT D it is as if it’s a normal car and a VIC is not needed...Some say YES a VIC is needed and it must be described as a CAT D and if to be sold on from the owner needs another test a very detailed one (the name escapes me) before it can be sold on.
I have also heard that if a MOT has been completed and a VIC completed it is fine to drive by the purchaser but if he sells it on further tests by law need to be investigated into?
Remember this is a Cat D...Not C B or A
Can anyone enlighten me on this?
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Hey Tramp!
I work in Commercial insurance and we do take a fairly hard stance on Cat Ds. If they are under 3 years old, we insist on a Vehicle Inspection Certificate or we will not insure the vehicle. If over 3 years old (as the car in your case is), a full MOT certificate is required. The payout should the car be stolen or written off is generally about 75% maximum of standard market rate. Sounds like the seller knew what he had and as he sold the car "as seen" your mate should've really done his homework. I'm not sure about the legal implications of selling a Cat D car without saying what it is, but always remember "Caveat Emptor" - buyer beware. If something looks too good to be true, it generally is!
As from a Finance point of View, I am not really sure - maybe HPi can help here. :smiley:
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I'm sure the dvla or vosa sites should have all the info you need.
With regards to selling it, i don't think the seller has to make you aware of the cat d status, but if you ask he can't lie, or something like that...