Whats it Worth

[mpgscott]

Well went to look at a 3dr 1997 P plate 8v gti with 75237 miles, had recon gearbox and has timing belt and new clutch recently.  Tyres are all good and bodywork is spot on.  Has a slight knock from drivers side front on hard lock in reverse. its ok straight i think its a spring. 

Anyway did a check with the DVLA and it reports that the car was a category C write off in sept 2003.  What do you reckon this car is worth bearing in mind that the car looks really good.  Sticker is still in the spare wheel well and the bonnet lines nicely with the wings.  Doors open with no probs so what do you reckon.

Many thanks for your thoughts.
Mark

[GolfGL]

Cat c and d aint really bad as not repaired because of cost but im not sure on exact details as i think c worse than d. I personally wouldnt ever touch a write off unless you are fully confident on what has happened, how it was repaired and who buy. I would guess £800-£1,500 max if your sure as there are loads of 8v's on the market. How much is he selling it for?

[mpgscott]

Hi,

He wants £1500 for it but thats before i tell him the news of it being a Cat C so i can use this to bargain.  What do you think?

[WoodyVR6]

Cat C's should be priced about 1/2 the value of a normal car.

[GolfGL]

did you get it hpi checked or something? do you know what the damage was etc?

[mpgscott]

Had it checked with the DVLA, this just told me that it was a cat c write off, everything else was ok.  www.mycarcheck.com is the site i used.  This only cost £9.95

Will a full hpi check tell me exactly what happened to the car?  The guy selling the car has had it for 1yr 8 months.  I thought these checks dont tell you what happened just the class?  So maybe it would be worth paying some more to get a full check what do you think?

Thanks
Mark

[GolfGL]

I dont think a full hpi report would show much more up but does the owner know anything about the accident? thing is someone else might come along who will pay his asking price and not bother doing a hpi report.

[mpgscott]

Spoke with the guy tonight and he i think quite genuinely said that he did not know.  I told him that i would not pay £1500 as it would loose a lot when i came to sell it.  I also told him that he would now need to inform anyone that looks at the car that it has been a write off.  (he probably wont)

Anyway i have found a 1994 M reg 8v gti 3dr with 88K and FSH and this is going for around £1400 and i think this is a better option whats your thoughts?

Thanks
Mark

[WoodyVR6]

If he's not willing to half the price and £1400 - £1500 is the going rate for an 8V then go for the £1400 car. You'll end up stuck with the other one or taking a loss on it should you wish to sell it on.

Also you don't know what it's been through.

[mpgscott]

He will let it go for £1300 which i think is ok.  Its been into the garage and when he told the mechanic about it being a write off they checked it over and the only thing they noticed was that the bonnet has been changed.  Underneath is sound.  I am going to go for i think.

Cheers