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[funkydoodycool]

My other half is looking at getting a forfour.

The only one reasonably local (as on less than an hour away) is a cat c. Text check tells me the car has "multiple insurance loss records" with the most serious being cat c write off in may 2011.

A) is it worth going to see it (it's up for just under £2k)

B) what should I be looking out for?

[Problemchild]

Get the orange and graphite cdi

JJ

[CrazyG]

My advice would be to steer clear...
As soon as go for an insurance quote, your potential insurer will get flagged up that the vehicle
is/was a CatC and the premium will then go into 'launch trajectory'.
That is assuming it is registered as a CatC.
They do the same for CatD....even if the only damage was a bent/broken wing or body panel !

I find that 'policy' deplorable, especially if the vehicle has been repaired properly/correctly and
it's passed a VIC...and maybe even got an engineers report that says the car is now 100%.
But....that's how the insurers get back the money they've previously paid out in claim/s.

The only 'good' side to all this is that it guarantees a supply of spare parts for our cars !

[Problemchild]

And then you have to try and sell it - just not worth it in my opinion...

Get the cdi - swap the rear apron onto your car, sell the alloys to me and you'll be almost in the same position!

If its catC I would say that there will have been trid damage!

JJ

[Big Dunc]

I have owned a cat C and a cat D in the past, and never had a problem with higher insurance.

As long as it has been properly repaired, it should be OK.

Obviously, you will get less when you sell it, and you really do want to convince yourself it was repaired properly.

[Fox]

I may be persuaded to part with mine at some point in the not so distant future...

I would steer clear of category cars, but that's just me.

[musmart]

Hmm to add my penny to the discussion. I will say go have look and check it, if it looks and drives good buy it. nothing wrong with all these nonsense cat...
I have seen cat C due to broken windscreen, or even a parking dent. Insurance company nowadays write anything off as is a way to increase everyone's premium and cant be bothered with the high cost of repair from high profile garages which they must use.
having said that there are lots of unrecorded badly damage cars that people pay lots of money to buy and as far as they see hpi clear they are fine.
even though its true that coming to sell it will be cheaper. tel me of any car bought and later sold for more. cars like many stuff will depreciate and i think if you buy a cheap one due to bureaucratic cat. on it, it means it wont depreciate further than the hpi clear ones. BUT ALWAYS DO A GOOD CHECK AND RESEARCH.

[Big Dunc]

I agree totally with Mr MUSMART here.

The only the thing to add is that if you keep it for a few years then the deprecian will mean that on selling it, the difference in price will be less.

There may be a couple of poorly repaired ones, but there are quite a few poorly repaired not recored cars out there.

Do your homework and take each car on its merits, whether or not a cat C/D

[Problemchild]

But its more about the ability to sell that would put me off

But then it's the same as modding etc and you are just changin your target audience.

JJ

[djames108]

I had a cat C previously, repaired it and thought all was fine except after a few months the rear tyres were wearing out fast, turns out they wernt aligned something was bent or twisted slightly as you couldnt adjust the tracking on the rear wheels (it was an MG). I would be wary as although it may look ok you never know.
Also my forfour ive recently got was a cat D for a minor bump on the front and I only paid 1k for it although I had to do the repairs but still came in cheap with only 27k on the clock and full s/h. I also saw one go for  just over 1k with similar damage.

It would not be a cat C just for something minor like a ding or windscreen etc, there would have to be substantial damage for it to be that. Cat D simy means it uneconomical to repair you could key the paintwork all over and it would be written off although mechanically it could be perfect.

[Problemchild]

A guy at work bought a cat D Astra against my wishes (only because the garage didn't tell him it was cat d and it wasn't cheap and he had paid his deposit - but that's another story)

His was just stolen recovered so the insurance company had paid out but then the car was found so is back on the road after an "adventure"

Remember that we have taken up the term "written off" to mean trashed or destroyed but it's an insurance term referring to paying out on the asset being insured

JJ

[djames108]

His was just stolen recovered so the insurance company had paid out but then the car was found so is back on the road after an "adventure"

Remember that we have taken up the term "written off" to mean trashed or destroyed but it's an insurance term referring to paying out on the asset being insured

JJ

Correct, this of course only applies to cat D, Cat C will have had some sort of medium/heavy damage. I would not hesitate to buy more cat D's in the future but would steer clear of C's.

On a slight tangent my Cat C was insured by swiftcover, no problems for 10 months......some tool runs into me and swiftcover kindly tell me they don't insure previous write off's! they were correct as on page 27 of a 57 page terms and conditions brochure  written in size 3 font it does mention it.

Shot themselves in the foot though as I demanded my 10 months of premiums back as technically I wasnt insured and claimed off the other guys insurance anyway!

[funkydoodycool]

Idiots shouldn't have insured you then I you didn't meet their terms!! At least you got the premiums back.

We've been to see 4 cars today, one 1.1, two 1.3s and one cdi. Done about 150 miles and 4 hours driving.

Sadly all had something wrong. Cdi had a loose bonnet hatch and needed brakes all round so we walked away. 1.1 was good but too slow for what she wants, and too noisy. One 1.3 had bits of trim missing and the other had mayo in the oil and driving was almost impossible - it wouldn't find 3rd gear!

Seems odd but all 4 of them were manual, and all four of them had sticky horrible gear changes. The last one was especially bad.

[Problemchild]

gutted matey

one will come along......

if you want to look at the one down this way, you are more than welcome to break up your journey at mine for a cuppa! haha!!

(oh - i have had confirmation form my wife that she WILL divorce me if i buy it)

JJ

[djames108]

I have found the gear changes to be one of the better ones out of all the cars ive driven, reverse can crunch a bit sometimes when trying to get it in but other than that i find i very good