Importing a Cat D writeoff from the UK

Barack Obama

Just wondering if anyone has done this? The car I'm looking at was written off by the insurance company as Category D. It was rear-ended but has been repaired (new bumper) and looks perfect. Obviously I'd be getting a full check by someone like the RAC!

Just wondering if anyone has any experience doing this and if there are any issues when registering here?

DaveJac

should be no issue, the uk paper work will have it down as a cat d so if your were buying it too sell on or selling in the future might put people off if they do a check, other than that id just make sure it was repaired properly.. if the just the rear bumper wrote the car off the car must be worth feck all and would it be worth importing paying vrt ect?

ba_barabus

Can a better example of the same car not be found?

mickdw

You need the v5 to register it here.
If it had been a cat d in UK, I think the v5 is held until the car is inspected by vehicle testing agency in UK. There used to be a work around for this if exporting as a cert of export could be used to register. This no longer works I believe so it's now harder to register patched together write offs from UK.
If you have the v5 you should be fine but get car checked over.

Henry Ford III

It'll never be worth the full value. A quality repair and a VOSPA test will bring it back to c. 75% of it's uncrashed value.

mickdw

Henry Ford III wrote: »

It'll never be worth the full value. A quality repair and a VOSPA test will bring it back to c. 75% of it's uncrashed value.

Yes in uk.
Here though people are selling them for full retail to people who don't know any better

Henry Ford III

mickdw wrote: »

Yes in uk.
Here though people are selling them for full retail to people who don't know any better

Those people are fools. It's neither difficult nor expensive to check an imports history.

mickdw

Yep but it's happening everyday. Clocking of UK imports wouldn't be such an issue here either if everyone did a history check. Unfortunately many buy blindly based on what they see in front of them.

lomb

As far as I know Cat C and D are on the UK V5 but Cat D does not require a test as it has no structural damage just panel.
My car is knowingly Cat D and is fine. Drives straighter than the average unmaintained Irish example.
I wouldn't pay more than 80% of a non damaged car and I think you need to inform your insurance company of the cars damage history.

Barack Obama

ba_barabus wrote: »

Can a better example of the same car not be found?

Of course it can but this is obviously discounted substantially!

Barack Obama

lomb wrote: »

As far as I know Cat C and D are on the UK V5 but Cat D does not require a test as it has no structural damage just panel.
My car is knowingly Cat D and is fine. Drives straighter than the average unmaintained Irish example.
I wouldn't pay more than 80% of a non damaged car and I think you need to inform your insurance company of the cars damage history.

Did you import yours?

Barack Obama

mickdw wrote: »

You need the v5 to register it here.
If it had been a cat d in UK, I think the v5 is held until the car is inspected by vehicle testing agency in UK. There used to be a work around for this if exporting as a cert of export could be used to register. This no longer works I believe so it's now harder to register patched together write offs from UK.
If you have the v5 you should be fine but get car checked over.

Great info - thanks. What do you mean by having the "car inspected by vehicle testing agency in UK"? Is this something that the seller must do until the V5 is released back to them? I.e., if they have the V5 then would everything be ok?

If I was going to take this route then I would definitely be getting a Dekra check. Would this be any use if importing?
https://www.dekra-expert.co.uk/vehicle.inspections/national.vehicle.inspections.uk/full.vehicle.inspection

lomb

Barack Obama wrote: »

Did you import yours?

no, the guy I bought it off in Ireland imported it from the UK. He bought it knowing it was a Cat D but had a RAC inspection done on it which he gave to me. He went over to pick it up after it passed the inspection. I would insist on a fresh MOT and a professional engineers inspection like RAC or AA.

clogher71

Barack Obama wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has done this? The car I'm looking at was written off by the insurance company as Category D. It was rear-ended but has been repaired (new bumper) and looks perfect. Obviously I'd be getting a full check by someone like the RAC!

Just wondering if anyone has any experience doing this and if there are any issues when registering here?

Hi,

Just wondering did you go ahead with this, I spotted a car advertised today as a Cat D stolen/recovered, looks ok, it does have some scrapes, but the price is right, I would get the body work repaired, I am tempted....

discombobulate

Is there any discount on the VRT for a Cat C / Cat D seeing as the OMSP would be less i wonder?

Truckermal

discombobulate wrote: »

Is there any discount on the VRT for a Cat C / Cat D seeing as the OMSP would be less i wonder?

No it will be the same.

clogher71

I thought if you had receipts for work done, i.e if you bought a damaged repairable from the uk and you produced receipts for work etc you could argue the omsp of the car. I brought in a not damaged car before and argued the omsp, as it was crazy, and I got some money back.

bazz26

You would have to pay the quoted VRT and then appeal it I'd imagine.