Category C write off from the UK. Should I buy it?

balbriggan123 · 05-02-2019 9:19am #1

162 puegot 208 on offer for 8600. It was a category c write off from the UK in 2017. It has been vrt'ed and driven in Ireland for the last 10 months. Owner paid 8200e for it including vrt. He might sell it for 7500 buts wants 8000. I still think that's too much and write offs typically sell for 30% of market value. I want to pay 6500. Don't all cars depreciate by 1000 every year? I've seen the damage caused in the write off from the uk in pictures. It's minor. Crack in back bumper and dent in front number under the puegot logo. Am I offering a fair price? One insurance company has refused to insure me when I told them the previous write off status. Another company said they will insure me but I have to get a formal (expensive?) engineers report. Am I buying a car at too high a price that will be a nightmare to sell on and insure?

rex-x · 05-02-2019 10:13am

If you have doubts then walk away...cars have no set depreciation value, some even go up each year

road_high · 05-02-2019 11:03am

There’s a load of those for sale here. Know a girl that bought an Active (decent little spec) for €15.5k with scrappage.
No point risking it over one

Toyotafanboi · 05-02-2019 11:31am

There's no way i'd go ahead with this. So he's driven it for a year and wants back what he paid for it? that's not really how that works, particularly when the car in question is a fairly common car and is recorded as Cat C. Also, nobody will write a car off for a cracked bumper and a bit of a dent, there must have been more damage under the surface, back panel damage etc. Then you're already encountering the insurance headache and you don't even own it.

Is this it?
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/peugeot-208-puretech-low-miles/20904068

I wouldn't personally. Sure it's a good bit cheaper than any others available but that's not reason enough to buy it.

C3PO · 05-02-2019 11:48am

balbriggan123 wrote:

I've seen the damage caused in the write off from the uk in pictures. It's minor. Crack in back bumper and dent in front number under the puegot logo.

A crack in a bumper and a dent in a number plate are not reasons to write off a 2016 car!

ShadowHearth · 05-02-2019 11:55am

If you buy car with any category and it pops up on motorcheck, then you will pretty much have to marry that car, as selling it will be hard.
There are good crash repaired cars out there, but stupid thing is, that those who sell them try to hide it or want same money as non crashed one sells for.
If it's priced good bit way below normal car, has a cert done by engineer then I can't see why not. But of it's only little bit below market price, no report, owner is trying to hide it, then walk away.

bazz26 · 05-02-2019 12:54pm

Cat D would be considered a crack in the bumper or a dent, Cat C is more serious damage but still repairable. I just wouldn't buy a Cat C car period no matter how cheap it is. It's a world of pain to insure as well as trying to convince a future buyer even if it was repaired to a high and roadworthy standard. That aside, there is no way I'd be giving that guy anywhere near what he paid for the car a year later.

Krombopulos Michael · 05-02-2019 12:57pm

I believe you also have to report it was Cat C when obtaining insurance in Ireland and some providers may refuse a quote or load your premiums.

Henry Ford III · 05-02-2019 1:52pm

I wouldn't bother tbh.

Squidgy Black · 05-02-2019 2:40pm

For a car to be classed as a Cat C the repairs have to have cost more than the car was worth.

This is a 3 year old car you're talking about, so somewhere in the region of 10k+ damage done to the car. That's definitely not just a crack in the bumper or cosmetic damage.

The fact there's no engineers report for the car either is a massive red flag.

bazz26 · 05-02-2019 3:50pm

Cat C cars also had to be re-registered with the DVLA before they can be put back on the road. Would be interesting to know if that car was re-registered with the DVLA or just repaired and then exported over here.

alloywheel · 05-02-2019 11:11pm

Do not buy it. A lot of cars imported here by dealers are insurance write offs from UK, I know someone who found out the hard way after buying one.

Walk away, run even better.

Mintoe · 06-02-2019 10:13am

bazz26 wrote: »

Cat C cars also had to be re-registered with the DVLA before they can be put back on the road. Would be interesting to know if that car was re-registered with the DVLA or just repaired and then exported over here.

Not anymore they don’t,they used to have to do a VIC TEST (vehicle identity check) at an mot centre to make sure vin and engine no match but not to check quality of repair

alloywheel · 06-02-2019 10:31am

The motor trade in secondhand cars here in Ireland is full of chancers, there is low regulation compared to the UK, where they have to declare if a car is a category whatever etc.

A good friend went to look at some secondhand cars here recently, found out after getting the UK reg no and checking it out himself (even though the Irish garage had taken the UK plates off the car and said it was not crashed etc) that it was a write off from UK. Another imported car from another dealer had no service history but the seats / pedals were suspiciously worn for the mileage. Asked about the missing service history book the garage here said "arra, shure you do not need it, it must have got lost, most people keep the service books at home but it was serviced all right and is genuine"
Another secondhand car from another garage looked ok but on closer examination with a magnet there was evidence of repairs / filler / respray etc
I suppose you cannot blame the garages, they are trying to make a living and keep in business.

mgbgt1978 · 06-02-2019 8:16pm

Krombopulos Michael wrote: »

I believe you also have to report it was Cat C when obtaining insurance in Ireland and some providers may refuse a quote or load your premiums.

Really ?
Unless you do a HPi check (or similar), you would have no reason to have this information.
No insurer in Ireland asks you if you have done a check on any Car you are looking to insure.

Squidgy Black · 06-02-2019 8:31pm

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Really ?
Unless you do a HPi check (or similar), you would have no reason to have this information.
No insurer in Ireland asks you if you have done a check on any Car you are looking to insure.

It's one of those things that isn't clear but I checked my own policy documents out of curiosity and it says "you must disclose any material facts that may influence the underwriters acceptance and assessment of the proposal".

They could argue that you withholding it's a write off goes against this.

But anyways, most insurers systems would flag the car as being a write off regardless.

mgbgt1978 · 06-02-2019 8:42pm

Squidgy Black wrote: »

They could argue that you withholding it's a write off goes against this.

How could they possibly know that you know....if you follow me.
Unless they specifically ask if you have performed a Check they are at nothing.

And that's not including the countless UK write-off's that aren't recorded, in which case a check is useless.

alloywheel · 06-02-2019 11:08pm

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

No insurer in Ireland asks you if you have done a check on any Car you are looking to insure.

Its not unknown for a broker to put the UK reg in to a little magic box on the computer screen and tell the would be insurance purchaser "sorry, its a .... " or whatever.

drunkmonkey · 07-02-2019 2:18am

If you don't mind paying for a repair check this one out https://www.donedeal.ie/damagedcars-for-sale/2016-p-208-diesel/20740487
I'm not seeing 4k of repairs there all the parts would be easy enough source, 2k would go a long way with it, at least you know what your buying. Hopefully not recorded. Talk to a local panel beater and get his take on it.

kerten · 07-02-2019 9:44am

Seller is just waiting for someone who doesn't do write off checks when buying cars. Unless you like adventures and losing money, walk away.

kao123 · 07-02-2019 10:44am

I recently viewed a 162 UK import advertised as 1 owner, FSH, never crashed etc.
Did a check on the car, it shows up as a CAT S write off in the UK and 3 owners to date.
Asked the dealer about it and was told the background check i did must be incorrect.... simple reply from me was to just walk away!
When in doubt just move on.

drunkmonkey · 07-02-2019 11:01am

A crash check on a car is only a guide, there are loads of cars on the roads that were severly damaged with no record of it. Sometimes it can be better the devil you know than you don't
Take this for example, https://www.donedeal.ie/damagedcars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-2013/19923776 somone will put that back on the road and it'll show up nice low milage and never crashed.
A cat C or D can be a great way to save money if you know what your looking. The one op is talking about it bad value though.

ml100 · 07-02-2019 7:45pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

A crash check on a car is only a guide, there are loads of cars on the roads that were severly damaged with no record of it. Sometimes it can be better the devil you know than you don't
Take this for example, https://www.donedeal.ie/damagedcars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-2013/19923776 somone will put that back on the road and it'll show up nice low milage and never crashed.
A cat C or D can be a great way to save money if you know what your looking. The one op is talking about it bad value though.

I hope that car never sees the road again, it's completely twisted ðŸ˜®

newmember2 · 08-02-2019 12:23am

Squidgy Black wrote: »

For a car to be classed as a Cat C the repairs have to have cost more than the car was worth....

This is incorrect. It's not just the repairs - it's the total claim - the repairs to the vehicle may only be the half of it.

Technique · 09-02-2019 1:20am

alloywheel wrote: »

I suppose you cannot blame the garages, they are trying to make a living and keep in business.

These guys are buying the cars at a heavy discount because of their condition, yet selling at market price here while telling outright lies to potential customers. I would 100% blame them and their cute hoor attitude towards people's hard earned money.

alloywheel · 09-02-2019 1:52am

There is regulation in the UK to stop that happening.

Here the unsuspecting people who do not know to do write off checks etc when buying a car, check history etc. are being ripped off by the garages, but are the garages breaking the law? Unethical yes, but breaking the law? There is not a system here for categorising / recording write offs, as far as I know, that is the problem. The UK system is much better and fairer to the consumer. Yes I agree there are many lads here buying the cars at a heavy discount because of their condition, yet selling at market price here while telling outright lies to potential customers. And I condemn that. But I blame the government here for taking all the taxes and allowing people to be ripped off like that. Crashed write offs should not be allowed to be imported, repaired and sold off as "normal" cars to unsuspecting people.

Category C write off from the UK. Should I buy it?

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