considering buying a CAT C coupe 20vt 98 model for 850 pound the body work is very good and clean ,turbo,timing belt ,discs&pads and cat been changed in 2007 . the car got air con but no leather . is this a good buy ?

if ita something you were to keep and everything seems legit from paper work recipts etc of damage.
then i have never had a problem with Cat c,D cars.
just they will never fetch money when sell.
Im sure could even get him to drop another 100

what does all this cat c,d car's mean?
sorry if it souds dum!

means crash damaged cars but it can be put back on the road , cat d damage cars most likely be exterior damage whereas cat c can be exterior damage too or more extensive damage also needs VIC check to put back onto the road ...

Seems far too expensive considering that decent used coupes can be picked up for peanuts!

But saying that its hard to give a definate answer without knowing more about the car i.e mileage & service history, which parts are damaged, cost of repairs (using a friend or fixing it yourself)

It might work out worthwhile as you've come to a great forum with a bunch of great guys who will be able to supply most of if not all of the parts you need!

I personally havent got a problem with Cat c, d cars, but always research what the damage was first. One of my coop's is a CAT C, and the damage to that was only a bonnet someone reversed into it!

When buying a coupe, its more important that it is a solid car with all the expensive mechaniacal work done, timing belt, maniold, turbo, clutch ect. Also engine in good conditon, good oil pressure!!

Personally I also think that £850 is very cheap regardless if it's CAT recorded, assuming all that work has been done!!!

I know one thing for sure, when i sell mine i will not be letting it go for that price, i'll be wanting around £1400, as it is in better order than alot of other coupe's on the road and that it way more important than if its CAT registered!!

Just my two pennies worth

the car has been repaired few yrs ago , the car current mileage is 115k , MOT til jan 2010 . turbo ,timing belt , discs & pads ,cat been replaced in 2007 .

lol think I've read the post wrong, I was under the impression you were buying a damaged coupe from a salvage yard for £850 which needed repairing!!!

As that doesnt seem to be the case then the price isnt too bad, its worth noting that CAT C cars are worth 25% less than those not recorded as a total loss.

Does this 25% less really apply when your buying a car that can cost you a extra £1000, if you buy the wrong one!!! Sure the condition and the history should be the most important factor.

I agree that if there were two identical cars with the same history and same condition, but one was cat C, then even i'd go for the one with no damage history. On another note, how many cars get damage repaired without going the insurance, quite a few i think!!!

as said cat c cars is worth 25% less than the not recorded cars .but i only buying it for 850 pound and the car with this price is not gonna depreciate much anymore .... if i can drive it for 2 yrs without any major issue then i be happy ..

Safest bet is to run a HPI / Gold check on a car you're buying, if it shows as a previous CAT C then you can look to take off at least 25% of the market value of the vehicle.

You're quite right there will be plenty of cars which are repaired without going through the insurance, particulary those with TPFT cover!

Not much you can do about it unless you have a keen eye for previous accident damage or pay an independant assessor to inspect it for you.

See if you can find out any information on what the damage was, i've got a copy of the engineers report for my coupe, stating all the damage!

Considering its had major parts changed I would snap his hand off at that price if you dont have a lot to spend (after you've checked over it and took it for a test drive)

Go and have a look if you've not done already

See if you can find out any information on what the damage was, i've got a copy of the engineers report for my coupe, stating all the damage! [/quote]


i dont think the current onwer know what was the damage ,all he knows is cat c registered !