Cat D 964

[Tim Heden]

Hi All,

I'm in the market for a 911 and have seen a 964 relatively locally that looks like it could be a good buy. It was written off as Cat D some years ago due to wing/drivers door damage and has covered a low mileage since.

I'm a bit of a loss to ascertain the market value of this car for future resale - I guess if an early 964 commands £15k on average - cat D would be 60-70% of this?

It has had no engine work done - (from researching forums, the dual mass flywheel on 964s reminds me of the TVR Speed Six debates on pistonheads - surely they wont all go wrong?) - is this a good sign or bad?

Also - could someone give me an idea about how to go about getting an inspection done by a specialist, and the approximate cost of this.

Cheers

Tim


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[Shed17]

Why would a Cat D be worth 60/70%, if it has been properly repaired and OEM parts used this should have no bearing. Insurers right off cars, especially high value ones based on financial costs alone. When one of my Porsches was involved in an accident the Insurance engineer said that it needed a new bodyshell which if available would be far to expensive and recommended that I should be paid out. Did not get a chance to buy it back as it was suddenly bought and the insurers would not tell me by whom.

The impression is that if a car is more than a few years old or exotica they will pay out and get some sort of clawback from selling it off.

It should be Autoligned to be absolutely sure that repairs have been completed properly

Depending where you are in the country there usually somebody with a good rep to inspect it for you and should cost approx £200


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[Tim Heden]

So are you suggesting that a 'Cat D' mark on the history should have no bearing on price paid at all?

If that is the case, then why do they have to be declared by the owners prior to sale as Cat D? - wont the Insurance companies pay out less to reflect the market value of the car?

I'm based in South West London






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[Shed17]

What I am saying is that if a car has been properly repaired by an OPC or well known specialist the car is in probably better shape than a lot of cars that have not been declared damaged and been sorted on the cheap.

As an example if you lost control of the car and sustained damage but decided that you wanted to protect your NCB and premium so decided that you would pay for the repairs yourself which might mean getting the car on a jig, repair panels etc, but don't declare it, your argument is that your car is better than a cat listed car. This is where I am coming from. Maybe it is because when I was looking for my current 993 I came across at least 4 cars that came up HPI clear but had not been repaired to a very high standard.

As I was a member of the senior management team for a group that owns one of the largest motor insurers, I know what the attituide to claims are and it is easier to financially write off a car and pay out rather than get involved in arranging repairs, courtesy car and handling complaints if there are delays or the work is not up to standard.

Market value to an insurer is not the same to you and I. The only way to ensure a full payout in the event of an accident where the insurers have declared it as a financial write off is to have a declared value on the car.

The thing to always remember is that the car is a 'financial' write off in the eyes of the insurer, not a total write off of a car. I have seen some reports where they car was written off when all that was needed was a new wing and door, with no damage to the chassis, work that one out.


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[Tim Heden]

Quote: Originally posted by Shed17 on 19 May 2005

I have seen some reports where they car was written off when all that was needed was a new wing and door, with no damage to the chassis, work that one out.

Spooky - cos that's exactly the natue of the damage to the one I have been looking at...



Thanks for the advice!


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[LOJO]

William, I would have raised hell if they did that to me - bet 10-1 someone inside profited from that!

Commiserations.

LJ


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[Shed17]

The same feeling that I got. I could not believe when the engineer said that the cost would have been too high. Then got a cheque in under 3 weeks.

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