Buying CAT C cars

[Gti]

My birds dad is looking to buy CAT C or D cars to do up and sell for a profit on a hobby basis has anyone got experience with this?
I assume he'd have to get them from breakers yards but do they check them over and tell you what's wrong with them or are you buying as seen?
Is there such a thing as a good/reputable breakers where he should be looking in the London area.
I've read you have to get a VIC check on some CAT C's but can't find the criteria for it or how much they cost.

Finally is it actually worth it?
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[M]

[Itchy]

if you are going to use it yourself yes, if you want to sell for a profit cars in the UK 2nd hand are seriously cheap I've seen non written off cars for sale in town for sub £300 , they have tax MOT and no insurance categories.
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[trevoriv]

Cat D cars no problems, thats just cosmetic damage.

Cat C becomes more of an issue as it will need a new MOT etc and will be harder to insure, some companies wont touch a Cat C at all.

As for reputable breakers in London - good luck with that, if they're not easten european with AK47's you're doing well
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[chrisw]

Old cars to do and sell for a few quid, no problem.

Newer cars to do and sell for a few thousand, doubt it.

The thought of a car being in an accident is a massive turn off for most people, especially as second hand car prices are pretty low at the moment anyway.

If you are just looking for a hobby involving cars, why not start off with straight but grotty classics and restore them, it will involve the same sort of work and won't involve the darker side of the car trade.

[plugger147]

Buying from breakers is a waste of time, the prices they want for damaged cars is quite often similar to what you can pick up an untidy one for with a bit of scouting round. Buying from a salvage auction is the best way to do but you could still end up spending more on a car than you'll sell it for.

It's worth it if it's looked as a a hobby with the bonus of a few quid here and there but to go into it thinking that you'll make a profit on every project would be silly. Not only that he would have to be prepared to have money tied up in something for however long it takes to repair/sell on.
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Tristan the wrote: just whipped off my trousers to find a big bruise on my arse, caused by matt rear ending me...

[Phoenix]

Trevoriv, maybe your insurance company does, but I've never had an insurance company out of millions i've spoken to ask in either an online form or telephone quote whether the vehicle has been written off, only if it's a Q-plate, so it shouldn't affect insurance. And I insured a Cat C Blade many years ago and a Cat C TRX850 neither were an issue or even mentioned.

Personally though with a car if I see a nice looking cars, nice price, Cat C i don't bother reading any further. Nobody want's a written off car unless its absolutely piss cheap for what it is, because resale value will be mud for this exact reason. Bikes are a little different as damage can be much more clearly seen rather than hidden and often just plastic fairings write a bike off wheras damage to cars is frequently much more structural. Better off buying damaged or stolen/recovered cars that have not been recorded as either to fix up and sell.

[iooi]

[Phoenix]

If that's true then why did I never have a problem getting quotes on either of the Cat C bikes I've owned, and that's doing the usual back of Biketrader ringaround.

[MattHirst]

I believe the Cat * is recorded on your V5, and it iwll show up on any checks they do....hence why it tells you if you do a HPI.

I always thought you could get the Cat removed once you had done sufficient work and gone through the appropriate tests but if i remember rightly, someone like kickstart said that it is always present on any check you/random folk do but it will say that it is no longer a write off (ie, it will sat that it was once a write off)

If that makes sense, i hadn't had much sleep

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[Keir]

as above, unless dirt cheap and your keeping it theres not much to be made. cars are cheap at the min.
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[plugger147]

I've never heard of an insurance company charging more for a written off vehicle or refuse to insure them. Any insurance company that does is shooting themselves in the foot. Where are all the cars that have been written off going to be sold onto if nobody can insure them afterwards, doesn't make any sense. They will not pay out on repairs as much if the cars vehicles been written off previously though.
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Tristan the wrote: just whipped off my trousers to find a big bruise on my arse, caused by matt rear ending me...