6 replies to this topic

[darky32]

Here is my question :

I have been looking for a mini for about 4 months and during that time have seen some rough ones and some not so rough ones, i have looked in all the usual places and not found a car that i like .... have finally found a car that looks the part and has a great base for tailoring to my style...BUT i did a check on the car at work and in 2002 it was a category C write off (meaning that it was An extensively damaged vehicle which the insurer has decided not to repair, but which could be repaired and returned to the road) now i know that it wouldnt take much to write off a mini of this age so do you think it is still worth going to see the car (hours drive) or should i avoid.

Details: 1992 1275 sprite manual,50k in red, in the pictures the car looks in great condition with new wings, rear valance, sills, bumpers, and a recent professional respray, new wheels/tyres, new MOT with a few months tax. owner is looking for £1800... but wont be getting that off me

would stick up a picture but at work and cant login to my photobucket account

Cheers Mark

[mike.]

I'd say its worthy a look.

Like you said its not going to take much to write a mini off in the insurers eyes - Could of just been a a little rear end shunt or a door smashed in etc.

On the other hand it could have been slid sideways into a curb and bent subframe mountings etc and now the car might not drive straight.

I'd ring the seller and see what he knows about the accident.

[slyoldfox2001]

im not 100% clued up about cat c write off cars back in those days.
i know now these type of cars need a VIC check in order to be put back on the road.
this VIC check makes sure the car has been repaired safely/propperly and is now legally allowed to be put back on the road.

for it to be a cat c it does mean it will have had an accident and is not a stolen and recovered cat d therefore u must be mindful about what damage was caused.

to be on the safe side u could get it inspected by the AA or RAC at a cost of around £200
alternatively take another pair of eyes and have a good look all around the inside, outside and underneath

to be honest when buying any mini most will have been treated like a patchwork quilt and had some panels and parts replaced.


the only other thing to remember is that ur insurance will not pay out true market value of any cat c or cat d car as they have already paid out once before.


either way if its only an hour or so to go and see it then why not.

[darky32]

Hmm yer that is along the lines i was thinking ....

And at the end of the day it has proberly been back on the road for the past 6-7 years and if any major problems with bent subframes/shell then i would have thought it would have been picked up by now...

I am in the motor trade myself and have a keen eye for bad repairs or misalighned panels etc... so will go and have a look and see whats what ....

If all is good i will be looking to pay around £1200-£1400 does that seem about right for a car of that history ??( i know i am in the trade but when it comes to mini's i am a bit off the mark )

Cheers

[Pauly]

Seeing as the damage was quite some time ago, then it would of probably not had a VIC check (not in force back then), a VIC check just checks the cars identity anyway, not the actual quality of the repairs, many people think they check repairs but they are only interested in chassis numbers. You can take a car in which is half way through repair and it can be passed, as long as the docs add up.

The price difference between salvage minis and straight ones is very little these days, due to the cost of minis increasing every year.

Cat c minis means nothing these days IMO, due to insurers writting minis off on cat C for silly damages.

Edited by Pauly, 27 July 2010 - 11:17 AM.

[Ethel]

I agree entirely with Pauly, it may well have just had some panels replaced that it would have needed anyway because of rust. Check the V5 against the write off date to get a better idea - was it bought back and repaired by the owner or was it picked up as salvage by a dealer?

Check out your insurance options too, insurers like to undervalue write offs, so you may want to look at an agreed value policy.

[MrMiniSpecial]

Sorry to drag this up but I've got a little to add.
My car was a cat D, in 1995. Probably written off because the total cost of the claim to the insurer was greater than the cars value.
This can just mean that, providing a courtesy car, collecting the car on a low loader etc all combines to increase the cost of the claim, the insurer doesn't think its worth it, so writes the car off.

I know exactly where the damage occoured to mine, it was a damaged offside wing and bonnet. The front panel was still original, so I think something was dropped onto that side of the car, or it had a slow speed prang with something at headlamp level or something. The wing and bonnet were replaced which in all likely hood probably would have happened at somepoint over its 31 year life anyway due to rust etc. I've still got my original sills and floorpan!

My point is that a cat D or C car is still worth a look. Try and get as much background info if possible. I looked at all the facts I could find and decided the car was right for me.