Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car

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Sun 14 Jul 2024 19:11
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Rudlin

Looking at second hand car market, there seems to be a raft of insurance write-offs that seems to offer exemplary value - low mileage, clean looking cars.

Can you advise me please if I'm being sensible by trying to go for a write-off as my car that I'd like to keep for 10+ years. The idea is that I'm not planning on selling my car for a while, and maybe having had it repaired would make economic sense - in terms of overall lower wear and tear.

I've checked insurance quotes on some of the write-offs - and i didn't seemed to have noticed any peculiarities in terms of increased premiums.

Provided I have the right assurance from the seller (either private or trade), would it make sense to go for Cat S / N, for a car that would set my back by £10-£13k (Mazda cx-5, Kia exceed).

Many thanks.

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Sun 14 Jul 2024 19:56
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Ethan Edwards

Cheaper to buy sure but difficult to sell on and will be worth less when you do. As long as you go into it eyes open then could be ok.

Assuming it's been repaired correctly so as to not impair future crash performance.

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Sun 14 Jul 2024 20:09
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - badbusdriver

Horses for courses and all but there is no way I'd buy a written off car.

Cat S means structural damage which has been repaired. By who and to what standard?, and what exactly was the damage?. Potentially putting yourself and loved ones in a car which may provide much poorer protection in the event of a crash in order to save some money and/or get a newer car than you'd otherwise be able to afford?. Absolute madness IMO

Cat N means non structural damage. This would include water or fire damage, both which (but especially water) could result in major problems down the line time wise.

I'd much rather get an older car.

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Sun 14 Jul 2024 20:20
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Rudlin
Thanks that’s a very good insight. Didn’t take into account safety’.
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Sun 14 Jul 2024 22:09
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - bathtub tom

I've known of a few cars that have had fairly extensive body repairs. They all rusted.

I believe it's because the internal panel surfaces cannot be treated to the same degree as a new car. Also, any welding carried out is going to remove paint/protection on the other side of the panel, which is then probably hidden.

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Sun 14 Jul 2024 23:23
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Andrew-T

Provided I have the right assurance from the seller (either private or trade), ....

Hmmm. Given the (perhaps anecdotal) reputation of the motor trade, that may be rather wishful thinking. I suppose if you found such a car with a recent exemplary MoT result it would be worth a look. But as it is not unknown to pay market price for a car and be disappointed, it is almost certain if you pay bargain rates.

I guess there may be nice looking cat-N cars which were written off after being submerged in water or rescued from a beach. If you aren't put off by that idea, go ahead.

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Mon 15 Jul 2024 02:11
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - sajid

I wouldnt touch them first of all you got a reduced sale in value, other could be damage that may affect car reliability handling safety.

You be paying more to repair I suggest go 2nd hand non cat damaged car

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Mon 15 Jul 2024 05:38
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - madf

Our 2003 Yaris D4D was damaged in a minor collision two yeas ago.Front bumper cracked, one wing dented, headlamp smashed. No structural damage and crash zones untouched.

Bought back from insurers, replaced headlamp £200 (unique to D4D) and repainted sc***ed metal. Still going strong strong. No MOT or insurance issues.

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Mon 15 Jul 2024 08:58
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Terry W

Buying a car which was written off a few years ago may be a reasonable proposition - any inadequate repair may then be more evident.

Buying an older write off could make sense as the extent of any damage would be less than for a newer car. £3k of fairly superficial damage could write off a £5k car. It may need £8k+ to write off a £20k motor.

I would be disinclined to buy a nearly new write off - although the savings are much higher, so are the risks.

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Mon 15 Jul 2024 09:36
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Andrew-T

Our 2003 Yaris D4D was damaged in a minor collision two yeas ago.Front bumper cracked, one wing dented, headlamp smashed. No structural damage and crash zones untouched. Bought back from insurers, replaced headlamp £200 (unique to D4D) and repainted sc***ed metal. Still going strong strong. No MOT or insurance issues.

Yes, that car was fully depreciated, so the difference in value with or without the Cat flag would be pretty small. My 207SW had similar treatment 8 years ago which had no detectable effect on its characteristics, and now probably little on its value either.

We don't know whether the car the OP is considering has a recent Cat notice or an earlier one - which should affect his/her decision. If there is a solid MoT history since the repair it could be a fair bargain.

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Mon 15 Jul 2024 09:37
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - SLO76
The only time a write-off makes any real sense would be in the case of an older cheap runabout. Low value cars can be written-off by insurers for something as minor as a cracked bumper, such a car repaired or not can make sense as a budget runabout. A newer more valuable car will have suffered much more extensive damage to see it written-off and should as a general rule be avoided. Safety is often compromised plus rust protection from use of cheap pattern parts and bodged repairs using non-insurance approved bodyshops will be very poor.

I understand that you want maximum value for money here, but at the end of the day we must live within our budget. What is your maximum budget and what size of car do you need? How many miles do you roughly travel in a year and do you regularly do longer distances? Where roughly will you be looking?
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Mon 15 Jul 2024 10:19
Mazda / Kia - Looking at write-offs as my next car - Falkirk Bairn

I think I told this story before

Neighbour has upgraded his Caddy from diesel van to a comfortable/powerful van for his Cycling .

Lots upgrades - insulated, leather, new dash out of Touran, new AC, modern infotainment - all VW bits

A3 arrived 3 door, bashed rear panel but looked OK - out came the V6 3.2 L engine & gearbox - he did not put in the 4WD as it required too much skill.

He was left with the rest of the car - E-bay bits - wheels, leather seats, glass, door bits & pieces etc etc

Got most of his money back - then sold the stripped chassis

As my neighbour said "It's a write-off but any good panel beater could have had the car back on the road for not a lot of money" Could have been back on the road for years"

IIRC it was some 13/14 year old, low mileage for the year - just panel damage

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