Lorries built from Cat D donor vehicle

[taranana]

As per the title really. Does anyone have one and, if so what problems if any, have they found with owning or selling them on?

I'm having a 3,5 built and one option for donor vehicle is a Cat D where the damage is the panelling that would be discarded anyway. Obviously they are cheaper but I don't know if it's a false economy.

So, any H&H wisdom would be gratefully received

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

You'd have problems selling. People are very funny about buying write off vehicles, even when it's totally repaired and perfectly safe. It's just how people are.

 

[turnbuckle]

Will certainly be a bargaining point agin you if you ever sell it on...but I reckon if you take a detailed set of pics showing the exact damage and keep them to show prospective buyers, you might be getting quite a good deal. A concern would be that the chassis really IS straight underneath.

Actually, the photo record of the build is a really good thing to have....assuming yr builder is happy with his work on display....and if he isn't....well....

 

[cootuk]

I would also check insurance. Some insurers won't touch them, some will need a detailed engineers report.

 

[whiteflower]

Even if damage is to mainly panelling it must have had severe damage to write it off (unless it's very old) so I wouldn't be happy that there could be something else going on, chassis slight out of line etc. It's not a risk I would take personally and I'm not convinced the money you save would be worth it for potential other issues and resale problems.

 

[dozzie]

If there was any damage other than superficial damage it would be at least Cat C. Any vehicle over 3 years old could be deemed uneconomical to repair through insurance companies. Most can be repaired for a lot less once away from insurance if they are cat D. Cat C needs a report after repair. We have had several Cat D cars and never had a problem insuring them. Technically if you are happy to drive round with the dents you often don't have to do anything to them.
AFAIK "uneconomical to repair" is when the cost of repair is more than 50% of the value of the vehicle.
I would go for it tbh if you are intending to use the box yourself. Just make sure it is safe. The resale value may be a bit less but that is reflected in the build costs.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

My first two cars were cat d.
Insurance just decided it was going to cost more than the car was worth to fix.

 

[taranana]

Thanks all. I will probably err on the side of caution and try and make savings elsewhere.

 

[PaddyMonty]

Cat D is cosmetic damage only, not structural. There wont be any issues with safety of the lorry from this.
Problem is people just don't understand the implication of cat D and therefore it can make the vehicle harder to resell and at a lower value.

 

[rachk89]

You may struggle to sell on but for use you're fine.

 

[turnbuckle]

Cab you post some pics of the damage? And how much of a discount to an undamaged one is it? Also, what sort of miles, any service history?

 

[taranana]

I haven't yet got a specific vehicle in mind. I was just asked if I'd consider one assuming panel damage only and my feeling was that I wouldn't mind necessarily but that resale may be an issue. Obviously the plan wouldn't be to be selling any time soon but you never know ......

 

[turnbuckle]

I do think there's panel damage and panel damage. Might be worth seeing if you can Google assesors and find one who would come out and give you a report before dealing.

Thinking about where a van would get whacked, I CAN see one sustaining panel damage only, but I really do think it's important to make sure the floorpan/chassis is square.

If you can be sure of that, you may well get a cracking bargain. But don't let the builder pressure you. It's a wildly competitive market out there and there are always other choices.

 

[dozzie]

Cat D is cosmetic damage only, not structural. There wont be any issues with safety of the lorry from this.
Problem is people just don't understand the implication of cat D and therefore it can make the vehicle harder to resell and at a lower value.

Agree. technically you don't have to repair a Cat D as it is cosmetic.

 

[PaddyMonty]

, but I really do think it's important to make sure the floorpan/chassis is square.

If floor pan or chassis was damaged in any way it would not be Cat D. Minimum would be Cat C but most likely Cat B (total loss)

 

[turnbuckle]

In theory totally agree, but just think of the ways in which a 3.5T can get walloped and most of them will involve some risk of a twisted floorpan.....with anything other than a clean kind of "waist level" deep gouge to the side (from say a loading bay), I would want to make double sure that things are straight.