im looking for an 04 plate mazda mx5 for my sister,i have seen 1 on ebay but the first owner wrote it off (he or she had the car on the mobility scheme)and it was classified as cat d,the second owner bought the car and repaired it with all new mazda parts.how bad must it have been to have been written off at maybe 2 years old but classed as cat d,i know its hard to say without actually speaking to the person who repaired it but i thought i may as well ask,or would the mobility write it off for next to no damage and supply a new car?ta,lee

 

cat d i think is only light damage

 

Cat D is only light damage, and does not need any DVLA checks to be put back on the road. Cat C does require a re-test at a DVLA test centre.

IMO its nothing to be scared of if it has been repaired ok, but it will always have a lower value.

HTH
Cheers

 

make sure you look properly at this,ive had loads of cat ds at my workshop and look more like cat c,just be careful thats all

 

Yeah,its not too close to me,im not too worried about cat d as my cosworth is cat d,its for my sister though so i dont want to go all the way down to see a lemon,i know what to look for as regards panel damage,overspray,filler etc.i just wondered why a 2 year old car would get written off as cat d,surely if the damage was minimal it would have been repaired,at 5 years old these cars are still going for upwards of 5800 and thats for average miles,this 1 has not even done 16000 yet.it was the price that caught my eye.

 

Doesnt take a lot of actual damage to be written off though.
It could have had every panel keyed. Insurance would look at prices for full spray job, whereas in reality, it could probably be fixed for a few hundred quid.

 

My astra was written off by insurer, due to a gashed bumper and dent in nearside 1/4, keep meaning to do the dent, but keep forgetting which side it is!!, it's so little, the car is still driven with same insurer who knows the other parties insurer paid out, gave me £625, cheque, s/h bumper was £10, can't be bothered to do the paint, just use it till it drops, but that was 3 years ago, and only paid £200 for the car anyway!!
tabetha