Recorded Cat C

Category C write-off. I imagine if you get it back on the road it'll be on Q-plates, which most large insurance companies wont touch with a bargepole.

Bodyshops and such do often restore them, but really for the average joe-bloggs, not worth considering.

The message from "David R" contains these words:

My insurance company told me that all I'd need is an MOT and they're reinsure without problem or extra cost.

• Category A - Must be crushed. All of it. * Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road. Parts may be sold. * Category C - Repairable. Possibly structural damage. Cost of damage (at dealer prices and labour rates) is more than book value of vehicle. * Category D - Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn't want to. * Category X - Repairable. Minor Danage.

In more detail:

Category A - May not be resold. Must be crushed. Total burnout or flood damage (salt or foul water). Severely damaged with no serviceable parts, or already stripped out shell. DVLA require "Notification of Destruction".

Category B - May not be resold. Damaged beyond economical repair, usually with severe structural damage. DVLA require "Notification of Destruction". Parts can be removed and sold.

Category C - Repairable salvage. Usually applies to vehicles with significant (structural) damage, where cost of repairs exceeds book value. Can be sold complete to Trade or Public. Recorded as "Category C" at DVLA. Category C vehicles' V5 documents are returned to DVLA. You re-apply, to DVLA or at your local VRO, for registration on the original identity once you have fixed it up, MOTed it and want to Tax it. Re-registration removes the Category C classification, but evidence it was at one time Category C remains on the vehicle's record at DVLA (and HPI and AA and the others).

David R (david snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

No, if it's passed a Vehicle Identity Check, then it'll be on it's original plates.

Q-plates are for vehicles where the identity is indeterminate - usually rebuilt from used shells and used components from other vehicles - an amalgam of a nicked and a write-off, usually. Nothing inherently wrong with 'em, if they've been rebuilt properly.

Aha! Thanks for the information Adrian. I had been advised in the past to completely body-sweve any Cat C car completely, sounded like a nice wee project to be getting on with however. Is it best to go for it if it's not in too much trouble?

Seen a 37k 2005 Accord go for £1100 recently, with obvious damage to both doors on the passenger side. I guess you can't always guess the damage it's done to the components inside other parts of the car though.

The problem is that unless you're into accident repair, there's a lot of hidden stuff you may not see or even consider from what could look like a relatively light tap. It's definitely one of those cases where you take along someone who really knows what they're doing.

Precisely. Depending on how hard it got whacked, the B posts, floorpan and roof could be stuffed too even though they "look" OK.

All the more reason to remove the body shell, and somehow sellotape it onto a mini-metro. Always wanted to do that; make a shit car worse, shove a decent car's body-shell on. Would be funny for those who got inside, and wondered what had happened to the usual Honda high-quality finish...hmm..