Cat D on HPI.

should add it's for my mrs. She really likes it but i'm sceptical.

Mason

Buy on condition. My old Scorpio was Cat D, but I got £400 for it after it was written off, having only paid £100 for it anyway.

My Sera is also technically a Cat D. Look at the quality of the repair work, if there was any done. Look underneath for signs of having had an off-road excursion. Look at the wiring where you can for bodged repairs when replacing locks. For example, whilst the Sera is a write-off, I have made it roadworthy with a £36 bumper insert, everything else is cosmetic. It does need some welding but if that was done badly, you'd notice it a mile off. If you think the front has been damaged, look at the headlamp alignment; that's the bit where the Sera would show problems.

I just refitted the lights with a new bracket, but still broken lights, and the amount the bonnet has been bent really shows up now - but also the bumper, lights and grille are lined up perfectly and the headlamp aim is bang-on despite the broken lamp brackets - there is a degree of adjustment available on the headlamp panel which has allowed me to fit the lights using the critical 'hard points' of the edge of the wing and the chassis leg as the points of reference, and the headlamp/slam panel mounting is out and clearly so, but within tolerance to get the light refitted, so new lights with intact brackets will fit perfectly.

Cat D in itself is not an indication that the car will be any worse than another used car. I think the worst thing you have is that the insurance is restricted in some way (so I have heard; I've yet to see evidence of it myself).

Richard

aye, i'm definately going with her to see if the repairs have been done well...i', just a bit dubious as the owner wants to swap for her BMW. I'm a bit worried about trading a mint BMW for a lemon.

If it's not shafted, then no.

Go take a look - if the car is sound, you get it at a nice discount, with no penalty.

If it's had a knock, then I'd walk away.

Stolen/Recovered isn't really a bargain if the thieves drove it over 20 fields and then into a wall :)

other than you loose the same again when selling it on?

Only if the new seller HPI's it ;)

true enough i supose...

Yep - but unless it's something that's actually worth a reasonable amount of cash when you come to shift it, then we're just talking pocket money really.

car in question is a BMW 325i cabriolet, white, low mileage (56k) with plenty of mspec extras. and the owner is interested in a swap for sarah's