Cat C 172 Cup

[billythefish]

Hi People,

I'm new to this site but I was wondering whether you could help me out in making a decision about a Car I've seen and am thinking of buying?

It's a 53 plate Clio 172 Cup with just 10k miles on, it is however a Cat C Car so I'm unsure whether to go for it or not?? I'm going to see it at the weekend and I'll obviously get some sort of check done on it before I commit but I was just wondering whether you guys could tell me if it's a good deal or not? It's priced at just under £5k, does that seem a good deal considering it's a Cat C etc? Also, it's got a Service book but has yet to be stamped so I'm assuming it's never been serviced either? Could a Car like this really go for 3 years without a service, despite the fact it's only done 10k?

Cheers

 

[Englebert]

CAT C is quite serious isn't it?

Only having done 10k is great...but no servicing! Does that mean it's just been sitting around? Personally i would pay £4k max.

 

[billythefish]

It's had rear quarter panel work done, that's as much as I know? Cat C means that it would have cost the insurance company more to repair than what the Car was worth but it's still repairable none the less. The owner can then buy back the Car from the insurance company and get the work done themself which is what's happened in this case. Cat C cars are worth around 30% less than a normal one.

I've had a look on Autotrader and a similar aged car and mileage goes for around the £9k mark, with this in mind £5k seems like a bargain, doesn't it???

 

[Darren]

£5k for a cup is a bit of a bargain. but given that the car is a cat C then it seems to be a reasonable price.

mine is a cat C and i have had no problems with it (touch wood) obv it will affect the resale value a little bit, but not worried about that just now.

 

[Englebert]

You can pick up average mileage Cups for £6k though. £9k is dreaming, you could get a nearly new 182 for that!

Did a search on Google for an explanation and got to this on Piston Heads:

"Cat C cars can have been absolutely slaughtered, believe me/ I would not buy anything that was classified as more than a Cat D and even then I'd want to pay peanuts for it.."

Personally i would haggle them down as much as possible, print off cheapo Cups from Autotrader etc.

 

[cK]

Affecting the resale value yes but you have to remember you purchased it a lot cheaper than a straight one in the first place - so it more or less depreciates roughly the same.

If I wanted a car bad enough i'd definately consider CAT C or CAT D. CAT C requires a check by vosa. Cat D does not require this. On a fairly new(ish) car it would have to be more work than just a quarter panel. Possibly a knock to the suspension, arch, bootfloor, sills etc.

If the work has been carried out to a high standard then a cat c car is as good if not stronger and better made up than one which came from the renault factory.

 

[philthy]

is this the silver one for sale in autotrader with different grills?

 

[Lam7r]

When its a Cat C i am sure that the service history is disposed of then when the car is re registered to go back on the road service history starts again. If that makes sense.

As for Cat C and D i see nothing wrong with them. They will sell for less but you should have paid less to start with so you dont lose out. I bought a Cat D 172 and its been 100% fine for me. I bought it with the intention of tracking it later on this year when i get round to getting it ready. If i was buying a "newish" car i.e. 6 months old etc then i wouldnt get a cat C as it would have had a lot of damage to be given a cat C or indeed D rating. I am not sure of the % value it has to be to be classed as D and C but say for example its 75% then 75% OF A £4K might be a new door and quarter panel. This on a £14k car would be a lot more as said above, suspension damage etc etc.

 

[MATT BLACK]

Theres thousands of CAT C cars on the roads - providing the repair has been done to a good standard theres nothing wrong with them. CAT A & CAT B are the ones that are fucked and arent allowed back onto the road. It does affect the price though - i sold a CAT D 2000 mk1 172 for £2500 repaired and a 2001 51 plate for £4k repaired a few months ago. Bid him in the balls for it

 

[Grale16v]

I have owned a Cat C Peugeot 306 Meridian for 6 years, with NO problems.
It had only done 12k when i bought it, now it's got 57k on the clock and the only thing i've bought are tyres and a part for the front suspension, can't remember what exactly £17:approve:

The work was done by a friend so i know it was right though.

If you can get it at the right money, go for it

 

[billythefish]

Cheers people! I get the impression that most of you would say go for it, providing I can get it a good price and it's all road worthy of course!

Can I just say how friendly this Forum is! I used to own a Mitsi Evo 8 MR last year so I was a member on the MLR (Mitsi Lancer Register) and I thought those guys were friendly, you lot are in a different league!!

I look forward to speaking to you guys again once I'm a 172 owner!