Please help-Shoud I buy this Cat C 944??

[Guest]

I've got close to purchasing a 1988 F 944 2.7 but ran a HPI at work and it turns out the car has been recorded as a cat c two years ago. When I told the owner they were quite taken aback. The owner is finding out what the level of damage was, obviously no chassis damage as it's a cat c. There are stone chips on the front of the car that reflect the age and mileage shown so it seems unlikely that it was front end damage only two years ago. My logic is that with an old car like this it doesn't take many parts and labour to rack up 60% of the value needed to write a car off.

The original price we had agreed on was 2000 pounds. The car is black with cream leather and has 130k,part history, and has 10 months MOT remaining. Should I make any assumptions that if it's been recently MOT'd it should be mechanically fine.


I should be able to get this car for approx 1000 pounds now. The car is pretty clean all over, should I go for it anyway?

I'm aware that any money spent in the future ie engine overhaul etc will be very difficult to get back, is this car a steal for 1000 pounds or should I wait and find an original car for my 2000.

All help and advice is welcome. I had to sell my Chimaera as we've just had our first baby and I need a toy for the weekend again.

Jeremy.

 

[Diver944]

Have you been back to give it a real close look over since discovering it was a Cat C?

I would suggest that if you still can't find anything visibly wrong after this that you are probably right about the ease with which these cars can be written off for reasons of low value. A bare wing will cost £500 from the dealer before any paint or fitting so it's a very small crunch that can write these cars off []

If everything else shapes up, and the car is a good runner then I personally think £1000 would be a steal (and pretty depreciation proof too - it can't really go any lower)

 

[Fen]

You're absolutely right it takes very little to write a 944 off. Years (and I mean years) ago Performance Car mag bought what I recall as a Velvet red Lux with oval dash that had been hit in the back and shunted into the car in front resulting in pretty much only bumper damage (needed a bit of filler around the corners of the rear bumper too I think) that had been written off by that accident.

They made it into a bright orange "ClubSport".

I'd agree with Paul, £1,000 is a steal if it was a minor write-off. You'll never see back the cost of anything you do to it, sure, but realistically you might not see back anything you spend on a similar £2,000 non-write-off and you may as well have the bag of sand difference in the bank. It also saves you looking for another car you are happy with.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Why the drastic drop as it was a cat C?

This only means it was a value-based write off, so if the repair is good, there should be no difference compared to a repaired car that the repair happened to earlier in it's life.

e.g. as above.

3 year old 944 needs new wing. No question, value of car is 60% of new cost. Repair is cheap in comparison. Insurance company pays up.

15 year old 944 needs new wing. Car value much less. Insurance company writes car off on value. Same repair is done to the same standard.

What's the difference? Apart from a new verses much older repair...

 

[Helen Goff]

depends how long your planing to keep the car. if you plan to use and enjoy it for several years then i'd say go for it.
where else are you going to find such a exciting car for £1,000

 

[sawood12]

I believe (someone please correct me if i'm wrong) that the main structual beams at the front of the 944 only extend as far as the front wheels (two big box section beams) and everything forward of that hangs off this structure and are therefore bolt-on replaceable. So the car needs to have had a pretty major shunt at the front to cause damage to this core structure.

So if the damage was only front end you might be lucky. For a couple of hundred quid it might be a good idea to get an engineer to look over the main structural points for signs of damage or repair. Although it's no guarantee it's another indicator if all other evidence looks OK.

Obviously you need to establish to your own satisfaction that you are getting the best possible structural protection in case you are involved in an accident in the car.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

It seems unlikely to have had a front impact as the stone chips are concurrent with a car thats done 130k.

There is visible damage to the back. It has tell tale signs of someone reversing into a post ie split bumper, the rear valance is cracked, I dont know if anything else has been fixed. I can't believe that the cost of repairing this lot would write it off but then I guess it depends what an insurance company thinks a 16 year old 130k 944 is worth.

If the car has been Mot'd, is it worth getting it inspected for another 200 quid. If the worst came to the worst I could probably recover the cost of buying through breaking it up for parts.

Maybe I'll take the risk, it may well turn out to be nice little car.

 

[carlmthompson]

Have you tried to contact the previous owner? Always worth a shot, and they might know what happened.

 

[sawood12]

One piece of advice I was given when I was looking to buy mine was to look out for a paper label stuck to the inside of the boot on the rear of the car under the carpet - approximately behind the numberplate but off centre. This label is stuck there on the assembly line and if the rear of the car hasn't been replaced it should still be there. If it's not it's either had a new rear panel or maybe been removed as part of a re-spray. It's something you could ask about.

 

[John Sims]

I personally think £1000 would be a steal

I go along with Paul & Fen. Have you bought it yet?

 

[944Turbo]

Anyone remember (from the reading meet) how much the damage on nigel's car cost to repair with new parts?
Tony

 

[Fen]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

One piece of advice I was given when I was looking to buy mine was to look out for a paper label stuck to the inside of the boot on the rear of the car under the carpet - approximately behind the numberplate but off centre. This label is stuck there on the assembly line and if the rear of the car hasn't been replaced it should still be there. If it's not it's either had a new rear panel or maybe been removed as part of a re-spray. It's something you could ask about.

And if you do buy it and it doesn't have the sticker, scan the one on the service book, print it onto cheap paper with a cheap printer set to the lowest quality and stick it to the panel with spray mount. Job jobbed []

 

[John Sims]

Anyone remember (from the reading meet) how much the damage on nigel's car cost to repair with new parts?
Tony

I'm not sure but the figure of £1,200 seems to ring a bell. IIRC he had to have a whole new rear lower spoiler as you can't buy just the mounting block which was all he wanted.

While you and I would get a replacement back bumper from Simon, an insurance company has to supply new - repaint it all etc. etc.

 

[Fen]

!BING! lightbulb goes off in my head....

When I had my S2 coupe I was driving out of Huddersfield one day with a colleague following behind me in his company Laguna (I had rejected mine, hence being in my S2) because he didn't know the way. He followed me a bit close and when I stopped to let a taxi past he didn't and nudged me. He must have been doing 5mph and I didn't have the brakes on.

Only the back bumper split on mine and the black plastic bit of the Laguna's bumper deformed slightly. He was on a written warning already so I agreed he could get a second hand bumper from Simon Butterworth and get it painted. Simon quoted £60 for the bumper, then the idiot got fired anyway and I had to go through the company insurance. Final bill was £960 if memory serves me right and there was no damage to the rear panel nor the valance.

 

[944Turbo]

I had a feeling Nigel's bumper and valance (new parts) came to around 1k, I thought total it was closer to 2K for a relatively tiny bump, but then my memory is pretty bad at recalling numbers!

Tony