What is a 'V' plate car?

[Muzzer911]

A 944 I am looking at is described as being on the 'V' car register.

I have heard of a 'Q' plate but not a 'V'.

Phil

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=003&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=130121864928&rd=1&rd=1

 

[knightma]

It's VCAR and it stands for Vehicle Condition Alert Register. It is split into 4 categories:-

Category A (Worst) : Example: a burned out shell, CANNOT be put back on the road.

Category B : Example: Very bad accident damage, car CANNOT be put back on the road but parts can be re-used.

Category C : Example : Severe accident damage, car CAN be out back on the road.

Category D : Example : Theft Recovery/Flooding/minor/moderate accident damage, car CAN be put back on the road.

So obviously the car you are looking at must be a C or D but I would find out exactly what the problem was and also get it inspected to confirm the repair quality before bidding. It will not be worth what a "clean" car is worth.

 

[Peter Empson]

The Vcar register means it has something a bit nasty happen to it in its past (it's apparently nicknamed the 'hit list' by the trade).

I'd be very careful to find out what caused it to get on the list and make sure it's been repaired properly, but it may not be as bad as it sounds, its not unknown for a cosmetically vandalised car to be written off by insurers for example.

<>Edited to add Mark beat me to it with a much better reply

 

[Muzzer911]

Thanks guys. I think I'll probably give this one a miss. However, I might do a HPI check to see what that throws up.

 

[Mark Elder]

I'm fairly sure the HPI check will only tell you the category (clear, D, C, etc) - not the juicy details. Which is one of the problems, you really have to dig deep (get receipts, talk to repairers etc) before you can get a story other than whatever the seller "wants" to say. And that is a problem because many repairs are good but it's tough to get the evidence to make yourself sure (and to be able to make another buyer sure when you sell it on in a few years).

 

[PJS917]

It says it was on the register years ago, which means the severity of its incident will be greater than if it
went on the register last month. The car goes on the register because it is uneconomic to repair against its
current value. Therefore a 944 cab that cost 40k new needs a big accident to write it off when it is 2 months old,
when it is 15 years old and has a value of 5k it does not take much to make it uneconomic to repair.

If you are going to buy a Cat C/D car I would rather buy one that is older as the damage it has had may be very minimal in the grand scheme of things.