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What do insurance companies mean by 'substantial damage'?

  • 15-03-2010 10:28pm
    #1
    choochoo1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭


    I'm a 1st time car buyer so I'm fairly clueless/naive about what questions I should be asking when buying a used car. I basically asked the dealer about NCT/Tax/Warranty and if it's in good condition (he told me it is in good condition but that doesn't mean a whole pile I suppose!).

    After chatting with the dealer I rang the insurance company for a quote...When I gave them the reg they told me that car had 'substantial damage' done to it in the past. I tried to get some specifics but she couldn't (or wouldn't?) tell me more. I didn't get a chance to ring the dealer back today but will do so tomorrow.

    Can anyone explain what 'substantial damage' might entail? Does it mean the car should be avoided at all costs or is it possible it was just some cosmetic damage that has now been repaired? Will the dealer be upfront about it when I ask him? Is there another way of finding out?

    Sorry for all my naive questions!


Comments

  • #2
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,523 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    I would take tha to mean it was possibly written off as uneconomical to repair, but that someone did anyway.

    Only a possibility though


  • #3
    robtri
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,473 ✭✭✭robtri


    hard to quatify exactly what they mean, i would guess structural damage...
    or very heavy cosmetic damage...

    ring the dealer and ask him why he didnt tell you about the damage to the car and why he lied about it... then report him to consumer affairs...


  • #4
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    walk away...theres loads of cars for sale ....


  • #5
    choochoo1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭choochoo1


    Thanks for the replies. Looks like it's best avoided then, the price seemed too good also.

    I'll give him a ring tommorrow and fire some more questions at him about the condition of the car and it's history, if he doesn't mention anything about how it was damaged I will get on to consumer affairs, idiots like me need protection :)


  • #6
    L1011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,927 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    I would take it to mean that its flagged as having been a (repairable) writeoff. This doesn't always mean it was in bits but I'd still advise walking away

    A mate has a car that was a Cat D writeoff in the UK under a first-year clause. Got rear-ended after 6 weeks, the then owner claimed for an entire new car and the "damaged" one got marked as Cat D. Nothing wrong with it that a new bumper and slam panel didn't fix 100% but its now significantly cheaper than any other car of its age/condition. But this is a fluke, most Cat C/Cat D writeoffs are FAR more damaged.


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  • #7
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    i wonder what proportion of the UK cars you see at Dealers who specialise in them are UK write off cat C or D. Im guessing it wouldnt show up on irish documents once they had been re-registered.


  • #8
    antodeco
    Registered Users, Subscribers, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,605 ✭✭✭✭antodeco


    OP, it does depend on the car and year. If it's a very old car, it's very easy to have it as 'beyond economic repair'. My mate who had a 2002 Polo suffered this. It was classed as uneconomical. However, he sourced parts himself, knew a mechanic and got it put back on the road for 1/3 of the cost of the car.


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