Should You Buy a DAMAGE REPAIRED Car?

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Today we're discussing buying an accident damaged car: should you buy one?
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[@TheRj1986]

Mat Armstrong just entered the chat

[@HighPeakAutos]

😂

[@OllieTT]

Had to check the comments to make sure someone had posted this.

[@SMDH.2204]

Best comment

[@1000sofusernames]

If Mat hadn't' taken off he'd be broke by now. Those early cars weren't exactly money makers.

[@micburns]

He is good at what he does. A content producer on you tube. I doubt many or any of those cars will be on the open market.

[@mikewa2]

Flood Damage - best to avoid as most cars will have suffer damage to electronics and that can be difficult to remedy. Cars are designed to resist rainwater but flood damage can be tricky to tell what has been affected.

[@howardlake6178]

I watch, or used to watch because he doesn’t seem to do videos now, a Russian guy who rebuilds Ferraris, Lambos, McLarens etc. He would not touch anything that had been in salt water because of the extra corrosion. But Sergei at Real Life Exotics will have a go at anything, including non salt flood damage 😀

[@The_journeyy]

*Buying a car that's been written off can be a perfect way to get the car of your dreams for a far more reasonable price. These days insurance companies will write off a car for the smallest things like a wing but for them its major because they've to buy the parts from the dealer were a normal person doesn't have to and can shop around for those parts write offs just have a bad stigma*

[@longbar2344]

no the stigma is most come from Birmingham

[@bobbyprice9855]

@@longbar2344 planning on buying a cat s MG ZS from Birmingham right now 😂 what do you mean by that?

[@longbar2344]

@bobbyprice9855 how do u know know this???????

[@Showing_the_car_]

@@bobbyprice9855 I'd avoid Cat S TBH. Lots more risk of badly repaired / cobbled repairs having a massive effect on the car's safety.

[@OscarHobson]

@@bobbyprice9855 well?

[@phillipclaridge3112]

Interesting piece. I have purchased 4 cat N cars and have never had problems insuring any of them on fully comp. In all 4 cases, the cars were damaged when I got them and they have all gone on to give good service. I have a Hyundai IX20 which I repaired and has been in my 'fleet' for 3 years and is an absolute gem. One thing that is an anomaly (in my view) is if I were to have a newish car that I damaged, there is a good chance that the insurer will have it repaired and it will not be categorised thus when it comes to resale, leaving those who are not in the know with a car which does have a past! The thing that does really annoy me is the requirement for insurers to fit all new parts following damage. My partners Astra was recently written off as cat N because they decided that to replace the tailgate would cost £5,500. We bought the car back and found a replacement tailgate in colour which was fitted for £350 - crazy!

[@charlesmorgan8440]

Crikey, some of those examples are astounding. I have bought older cars, like MB W124s that were Cat D, but the notional value was so low that even a new headlight and fitting from MB would write it off, whereas I would have bought a secondhand unit from Ebay. However, that Ferrari, jeepers...

[@johndeehan8078]

Some years ago, my sister and her husband bought a Vauxhall that turned out to be two cars welded together. A history check would definitely have been wise. Three years ago, I bought a motorbike from a dealer that had been written off with cosmetic damage. I bought it at a great price, he even knocked a further £500 off without any prompting from me. A great dealership.

[@tonypacke6954]

Nice video Matt. It would be a laugh to send the crash damage picture to the eBay seller and offer him half of what he was asking for it.

[@GeordsYouTube]

At the right price and managing the expectations of resale value (if it’s not a forever car) you can get a right deal, using a decent vehicle history checker is key.

[@asdreww]

I've had a cat D car before... it had been keyed all down one side. estimate was probably to repaint the entire car from a high end bodyshop so it was an easy right off. The paint was perfect and I knew it was basically no worse than any car that had had some random scratch//stonechip repair so was a no brainer really.

[@edwardbates2562]

Really been waiting for this topic to be covered. Thanks for taking the time to run through and share your wisdom.

[@70053morayfirth]

My low mileage MG TF was written off when I swerved into a ditch to avoid an idiot approaching on my side of the road. The insurance company gave me a fair price - £2000 - then after talking to their engineer I bought it back for £430 (delivered to my local garage) who charged a further £400 to repair it (new anti roll bar and minor scrapes and paint). The insurance company would not repair it as new parts are not available. As soon as it was repaired and passed a new MoT with no advisories, it was back on fully comp insurance. A very good insurance company - Direct Line.

[@ploddicus]

What a great video Matt, clear, logical and really informative. Thank you!!

[@shellacandvinylarchive3370]

Great video - learned loads. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[@mikeholden3397]

Great video as always Matt - always worth mentioning that uninsured cars (including high-end ones) are crashed and repaired all the time and won’t appear on ANY car history ‘checking’ website…..my advice, if you are spending more than say £8-£10k is to get the car professionally inspected….if the private seller or dealer resists this, walk away

[@Shaggy-8392]

@@user-ci2se2lj1t 🤣

[@cuddlemuffinqueeflover56]

I'll say one thing Matt, you truly are the most honest businessman (not just a car salesman) around. There's no fan fare, no bullshit, no "look at me I'm a KZbinr", just an honest guy guy trying to make an honest living and using KZbin to share your love of cars and your knowledge of the motor trade. . Rock on my son. 🤟💪😉👍

[@ALLTHINGSTV1]

you do know hes an actor

[@johnconnor7163]

Great video and very informative, as usual. I recently bought a car from a franchised dealer (who were part of a larger car group) and decided to use car vertical. Was pleasantly as the depth of detail on the report, it found no issues found but just had an extra piece of mind when finalising the deal.

[@davelester798]

Fantastic Q&A Matt another excellent video. Keep them coming. I love your honesty and knowledge of your subject..

[@highbury1972]

Hey Matt, This was an informative video,Like you say it’s worth doing a Car History Check and personally dash cams have saved my no claims and kept me in pocket over many years. For me they’re a vital tool in protecting yourself legally too. I would not drive without one and for the last decade I’ve always had two fitted front and back.

[@tariqjulani2628]

Fantastic public information Matt, your experience and knowledge is priceless! Best Car Review KZbinr by far! Helped me make a decision today

[@glennsheppard3320]

Great advise, agree with all of what you said having bought several damaged cars at the start of my driving career. My first few cars I bought damaged and got local bodyshops to repair them, being in N.ireland labour is a bit cheaper than in England, and at one time you could put a car back on the road for less than half price but they always had niggly faults, quite often electrical. Now I'm spending a bit more on cars I tend to stay clear. Car vertical has saved me from a few mistakes though, so cheers Mat.

[@matthewedwards1089]

Thanks for giving a clear opinion. It's always tempting to get more car for your money, however the price is set for a reason.

[@ianhamer4494]

Brilliant video Matt, thanks.

[@jameskirk4911]

I'm in the accident repair industry Matt. And you're spot on 👍

[@Lot76CARS]

Good video Matt. The key for me is how well the repair has been done.. and you’ll seldom have the answer to that. Behind the paint where have corners been cut? As you said unless very very light damage then avoid BUT how many cars are not recorded on the register, eg third party or no claim made and they’re even more worrying!

[@derekgibson3223]

Another great presentation. Well done Matt

[@jeffallinson8089]

Great advice, thanks very much Matt.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Great point about the price point Matt, I 100% agree 👍

[@Z-u-m-a]

Interesting stuff, and sound logic. Thanks for doing that.

[@martinhogg5337]

Very informative Matt. Thanks for that!

[@PanzerAttack72]

Great video. Well explained and I learnt a lot 👍

[@S40WBS]

Thanks buddy another great video!

[@mikew742]

Thanks Matt, great vid and lots of detail. Personally anything involved in a significant collision, even if it were cheap I would avoid. As you rightly say, cheap is different to value, and just because something is cheap doesn’t mean it’s good.

[@stevie007]

Great content and very informative 👍👍

[@BaldyFella]

I've been completely shafted recently. My Ford Focus was written off after hitting a deer on a country road back in March. I was under pressure to get a replacement so I did my due diligence and did the VCheck thing and paid £6K cash for a Ford C-Max. I noticed that the cam-belt hadn't been done (75K and 10 years) so got the Dealer to do that (we agreed 50/50 split on costs) before I would drive it away. Within a fortnight of picking it up and with the brief advent of warmer weather, I noticed the aircon didn't work. The Dealer booked it into a local garage. Warranty wouldn't cover it and Dealer wouldn't pay out even though it wasn't fit for purpose (needed new condenser plus re-gas) further £260.00 shelled out by your's truly. About 3 weeks ago I was hoovering the car out prior to what was going to be a few days down in Devon and on lifting the driver's mat noticed it was completely sodden underneath. I booked it into my garage this time for a check over. Transpired the heating management system had been completely bodged with jubilee clips etc and coolant was seeping into the car. Again warranty wouldn't cover it and Dealer refused to pay. Tried to get hold of Trading Standards but you have to go through Citizens Advice. They said I might have a case but it would take a long time to sort out. In the end I traded in the C-Max for a Peugeot 2008 (2018 plate) from my trusted local garage. It would have cost me near enough £1k to repair the C-Max. I have lost about £3K in this deal. My garage have given me 6 months warranty but told me quite honestly that I have been treated appallingly by the other local dealer. They said anything goes wrong and we'll just sort it whether the warranty covers it or not because our reputation matters. This is why some people have good experiences and others don't and I don't know what I could have done other than been without a car for months while I went through a legal process to recoup the costs. The C-Max I traded in they will put to auction because they just wouldn't sell it to one of their customers. Has left a pretty sour taste in my mouth, especially as I opted to use a local dealer rather than one of the larger more impersonal car warehouses. Interested to know your take on my sad and sorry saga Matt....should I have got the Ford Focus repaired first and then traded it or would I have been better to have gone more upmarket and taken a loan in the first place to negate the bad experience with the C-Max?

[@rp6523]

Consumer rights are, to all practical intents and purposes, theoretical. I had a similar experience to you where I was actually lied to about the car's condition, but it was down to me to prove it. I didn't have the time or money to go to court so just had to swallow it. You only have the dealer's morals to rely on if you want problems solved. Citizen's advice were utterly useless and I had to hang up on one of them before I said something offensive on one call. I haven't bought a used car from a dealer in over 10 years. I would now but I understand that I have no protection or peace of mind over a private sale.

[@tiga8032]

Great video, thanks man!

[@peterbondareff6675]

Thank you for your videos, I really enjoy them, they are very useful and interesting.

[@stephenhadfield7715]

Excellent video. Very interesting & informative. Thanks!

[@neo87011]

Thanks for this informative video.....really struggled on salvaged cars

[@alanhayward6719]

Very interesting video, I never realised a private buyer didn't have to disclose a previous CAT designation.

[@jmileshc]

Really Interesting. I've 🐝'n looking at both cars & bike's recently to replace our elderly non ABS 206 for something with more safety systems. Thank you for sharing with us all.

[@jpalbin1350]

Very informative! Thank you.

[@kieronoreilly7589]

Another excellent video 👏🏼👏🏼

[@stevenvater2681]

Great advice thanks!

[@markymark3075]

Very interesting, thanks!

[@darrenquirk2269]

Very interesting video. Thanks. Very valuable and much appreciated information which will be very helpful in future.

[@jaidank]

Great level headed advice. Thanks Matt

[@HighPeakAutos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@deluxfender]

You're a legend, mate! Keep making videos!

[@alexsolomon3762]

Great content 👍🏽

[@DavidAshworth-oe6fr]

Brilliant video thank you. 😀

[@fx02zbn]

What an interesting video. Thanks for uploading.

[@stephenlane9168]

Another entertaining and informative video Matt 👌🙏

[@riazrony]

Really helpful video. Thank u.

[@baileysandydj]

Very wise words , great video .

[@stephenlaw9827]

Excellent video, simples.

[@neilmarshment2910]

Hi Matt, found it. Useful video, thank you.

[@54mgtf22]

Love your work 👍

[@paulcrockford9845]

I have had a few written off vehicles over the years both car and motorcycle,and like you said it comes down to price,it also helps if you are handy with the spanners to do the necessary repairs

[@alexwoodward5300]

really helpful insights. thanks

[@dubisoft]

Great tips!

[@timhancock6626]

I run a Cat D car. I saw photos of it after its accident. The repairer showed me his shop and the certifications of his body work team. It had 13,000 miles on it and its now done 67,000 miles after five years and is maintained as if it were a new car. Have there been any glitches that I could put down to the bash it had and the repair. The honest answer is one or two for definite, but nothing insurmountable or super critical. As a car it's been great. Has it washed it's face financially ? Well I think so.....just. The longer I run it the closer the residual becomes to an unwritten off car, so if I keep it eight years the relative values won't be that different. It had a new sill, a new B pillar and front and rear doors. Critically the roof was undamaged so the shell integrity was good enough to repair. Did I have misgivings..yes. Has it been a good car..yes.

[@stephenbailey9656]

Great content, keep it coming Matt.

[@HighPeakAutos]

Cheers!

[@johnelbro127]

Great info thanks. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@stuartkennedy4202]

Take a paint thickness gauge it will give you a good idea if it’s been painted and if it’s also had filler. Saved me a few times.

[@firstnamed1501]

Agree with all your points. Exactly how I’d look at it too 👍🏻

[@parkecorepersonaltrainingp2601]

Great information

[@bobbywhite350]

As usual, sensible advice.

[@nekite1]

Always depends upon who you buy it from - I watch a channel called salvage rebuilds uk, and I would not hesitate to buy a damage repaired car from them.

[@Stormy177]

Their rebuilds are about as close to factory fresh as you could hope to get, and the fact that they show pretty much everything they do to each car on their channel is a credit to them. (I think Rob's Ferrari is a salvage rebuild he did, so he's not afraid to trust his own handiwork on a high-end car.)

[@steveegginton535]

@@Stormy177 Totaly agree. Their repairs are to a very high standard - Chris is highly skilled in all types of bodywork repairs. I think you could buy with confidence from them.

[@S40WBS]

Love em!

[@Bettys_Eldest]

Would be more than happy to buy from them, as you can see exactly what they have done to get the vehicle back on the road. It's all there on video to see. I do skip through the Car Vertical advert, and some of the time lapse sections, and didn't care for the trip to Car Vertical HQ, but otherwise fritter away an hour or so each week watching their handiwork.

[@hammyh1165]

Absolutely , I wouldn't hesitate to buy one from them.

[@TheSweetasanut]

Brilliant vlog totally agree with your views

[@danasprey4144]

Brill advice. cheers

[@tonym992]

Great information. Thank you. Subscribed

[@HighPeakAutos]

Thanks!

[@richardsmith9509]

Fantastic video!!!!

[@mohammadjavid3066]

Very good explanation well done sir

[@christophernoble6810]

A warning to all. Excellent video. Just shows how careful you have to be.

[@carlwoodcock9249]

Very informative , thankyou 👍🇬🇧

[@miamimo70]

It's a strangely satisfying process, you get the satisfaction of fixing a good car. You search for 2nd hand panels get them sprayed and away you go. Don't go near a car that's been structurely hit unless you know your way around a jig. Plenty of back street garages that fix bent chassis legs without going anywhere near a jig. I used to fix cat C cars just for a hobby years ago. Recently bought a Merc C class wagon C250 cgi amg spec, 43k miles, light front corner panel damage for 2 grand, cost me a grand in parts and paint. Drives lovely for a fraction of the price!

[@Lcwill72]

Good advice. Thx

[@vinimaguire8109]

I've been following Salvage Rebuilds UK Channel since day one and these guys repair some right broke up auto's to an amazing standard . Your channel and theirs are my favourite you should try doing a video together it would be really interesting if you bought and sold a car from them just as an exercise be good content.

[@Bettys_Eldest]

Would be more than happy to buy from them, as you can see exactly what they have done to get the vehicle back on the road. It's all there on video to see. I do skip through the Car Vertical advert, and some of the time lapse sections, and didn't care for the trip to Car Vertical HQ, but otherwise fritter away an hour or so each week watching their handiwork.

[@Stormy177]

I think there's quite a distance between them though - Chris and Rob are based in Kent, so they're not exactly on Matt's doorstep. Would be interesting to see if Matt could get a higher price than Rob though...

[@andrewholden5575]

Great content 👍

[@martinhunt6004]

Great video! I totally get it why people are tempted for the lower price, horses for courses. I doubt loan companies would lend on CAT vehicles?

[@bouncycastles1214]

I crashed a brand new at the time VW Polo into the towbar on the back of a Freelander. Due to the age of the car it was fully repaired. Needed a lot of front end repairs including a radiator, intercooler, horn, bumper and maybe some engine work. Ran its reg and its still being used by a new owner. I recently bought a cat S. E92 335d. Poorly repaired and quite neglected. But i have been restoring it to its former glory and will keep forever.

[@simonturner5450]

My uncle used to buy and repair these, his specialty was sewing backs and fronts from 2 cars together. I’ll never forget his Citroen BX, when you started it the air suspension used to bring up each corner one after the other, a low rider years before they became fashionable 😃

[@protestagain]

I remember, one day, maybe in 1987. First snow in Oslo, I was driving a 123 series 300D. A woman crashed into my car. I was able to drive slowly to the repair shop. It was a Friday, very late, and they let me in. The car was really damaged, but it was drivably. Two hours later, it had a new wing, new lights, and it could go for the weekend duties.

[@theoh7389]

Hey Matt me again, my dad has 2 Renault 19 16v cabriolets one is for parts and one is working in good condition with 105k miles on the odometer. I remember as a kid me and dad used to go speeding through chase town. It had the same engine found in the mk1 Clio. Like your channel as always and thanks for the ❤️ on my comment have a nice week

[@benny_mc]

I love the way you say "fresh"😁

[@davidfoster1762]

Very useful . My RCZ was damaged a few weeks ago whilst parked. The most minor of scrapes to the front bumper , things could easily have been much worse. Luckily the driver of the other vehicle owned up. The local body shop quoted about £600 to remove / prepare /paint / refit the whole front bumper panel . That quote nearly doubled when insurers got involved. To my amazement the other driver’s insurers accepted the higher quote even though they had seen the cheaper quote . I’ll be interested to do a car vertical check on my car to see what comes up. And,unlike me , don’t forget to check your dash cam if your car is hit.

[@adityarajdev1]

Sooooo thorough. Superb narration. BBC need to hire you like yesterday Matt.

[@HighPeakAutos]

Thanks!

[@iR3DEMPTIONi]

Where i work we used to do bodywork for Fiat main dealer and we used to get tons of brand new cars with less than 50 miles on the clock in for paint like dents on wings ,bumpers and doors, most still had foam blocks on the doors and plastic everywhere, so even buying new from dealer you never know. I've owned a few damaged cars in the past but I have never had a problem getting insurance on any of them, one of my first cars was a cat C fiesta when i was 20 and the insurance was like £2500 but that was also the same price as a none damaged version of the car. Really enjoyed this video.

[@olitonottero7620]

great review thank you

[@HighPeakAutos]

Thanks for watching!

[@byeckfella]

This is excellent advice. My Audi SQ5 was stolen and crashed. The damage was front o/s wing, suspension smashed as was the alloy wheel. The insurance company were in two minds whether to repair it but I persuaded them to write it off and I got the full value of the vehicle back. Although I did love my Audi I had to be sensible. When the time came to move it on I would have been badly stung….

[@simonpritchard6074]

Thanks Matt..Great video and really informative. I was wondering about the implications when you come to insure it and you provided the answer! I'm only looking to spend about £4000 on something so will consider a cheaper better value car. Many thanks.

[@TrueLeadership777]

Thanks for the insightful review of such purchases. I was very much interested but now know the threshold to let go on such bargains.

[@abbottsadventures]

This is essentially a 16 minute car vertical advert

[@HighPeakAutos]

AKA a sponsored video

[@matauboy]

Many years ago a friend rolled his Mk1 Cortina. The whole roof had been bogged,in places nearly an inch thick. The passenger door was mostly bog backed with chicken wire and rolled up newspaper and yet it had actually looked pretty good when he bought it. After that I always took a magnet when I was looking to buy second hand.

[@narrowgauge7.25]

Brilliant video thanks so much

[@HighPeakAutos]

Thanks for watching

[@jonnyfranks5879]

Very informative video

[@josephmifsud8261]

This is a very good video. I would never touch a cat S car but it's interesting and horrifying to see the damage some cars have received. Maybe a cat N with light damage will be a best option for a cheap everyday car that you will keep until it doesn't go on anymore

[@waduhek2568]

Quick answer: If you are savvy with cars in general, go for it with careful inspection. If not, it is a pure gamble.

[@jamesshaw4683]

Very interesting Matt,some of those photos were frightening 😟

[@rossthompson2699]

Thank you. Just saved me 7k by checking with car vertical and found previous pictures. Amazed how that works

[@johnelbro127]

Very interesting and wise words. 👍👍👍👍