Damaged Repaired

[jonno1]

Would any of you consider buying a damaged repaired car. My brother has £4k to spend and wants a Clio. The following is on Autotrader:

2003 RENAULT Clio Dynamique 1.2 16V,
03 reg. 8000 miles, alloys, CD player, sunroof, light damaged repaired, category C, long MoT, tax. £3,995.

Its a really good price and category C is reasonably light damage. Its been MOT'd and wont affect insurance at all. Only real downside (apart from knowing exactly what happened to it) is re-sale value. But on a £4k Clio he will have for at least 3 years, is that a big deal?

Your views/experiences are appreciated.

[JohnW]

cat C means it was uneconomical to repair ising main delaer prices for parts and labour.

Personally, as long as it has a bill or proof of professional repair I wouldn't worry about it.
The most it can lose is ~1k, but then your saving that on the car in the first place.

I have brought cat C & D stuff in the past and repaired them with new parts, avoiding the labour costs. History, condition, and how it drives are what matter the most. If you can't tell where it was damaged then probably no one else will be able to either.

[Amosu]

Just make sure you take it out on a proper test. Handling and stability are the two things you are going to want to ensure haven't been affected.

I knew a guy bought a stolen/recovered Escort RS when I was in college years ago and he was never notified it had accident damage. Was driving home on the motorway one night at ~80 and one of the rear wheels actually came off. Sounds funny, but believe me, it isn't.

Ended up parked in a field about 200 yeards off the motorway. If there had been heavy traffic I have no doubt there would have been some major casualties.