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cat c worth a punt?
ruskino80 - 30/12/12 at 07:50 PM

just been looking at this mini on the bay

2003 Mini Mini 1.6 One RED FLOOD DAMAGED,NEEDS ENGINE

cat c is normally a fair old shunt,do you think a knacked motor would be sufficient to put it in this category?

was thinking about doing this one as an easy fixer upper(only to cure a boredom fix!)

maccmike - 30/12/12 at 07:53 PM

engine wouldnt bother me but water damage would though. could be an expensive electrical fix

wylliezx9r - 30/12/12 at 07:57 PM

quote:
Originally posted by maccmike
engine wouldnt bother me but water damage would though. could be an expensive electrical fix

I second that, a colleague of mine had his sunroof smashed on his land rover disco, water got in the car. 4 months later and he still hasn't got it back due to an electrical fault that nobody can fix.

scootz - 30/12/12 at 08:08 PM

Double check it's a Cat C... flood damaged cars are normally B or X, so they can't go back on the road.

Slimy38 - 30/12/12 at 08:14 PM

There's a couple of 'proper' cat c write offs on Autotrader, crash damage rather than flood or engine damage. I'd be more tempted to look at one of those instead.

Then again, even fixed up it's a fairly low spec old car, even if it is a BMW Mini. Are you looking to make a profit or would breaking even be ok?

Ben_Copeland - 30/12/12 at 08:14 PM

Might have just driven through a low level flood and sucked water up through the air intake. Looks clean enough.

austin man - 30/12/12 at 08:15 PM

Sounds like it has drawn water in through the airfilter resulting in Hydraulic lock of the engine hence the rod through the block. The car itself may not have had any water ingress. Apparently you can claim for this damage if it is flood related. The replacement engine would not be a financially viable option to the insurance company based on the valuation of the car.

jossey - 30/12/12 at 08:22 PM

Ye as above may need new ecu etc.

You may need to find a rear end write off to take engine n ecu n maybe wiring....

mark chandler - 30/12/12 at 08:46 PM

Part x running would only be £1,600, looks very expensive to me as resale will be poor once fixed.

Mini,s do have low intake so I would guess hydraulic lock up when driven so may not have been in a flood, just a deep puddle at speed

britishtrident - 30/12/12 at 08:47 PM

The early BMW Mini shared a fair bit of technology with Rover 75 and BMW E46, Air bag impact sensors suffer if water gets under the carpet and it it can be a bugger to trace.

britishtrident - 30/12/12 at 08:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by wylliezx9r
quote:
Originally posted by maccmike
engine wouldnt bother me but water damage would though. could be an expensive electrical fix

I second that, a colleague of mine had his sunroof smashed on his land rover disco, water got in the car. 4 months later and he still hasn't got it back due to an electrical fault that nobody can fix.



They should check for water under the carpet the carpet has a thick polymer backing the top side of the carpet can be completely dry but I have see cars with at least couple of gallons of water (yes really 10ltre plus) sloshing around trapped under the carpet for months.

flibble - 30/12/12 at 09:13 PM

I'd also echo that that's quite a lot for the car. I buy/break a few bikes that are insurance write offs but do keep an eye on the cars. I'd guess that would go for under £1k at the auctions. Thers a similar mini on there now with water damage, but starts and drives, albeit a 1397cc (2008 model). Currently at £300, I wouldn't be surprised if that went for around £1000-£1500.


quote:

Double check it's a Cat C... flood damaged cars are normally B or X, so they can't go back on the road

I thought that too, even having been involved in write-offs, until the other day on here when someone said differently, I checked up and they were indeed correct - Cat B's can go back on the road too (if you so wish!).

Edit to say, Cat X is usally stolen recovered and may not even be damaged. It's the best category to get if you have to.

[Edited on 30-12-12 by flibble]

steve m - 30/12/12 at 11:56 PM

For that money, i would want a good running non cat c car

i have done a few cat c cars over the last few years, and personly would not touch fire or flood damage

The best place that ive found, is copart, membership was about £40 a year, and ive not bought a dud car yet (can always happen)

http://www.copart.co.uk/c2/home.html


steve