Hello everyone,

it's my 1st post to this forum, so please forgive me, that I'm saying 'hello' to everybody in this thread...

I'm a newbie to Jag's, but I'm at the moment in phase of concerning a new purchase. I don't want any BMW, Audi and maybe only Merc is a one brand to stay with... I focused on 2nd hand XF

on polish announce's boards I found some interesting vehicles and started to check them - one of them, after checking at CARFAX, reported 2 accidents with 'SALVAGE TITLE/CERTIFICATION' and finally got a record 'TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE' - I don't have any idea of US nomenclature in this matter, so I would like to ask you if you recommend to hold my eyes on this car or to forget it?

for me it's strange that car with such as history is still alive...

thank you in advance for any comments...

 

Hi Jerry,

You can still buy a 'total loss vehicle' as it may only be minor damage like Cat D but enough for the insurers to class it as a write off when compared with the actual value of the vehicle.

I am sure a mechanic will give more info, but the basics are:

Cat C and Cat D are damaged but beyond economical repair and thus written off but fully repairable and can be legally sold on...

* Cat A: vehicle must never go back on the road, and no parts of it may be reused.
* Cat B: as Cat A but parts can be reused.
* Cat C: can be repaired and put back on the road but it must be inspected by VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) before being used on the road. VOSA will issue a Certificate if the VIC (Vehicle Identification Check) test is passed.
* Cat D: very light damage but uneconomical to repair as the car is probably worth very little. The car can be put back on the road, and it may not need a VIC test as any damage is usually cosmetic.

If you are unsure, I would leave it well alone as you can run into all sorts of problems with insurance, resale etc.

Hope that helps,

Nick

 

Run, Forrest, run.

 

Thanks Nick - for sure it's helpful
after further investigation I found that driver's airbag was fired, that could be cause of serious accident, so I think it's better to stay aware of this vehicle...