CAT S Lexus

[Nemesis1991]

Hi team - is it worth buying CAT S 2013 lexus is300h ? The damage seems to be on the right door as per the seller but it doesnt have service history or repair slip. Car is already driven 96k and the price he is asking is £7000

[Shada]

Is it damaged now or has it been repaired in the past? 

It all depends on the quality of the repair. 

Cat s means nothing, it could have had 10k of damage and only be a cat n. 

But if it has had a scratch on the door and broken the handle it's classed as cat s because the door won't open

[Illogan]

1 hour ago, Nemesis1991 said:

Hi team - is it worth buying CAT S 2013 lexus is300h ? The damage seems to be on the right door as per the seller but it doesnt have service history or repair slip. Car is already driven 96k and the price he is asking is £7000

If it's a Lexus you're after - I think you could do well to start by looking at this from a club member

 

[IS300FSPORT]

Category S is structural. Its not to say its unrepairable but you would expect at a minimum documented report/images of the work thats been carried out to a reasonable standard.

If you buy it & it doesnt feel right or drive straight you will soon regret it. These cars are complex machines should it have any electronic gremlins nobody will touch it. For example front end damage the bonnet hood pop up I have read on here cost approx £1500 each side (not cheap). & the rear of the car if its where the damage occured the high voltage Battery lives there if water comes in its potentially game over. Even though the seller is 'claiming' side damage it is suspect as you dont know exactly what was damaged bent pillars? Did the airbags deploy etc. 

No service history is also a red flag. 

Lexus parts are not cheap either. I'd stay clear think long term when you plan on selling it you will take a massive loss. 

Rather buy a high mileage HPI example than a Cat S.

Cat N is usually just cosmetic & quick fix to get it back on the road.

All the best!

[Nemesis1991]

8 hours ago, Shada said:

Is it damaged now or has it been repaired in the past? 

It all depends on the quality of the repair. 

Cat s means nothing, it could have had 10k of damage and only be a cat n. 

But if it has had a scratch on the door and broken the handle it's classed as cat s because the door won't open

It had been fully repaired and current owner has been using it for a year now

[Spacewagon52]

Let the buyer beware!

Not a car I would consider - no service history and no paperwork for the repair?

 

Alarm bellswas done should be ringing very loudly.

It may be genuine but can you afford to write off £7000 if it goes pear shape?

Just my take.

 

The RX400h above is a good, safe buy - surprised it has not been sold by now.

[Notamech]

Agree with what most others here say i.e avoid it. Things to consider before you decide you are saving money

1)Cost of insurance for a cat s. This is something you will be shelling out annually on. 

2)Ease of selling it / value you will get for it down the line when you want to sell it. 

3) Potential cost of additional repairs that may arise due to the structural damage / poor previous maintenance. 

Also note that the car is already nearly 100k. You can potentially get a non catS 100-125k used one with service history (may not all be main dealer but better than nothing)  for maybe under 10k. If its a private sale you may be able to bargain. 

[Shada]

Would be ideal if the seller could show pictures of it when it was for sale damaged, if not I'd just make sure it drives straight and all the panel gaps are good.

If the car is right the cat s would not bother me

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.

If you have any issues with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. The majority of our insurance scheme have no issues insuring previously written off vehicles.

Regards,

Dan.