[johnny bravo]

Would buying a van with a Category S   or similar        Would this have any impact on your Van Insurance at all

[Splash and dash]

Yes it usually does avoid a cat s its structural damage and could still not be right due to chassis damage there are a lot of bodged repairs out there

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

Structural damage. I have had experience of a vehicle in this category. Visually it looked perfect but the reality is that it was nothing but trouble!! Wheel alignment and electrical issues being the most problematic.
Be very careful!!

[Tam1872]

I wouldnt necciserily be put off depending on where the repairs took place, cat s vans can be put back to a standard where they are just as safe as a normal van.

The biggest factor in buying one would be checking where the work was done. And if I were you, id pay an independant company to come out and give you an inspection report on it too .

[Splash and dash]

I wouldnt necciserily be put off depending on where the repairs took place, cat s vans can be put back to a standard where they are just as safe as a normal van.

The biggest factor in buying one would be checking where the work was done. And if I were you, id pay an independant company to come out and give you an inspection report on it too .

No point in buying a vehicle that could have tracking issues and paying more to insure it each year , if you want to sell it many won’t touch it with a barge pole , structural damage is the  worst category to buy many aren’t repaired properly and the wheelbase is out or caster camber and kpi settings only needs to be slightly out to cause major issues with tyre ware etc it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a van or a car with these things

[AuRavelling79]

My Van is Cat S. My wife's car is too.

But it was me driving when the little scrote pulled across in front of me and wrote it off.

That was July 2023.

Insurance (with Howdens/A-Plan) no different.

But. I know what happened. If I didn't then I would want to be very sure it was thoroughly checked over by a competent person and try to find how it happened.

I also have a Cat S VW Touran! Saw the Transit slowly reverse into it and crease the front wing. As it was 19 years old it was written off.

Got paid £1300 after buying the salvage for £300. Got a pre-painted new pattern wing for £150 and paid Dan the Man £300 to fit it.

But. Again - I saw it happen in 2025.

[Splash and dash]

My Van is Cat S. My wife's car is too.

But it was me driving when the little scrote pulled across in front of me and wrote it off.

That was July 2023.

Insurance (with Howdens/A-Plan) no different.

But. I know what happened. If I didn't then I would want to be very sure it was thoroughly checked over by a competent person and try to find how it happened.

I also have a Cat S VW Touran! Saw the Transit slowly reverse into it and crease the front wing. As it was 19 years old it was written off.

Got paid £1300 after buying the salvage for £300. Got a pre-painted new pattern wing for £150 and paid Dan the Man £300 to fit it.

But. Again - I saw it happen in 2025.

Cat s is structural damage and or suspension damage so a dent only in a wing isn’t cat s

[AuRavelling79]

My Van is Cat S. My wife's car is too.

But it was me driving when the little scrote pulled across in front of me and wrote it off.

That was July 2023.

Insurance (with Howdens/A-Plan) no different.

But. I know what happened. If I didn't then I would want to be very sure it was thoroughly checked over by a competent person and try to find how it happened.

I also have a Cat S VW Touran! Saw the Transit slowly reverse into it and crease the front wing. As it was 19 years old it was written off.

Got paid £1300 after buying the salvage for £300. Got a pre-painted new pattern wing for £150 and paid Dan the Man £300 to fit it.

But. Again - I saw it happen in 2025.

Cat s is structural damage and or suspension damage so a dent only in a wing isn’t cat s

That's what I said to the insurance company. They insisted it was because it was a significant dent and 'might' have caused damage to the inner wing and/or suspension (it didn't but I didn't definitely know until the wing came off) the value of damage exceeded the value to repair.

[Spruce]

Whose selling it Johnny? Is it a private seller?

[Rob.Hall]

I bought a cat c, (front end damage).
Had it checked out and found no problems.
Kept it for years with only the usual wear and tear.
Just get it checked before buying.
Dont forget the  re sale will be affected.

[Splash and dash]

My Van is Cat S. My wife's car is too.

But it was me driving when the little scrote pulled across in front of me and wrote it off.

That was July 2023.

Insurance (with Howdens/A-Plan) no different.

But. I know what happened. If I didn't then I would want to be very sure it was thoroughly checked over by a competent person and try to find how it happened.

I also have a Cat S VW Touran! Saw the Transit slowly reverse into it and crease the front wing. As it was 19 years old it was written off.

Got paid £1300 after buying the salvage for £300. Got a pre-painted new pattern wing for £150 and paid Dan the Man £300 to fit it.

But. Again - I saw it happen in 2025.

Cat s is structural damage and or suspension damage so a dent only in a wing isn’t cat s

That's what I said to the insurance company. They insisted it was because it was a significant dent and 'might' have caused damage to the inner wing and/or suspension (it didn't but I didn't definitely know until the wing came off) the value of damage exceeded the value to repair.

It’s very easy to assess if the inner wing and chassis  leg are damaged by simply lifting the bonnet and taking a look the crumple zones will clearly be damaged,  to check quickly and simply if there is suspension damage just measure the wheel centres both sides of the car that will show up anything untoward in a couple of muinits , I was a sprayer / panel beater years ago and we used to do the assessments for several insurance companies

[AuRavelling79]

My Van is Cat S. My wife's car is too.

But it was me driving when the little scrote pulled across in front of me and wrote it off.

That was July 2023.

Insurance (with Howdens/A-Plan) no different.

But. I know what happened. If I didn't then I would want to be very sure it was thoroughly checked over by a competent person and try to find how it happened.

I also have a Cat S VW Touran! Saw the Transit slowly reverse into it and crease the front wing. As it was 19 years old it was written off.

Got paid £1300 after buying the salvage for £300. Got a pre-painted new pattern wing for £150 and paid Dan the Man £300 to fit it.

But. Again - I saw it happen in 2025.

Cat s is structural damage and or suspension damage so a dent only in a wing isn’t cat s

That's what I said to the insurance company. They insisted it was because it was a significant dent and 'might' have caused damage to the inner wing and/or suspension (it didn't but I didn't definitely know until the wing came off) the value of damage exceeded the value to repair.

It’s very easy to assess if the inner wing and chassis  leg are damaged by simply lifting the bonnet and taking a look the crumple zones will clearly be damaged,  to check quickly and simply if there is suspension damage just measure the wheel centres both sides of the car that will show up anything untoward in a couple of muinits , I was a sprayer / panel beater years ago and we used to do the assessments for several insurance companies

Because in insurance terms it wasn't worth their effort with a payout of around £1000. So they asked me to take photos for them to assess from.

Initially they even said the front wheel was damaged. It wasn't touched in the prang at all.

They insisted on writing it off and it being categorised Cat S. At the end of the day it's a 20 year old car.

Just gone through its MOT and going well.