A friend of mine is thinking of buying a Cat D insurance right off with very minor damage to locks etc How much should a Cat D insurance right off devalue a car - anybody know?? Cheers Laurence.

It depends on what type of car it is. 2014 L405 SDV8 RR Autobiography

2012 RRS SDV6 HSE -Orkney Grey with A/B bodykit - Now Gone
2007 RRS TDV6 HSE - Zermatt Silver - Gone

rough guide 25-35%

The main thing to endeavour to establish is - what was the damage and do they have photos to prove it

Most sellers will try and 'hide the damage' by saying its a cat D, but you can also obtain a very comprehensive vehicle report by paying for an independent vehicle inspection - cost around £500.

If your spending hard earned thousands of pounds then £500 as an investment to make sure your 'cheap' car is truly roadworthry should'nt be an issue. But a lot of people believe the BS that sellers tell them and dont bother investing wisely in a professional survey, then complain after they have parted with their cash that they had a bad deal. Cat D cars can be a good buy, but Caveat emptor - Buyer beware

Tbh If i was spending for e.g 20k on a rrs I would never buy a cat D car, instead of getting a cheaper cat D i would spend that little bit extra in getting the same spec but being 100% sure about it, I simply wouldnt take the risk.

They might save you the thousands to start off with, but can be a source of trouble down the line.

Glass's guide online free valuations have a tab to allow for damaged vehicles.

It appears to be fairly popular now, cat D purchases that is.

Personally if there is a report available and a good job done by a reputable company then there is not much wrong i think. Bear in mind that a cat d could be for something as simple as bodywork damage.

Car d implies the car has been damaged but not structure where as C is deemed beyond economical repair and suffered structural damage. CatD requires a VOSA VIC check to obtain log book (vehicle identity check £45 at VOSA centre) where Cat D doesn't but category will appear on log book.
Value is largely by negotiation, I bought a Polo that had minor chassis leg damage for son 3 for near its value where as other son found a 2010 ex police BMW for virtually half its real value. 2x TDV6. SE and HSE. Both returned to sender with issues👀
TDV8 Sport HSE...... Gone. Loved it but it didn't love me!!
Now rolling in MY10 Fullfat TDV8 Vogue. Slammed it to go round corners🙈
Cruising daily #56 mph in a Volvo V8. 😱
Lots of other toys in the cupboard...😜

Ask to see any photos of the damaged car.....then make you mind up. In Spain - 2018 F Pace - Frightened away from the Sports due to crank failures
Gone - A couple of RRS, A couple of Disco's. However thinking of another Sport.

other problem is when you look at cat d cars damaged for sale some are minor, some are pretty bad, its not so much of an issue on a cheap old car but if a cat d is still a 20k car then it must have had alot of damage for a company to write it off istead of repair, when as a 2k car could get written off for a minor scrap, also be very carefull its a bump and not a flood/ fire damged car as they will be an electrical nightmare! The cat C vosa check is also not to identify stuctural repairs its simply to make sure its not a ringer.

as Shadrack says

value of car as salvage around the 25% mark but the more expensive the car the more it will hurt the value after being repaired.

Guy at work has just had his old Rover T boned. insurance gave him the options in round figures of £2000 and off you go or £1400 and keep the car, needed a second hand front door maybe £100 and possibly a new MOT, then a VIC if he wanted to sell it on, (don't think you can get a V5 until its done but if you keep the car you don't have to do it, its who buys it next that does to get a new V5) would not matter if it was a different colour car would still be worth the same
He took the £2k in the end....

But if it was a £20k rrs it may have needed a bit more work and would have had a lot more damage to write off the £20k

as salvage would still be worth around £5k-£8k

 Porsche Cayenne 2022
gone Porsche Cayenne 2020
gone Corris Grey HSE Dynamic 2016
gone Ipanema HSE lux 2010
gone Rimini HSE 2005
!!

If you have to ask yourself these questions.

My advise is to stay away from it!

And even if you decide it's an acceptable risk- when you come to sell it on potential buyers will ask exactly the same questions. Most will just not bother and buy one that isn't cat D and save the hassle.
I would steer clear