Whether you are looking to upgrade from an old banger to a classier ride or your car is no longer economically repairable due to damage or wear, selling your vehicle is not always feasible. While some dealerships offer trade-in prices for almost any vehicle, if you are buying privately or think that the offered trade-in value is less than you might make elsewhere, you might want to consider selling your car as a source of parts.
It might be worth having the vehicle assessed properly before you decide to do this, as cars that are not repairable may only have a limited number of decent parts, and larger traders, including scrap merchants, may notoffer you much if this is the case. On the other hand, you may find that merchants are willing to pay more than you expect for your scrap car. There can be a large demand for scrap parts, depending on your make and model. For example, a used Audi engine can be quite valuable to a scrap yard, so it’s worth popping in to ask.
Of course, if your car is in any way vintage or classic, parts will be in higher demand, and the unlikeliest pieces may have survived the years better than the car as a whole. A good check-up by a reputable mechanic will give you a fair assessment of the value of the parts, which are still in a good working condition.
Having established that there are at least some parts worth selling, you will need to decide how you want to sell them. Trading the vehicle to the garage that assessed it might be an option, if it specialises in your type of vehicle and would require the parts for future work.
Another option would be to sell the parts individually yourself through a trade part site or eBay. While this will take more time and effort, it would allow you to get closer to the full value for each part. It is important that you correctly label the part by make, model, type and condition. This will make it easier for prospective buyers to find your products when they search online. Take good quality photos of each part so the buyer can clearly see the condition.
Finally if you are still struggling to find a garage willing to take your car and decide against selling the parts yourself, you can always use a car breaker. While they may not offer you the best deal, it is the quickest and simplest option. Often they will collect the car themselves, which helps if your car is not fit for road use.
Importantly, you should make sure that any dealer or breaker you sell to is capable of disposing of any unused portions of the car to the correct environmental standards, as well as being prepared to process the relevant paperwork for the DVLA to ensure that you are not still the keeper of a car that no longer exists.
