What is Broken Car?
Some owners of broken cars simply abandon the vehicle to avoid the hassle, but there are a number of easy ways to sell a broken car. Suddenly, something isn’t quite right. Perhaps a severe shimmy or shake, or maybe the engine just stalled for no reason. What do you do?
There are a variety of ways to sell a broken car. Sell it for parts and entire damaged vehicles can be sold to wreckers and scrap yard.
A broken-down car isn’t something anyone wants to deal with, however, you can sell your car pretty much instantly online these days. Read on to see how and to compare your options.
- First, if your car breaks down while you’re driving, it’s important to stay calm. If you panic, you put yourself at higher risk of making a bad decision.
- If your car is still moving, pull over to the left-hand side of the road. Do your best to get onto the shoulder, into a parking lot, or onto a side street.
- Turn on your hazard lights and pop the hood. Those are both international signs that your car broke down.
- Get help. If you have roadside assistance, AA, or a good friend that can tow you, give them a call as soon as you can.
- Don’t try to fix it at the side of the road. It’s dangerous, and there are cars whizzing by at high speeds. You’re asking for trouble if you try to fix it roadside.
What To Do With Broken Down Car
“My car broke down. What do I do?” With your car in a safe place, you’ll need to determine your next steps. Once your car has broken down, you’re faced with a few decisions. Do you fix it, sell it, scrap it or trade-in a non-running car? How you proceed depends on a few things.
Assess Its Value
First things first. You need to know what your car is worth if it’s running and driving. Without an accurate valuation, how do you know if your broke down car is worth the cost of repairs?
You can use CarJam, Motorweb or AA to assess your vehicle’s value. It’s simple to do – just try to be unbiased about its condition. Remember, if you overvalue your car, you could be cheating yourself!
Get a Repair Estimate
If you feel your car may still be worth repairing – depending on the cost, obviously – then it’s time to get an estimate. Bring your car to a local garage and have it diagnosed. It might be your car’s electrical issues, mechanical problems, or something totally unique.
With a repair estimate in hand, you can begin to determine whether it’s worth fixing or getting rid of your car. Here are a few guidelines:
- If the repair cost is close to or higher than its value in running condition, it’s not worth fixing. You’re better off to sell it as is or junk it. If you fix it, you’ll never get the value back from the repairs.
- If your car will be reliable with repairs complete and the cost of repairs is significantly less than the car’s value, it could be worth paying for the fix.
- If you have a car broke down, no money to fix it, the answer is clear: get rid of it.
Trade-in That Non-Running Car for Cash
Another option for good used vehicles to be appraised is at the dealership. A car trade-in evaluation is performed by a manager at the dealership, taking into account your vehicle’s current condition, mileage, and options. Most dealers will also consider options and accessories for the valuation.
The downside with a trade-in assessment is that it weighs in favour of the dealership who expects you’ll be trading it in with them. They’ll typically give you a car value trade-in that’s less than you’d get from selling it, citing things like repairs, reconditioning fees, warrant and certifications that will need to be done on their dime. And let’s not forget that dealerships are structured to make a profit on every vehicle, including the car you trade-in.
How to Sell a Broken Down Car
You’ve decided to get rid of your broken car? You have a few options.
- Sell it privately. You can list your car online or put a sign in the window. There’s a chance someone is looking for a car like yours, whether for parts or to fix it up and drive it.
- Sell it to a junkyard or scrap yard. If you decide to sell a car for scrap, you’ll be paid cash based on its value as scrap metal. It’s weighed and you are paid a set price per ton. It’s not very much.
- Sell it for parts. You can disassemble the car and sell it piece by piece. With this format, you’ll have a heap of junk parked in your yard or driveway until all the good stuff is gone, and you’ll still have the chassis to haul away.
Sell Your Broken Down Car the Easy Way
Instead of dealing with all that hassle, why not sell your broken down car the easy way – sell it to Atlas Auto! We buy cars in less-than-perfect condition. Whether it has body damage, accident, mechanical issue, electrical problems, or any other issues, Atlas Auto will offer you cash for your car in as-is condition.
It’s simple. All you have to do is request a no-obligation free offer for your car. You’ll be asked to fill in as much detail as possible along with pictures of its condition.
We’ll pay cash on the spot and pick up your car where it sits at no cost to you. It’s as easy as that! We provide same-day car removals and free towing.
Atlas Auto will take care of all the paperwork and fees. We’ll even pick up your broke down car from wherever it sits at no charge to you! Get started by getting an offer for your car now.
