Tips for scrapping your car for cash
The sad day comes when you have to get rid of your trusty and much-loved car because it has come to the end of its useful life, and if you can’t sell it, you might decide to try and make a few bucks by Car scrapping in Auckland.
The method, however, is not as easy as you would imagine, so here are some tips on how to scrap your car.
- Try out scrap merchants online
Don’t accept the first figure you are offered, necess arily. There is an online presence for many businesses that deal with scrap vehicles. Some encourage you to enter your car’s registration number so that they can assess its scrap value. They’ll collect the car from you if you consent to their valuation. Through using one of the scrap-metal comparison websites, you might be able to get a better price for your car. However, if you deal with an individual merchant, make sure that he is licensed with the local authority. It should have a permit number, which must be displayed prominently on its website.
- Avoid popular scams
The scrap car industry has more than its fair share of unscrupulous traders, so you need to make sure that a respectable buyer is dealt with.
In certain states, it is important to license someone buying a car for scrap, so you should make sure first of all that the transaction is not going to be illegal.
Being evasive can set alarm bells ringing when you ask for their qualifications, as it should if they say they can take it without moving the word.
The “bait and switch” scam is one trick you should avoid, which is when they quote you one price and then gives you even less when they come to collect it. This will put you under pressure to accept less than the amount you expected.
Do your homework to check that the buyer is reputable; otherwise cancel the deal to find someone else.
- Negotiate on the price
You can begin negotiating a price when you have found one or more potential buyers. You will know the value of your car if you have done your homework. They’ll start low, of course, and you’ll start high, but that’s all part of the negotiating art.
Make sure you clearly mention all the specifics of the contract. Like are they going to come, or do you need to drop them off? Or how does this affect how much they are willing to pay for it?
Because sometimes for the collection service, scrap yards will charge you, and dropping off yourself means you will get slightly more.
- Consider selling parts of your vehicle
If you’re willing to put in a little extra time and effort, before getting it demolished, it may be possible to make money by extracting and selling parts of your vehicle. Ask a mechanic to take a quick look at your vehicle to see if it is worthwhile, as some cars are booming in the used parts market. If you do not remove the parts yourself, you will need to take into account the cost of labour that a garage will charge for you to do so. Bear in mind that it will not be used for components and must be fully destroyed if the vehicle has been severely damaged in an accident.
- Erase everything from inside
Make sure everything has been removed from the inside before the car is taken away, or before you drop it off.
Check all the places, including the glove box, sun visors, under the seats, and so on, that are easy to miss.
When it’s taken away, you don’t want to leave all of your personal belongings in the car, but, even more importantly, you don’t want to leave valuable documents in the vehicle.
At best, losing sensitive records will give you a headache later when you need them, or at worst, if they fall into the wrong hands, they can be used for fraud.
