Sell my broken car in Lowestoft

Broken cars are awkward to sell privately: nobody can test drive them, and buyers expect a heavy discount for the unknown. We take that uncertainty away. Tell us the reg, the postcode in Lowestoft and what went wrong, and we price the car as it stands, parts and all.

There is no collection charge and no admin fee. The journey from Fort William is already allowed for in the figure we quote, and that figure is what you are paid if the car matches your description. We collect from driveways, streets, garages and car parks around Lowestoft, wherever a recovery vehicle can reach.

Lowestoft is the furthest town we cover, over 500 miles from our Fort William base, so collections here are grouped into less frequent runs and booked well in advance. We agree the date when you accept the price, and the car can stay where it is until then. Collection is free: the price we quote already allows for the journey. Postcodes, districts and how collection runs in Lowestoft are on our local page.

Describing a broken car for an accurate price

Think about what a mechanic would ask. When did the problem start, and what happened just before: a noise, smoke, a warning light, a loss of power? Has it been diagnosed, and what did the garage find? Is it one fault, such as a slipping clutch or a failed turbo, or several at once? Photos of the dashboard with the ignition on, the engine bay and the MOT paperwork all help. For a car that has been standing, say how long it has been parked and whether the battery is flat. A fault confined to one part leaves the rest of the car's value intact, so the more precise you are, the better the price can reflect it.

Repair it or sell it as it is?

A repair can make sense when the fault is cheap to fix and the rest of the car is sound. It makes less sense when the estimate is a large share of the car's value, when parts are hard to find, or when the MOT has also turned up corrosion or suspension work. Private buyers will knock money off for any known fault, so a repair does not always come back in full when you sell. Before deciding, ask a garage for a written estimate and send it to us with the reg. You can then compare a firm offer for the car as it stands with the true cost of fixing it, and choose with the numbers in front of you.

Collection day for a broken car

Once you accept the price and a date is agreed, there is little to do. Make sure someone can meet the driver with photo ID, any keys you have and the V5C if you have it, or tell us in advance if that is a problem. Empty the car, including the boot and any spare wheel well. If the battery is flat and the car has an electric handbrake or an automatic gearbox, say so, because those cars can be harder to move without power. The driver compares the car with your description, sees your ID, then loads it on the recovery vehicle with any keys and paperwork. Payment is by bank transfer to an account in your name once those checks are done, and as a rule, cars we buy go on to a licensed treatment facility.

Read our full guide to selling a broken car, see what happens after you send the reg, or start a quote.