Went to a Repairable Salvage auction today....

[buzzer]

Quite an interesting couple of hours. They were mostly insurance write offs I guess. There were a range of cars there from 15 year old bangers to 2010 cars with substantial damage.

What amazed me though was that many of the older small cars were fetching a lot of money, most were going for what I see them on Ebay for sale without the damage! I cant believe that people are making any sort of profit buying these cars, repairing them and then selling them on? I guess they must be?


Some of the bigger cars though are fetching next to nothing... there was a 2001 Audi A6 2.8 Quattro, 70k miles and looked to have been someones pride and joy... All leather, 4 good quality tyres, pretty much immaculate, apart from light front end damage. Sold for £250!

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car39.html

A 2003 S type V8 with 42k on the clock and very little damage, went for £1500!!

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car56.html

I was almost tempted!

[nsmith1180]

buzzer said:

Quite an interesting couple of hours. They were mostly insurance write offs I guess. There were a range of cars there from 15 year old bangers to 2010 cars with substantial damage.

What amazed me though was that many of the older small cars were fetching a lot of money, most were going for what I see them on Ebay for sale without the damage! I cant believe that people are making any sort of profit buying these cars, repairing them and then selling them on? I guess they must be?


Some of the bigger cars though are fetching next to nothing... there was a 2001 Audi A6 2.8 Quattro, 70k miles and looked to have been someones pride and joy... All leather, 4 good quality tyres, pretty much immaculate, apart from light front end damage. Sold for £250!

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car39.html

A 2003 S type V8 with 42k on the clock and very little damage, went for £1500!!

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car56.html

I was almost tempted!

My mum's S-Type V8 only books at £1500, 2002 with 70K. That was paying too much IMO

[SpeedBash]

Where I live, there are a lot of immigrants from Poland and since their arrival, a lot of the cheap as chips low end cars have been selling well.

Perhaps this accounts for what you noticed at the auction.

[SteveS Cup]

Maybe it's people buying a cheap car to break.

[V8mate]

I used to go to salvage auctions regularly, though the ones nearest me got so popular that they now only sell via online auctions on their website.

[BoRED S2upid]

Would the smaller older cars be a lot easier to repair than the newer pricier car. For example that Audi would probably have a hundred airbags that went off and would all need replacing whereas an old punto might not even have the one therefore to fix that might be a couple hours in the body shop and a respray.

[miniman]

The A6 has a nasty colour interior, and the repairs will be more expensive than you might imagine - particularly replacing those light units which will be hundreds each.

[Zip106]

Looking at some of the pics, it appears somewhat concerning that many haven't had the airbags go off.

This for example - pretty heavy front ender -

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car58.html

[ImDesigner]

miniman said:

particularly replacing those light units which will be hundreds each.

Used?

[CampDavid]

Zip106 said:

Looking at some of the pics, it appears somewhat concerning that many haven't had the airbags go off.

This for example - pretty heavy front ender -

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car58.html

airbags only go off if necessary. A hit like that probably wasn't enough to get them going.

[Gallen]

miniman said:

The A6 has a nasty colour interior, and the repairs will be more expensive than you might imagine - particularly replacing those light units which will be hundreds each.

...even so!

Say you'd sell the following:

£ 100 Leather (wierd colour but must be worth that?)
£ 450 Engine
£ 400 Low Miles Tiptronic Autobox
£ 125 Alloys
£ 150 The rest as scrap to get rid quickly
£ 100 Towbar

£1325

...good as a breaker!

Edited by Gallen on Wednesday 26th January 16:41

[Pickled Piper]

Surprising I know, but these big luxury cars are not making much more undamaged.

pp

[Deva Link]

buzzer said:

Some of the bigger cars though are fetching next to nothing... there was a 2001 Audi A6 2.8 Quattro, 70k miles and looked to have been someones pride and joy... All leather, 4 good quality tyres, pretty much immaculate, apart from light front end damage. Sold for £250!

It was 2.4 and non-quattro (but auto) and had done 130K miles in his hands from new, but was in good nick, but my FIL only got £450 in p/x (so effectively nothing) for his 1998 A6 when he traded it in, and that was about 4 years ago. Most places didn't want it.

[Deva Link]

CampDavid said:

Zip106 said:

Looking at some of the pics, it appears somewhat concerning that many haven't had the airbags go off.

This for example - pretty heavy front ender -

http://www.hewitt.co.uk/SP_car58.html

airbags only go off if necessary. A hit like that probably wasn't enough to get them going.

Might have even been hit while parked at the side of the road.

[CampDavid]

Pickled Piper said:

Surprising I know, but these big luxury cars are not making much more undamaged.

pp

Indeed. That Audi wouldn't see £1k undamaged

[CampDavid]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Probably.

Research and choose the right car and you'll make a fortune breaking - if you have the space etc and don't mind waiting on the return

[Gallen]

yeah reckon you would - Those estimates were very cautious

[CampDavid]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

5. Neighbours complaining/council stepping in as you're not a registered breaker

6. ebay fees, P&P etc

7. customer disputes

etc

there's a lot to consider on all of these.

[Deva Link]

Gallen said:

...even so!

Say you'd sell the following:

£ 100 Leather (wierd colour but must be worth that?)
£ 450 Engine
£ 400 Low Miles Tiptronic Autobox
£ 125 Alloys
£ 150 The rest as scrap to get rid quickly
£ 100 Towbar

£1325

...good as a breaker!

I suspect these parts are worth a lot more when you want to buy them, than they are when you've got them to sell!

[EDLT]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think its only a problem when you've got multiple cars lying around and drums full of waste oil with no way of disposing of it.