Selling an old or damaged car, direct

An instant-offer site gives you a quick online number, then inspects the car at a branch and can revise it down for wear, tyres, service history and so on. A yard like ours quotes against the reg and photos and pays that figure on collection, with no branch visit and no inspection deduction. For old, high-mileage, damaged or end-of-life cars, the yard route is usually both simpler and better paid.

Often not at a good price. Instant-offer and part-exchange platforms are built around tidy, resaleable cars, the ones they can sell on at a profit. A 14-year-old runabout, a write-off or a non-runner doesn't fit that model, so the offer is low or they pass. That's exactly the car we want: we value it for its metal, its catalytic converter and its parts.

No. The number we quote against your reg and photos is the number that hits your bank account. The only time it changes is if the actual car is materially different from what you described, a claimed runner that's been stripped, say, and even then we re-quote honestly rather than just knocking money off at your kerb.

Be honest with yourself about the car. If it's a clean, recent car with a full history, a private sale or a dealer part-exchange may well beat us, that's not our market and we'll say so. Where we win is the end-of-life, damaged, write-off and awkward stuff. If you're not sure which camp your car is in, send us the reg and we'll tell you straight.

Bank transfer on collection, usually same-day or next-day. We send the payment from the kerb so you can confirm it's landed before we drive off. No waiting for a cheque to clear, no branch appointment, no admin fee. Cash for scrap has been illegal across the UK since 2013, so we don't deal in notes.