Sell Your
Damaged Car Today
Sell Your
Damaged Car Today
Your Damaged Car is Cash Waiting to Happen - Sell It Today
Welcome to Lou Appel’s Auto Spares, your reliable partner in transforming damaged or non-running vehicles into cash! With over 85 successful years in the motor industry, we are your trusted, fast, and efficient solution to sell your vehicle.
Our expert team is dedicated to providing you with top-tier service, ensuring you receive the best prices for your car. We are always at your service – be it via email, phone, or in-person at our Selby, Johannesburg location. We cater to a wide range of vehicle conditions – from engine and water damage to mechanical and electrical issues.
No matter the challenge, we are prepared to offer you a fair deal. Don’t let your damaged vehicle be a burden. Turn it into an opportunity with Lou Appel’s Auto Spares. Begin the quick, straightforward process today and enjoy a seamless, rewarding experience.
Your satisfaction is our priority
Reach Out
Contact us to start the process
Preliminary Offer
We review your vehicle's details and make an initial offer.
Inspection
We schedule an inspection and confirm the offer.
Payment
Complete paperwork and receive your payment.
Vehicle Removal
We take care of removing the vehicle from your premises.
cars we buy
- Most vehicle makes and models
- Vehicles in the Gauteng region, particularly those in close proximity to Johannesburg
- Damaged 4x4's, SUV's, light motor vehicles, Cars, Bakkies & LDV's
- Accident-damaged and non-running vehicles
- Vehicles with electrical faults
- Smashed and rolled cars
- Vehicles with mechanical damage
- Vehicles with engine damage
- Vehicles with gearbox damage
- Vehicles with hail damage
- Water-damaged vehicles
- High mileage vehicles
Why sellers across Gauteng choose Lou Appel's
Selling a written-off, accident-damaged or non-running car in South Africa usually means one of two bad outcomes: a tow bill that eats the offer, or weeks of WhatsApp tyre-kickers asking what’s still working. We’re the alternative.
Our team reviews your car off a few photos and gives you a same-day cash offer, no obligation, no callbacks from random buyers later. Once you accept, we collect the car at our cost across Gauteng, including the towing nobody else wants to handle. Payment goes through before the truck pulls away from your driveway, by EFT or in cash if you’d rather have it in hand.
We’ve been buying damaged cars and bakkies from the same Booysens Road yard in Selby since 1939. Eighty-plus years of doing one thing means we already know what your gearbox is worth, what the panel work will cost to restore, and what the parts are still good for. That’s how we get to a fair number on the first try instead of haggling you down twice.
We also handle the paperwork in-house: NATIS, deregistration, SAPS clearance where needed. You sign once, we file the rest.
The damaged cars and bakkies we'll buy off you
We buy any make, any model, any year, in any state. If it has wheels and a VIN, it’s worth a phone call. The list below covers the conditions we see most often. If yours isn’t on it, send a photo anyway.
Accident Damaged
Cars
Front-end smashes, rear hits, side impacts, rolled vehicles. We buy them whether the insurer wrote the car off as Code 2, 3 or 4
Non-Runners and Mechanical Failures
Cars that won't start, blown gearboxes, seized engines, slipping clutches, failed timing chains. We collect from your driveway even if the car hasn't moved in two years.
Hail Damaged
Vehicles
Gauteng hailstorms leave thousands of cars in dented limbo every year. If your insurer wants to write it off and the salvage offer is poor, we'll pay you direct
Flood and Water Damaged
Cars
Submerged interiors, electrical write-offs, mould in the cabin. We buy them as is, no matter what the engine sounds like (or doesn't).
Fire Damaged
Cars
Engine bay fires, electrical fires, full burn-outs. Even cars stripped to the shell still have value to the right buyer.
Cars with Electrical
Faults
Dead body control modules, BSI failures, immobiliser nightmares. We don't dock the offer because of fault codes.
How Selling Your Damaged Car to Us Works
Send us your details Phone, email, WhatsApp, or the form on this page. Include four to six photos (front, back, both sides, engine bay, dashboard) and tell us if the car runs. That’s all we need to get started.
We send a same-day offer Once we’ve seen the photos and your VIN, you get a preliminary number, usually within a few hours. No auction rounds, no inflated quote that gets cut on inspection.
You accept or counter Take the offer or come back with what you were hoping for. We’ll either confirm or explain what’s stopping us getting there. No pressure either way.
We arrange free collection Once you’ve accepted, we book a tow truck or a driver depending on whether the car still runs. Collection across Gauteng is on us, not deducted from your offer.
We pay before we leave EFT into your bank account or cash on the day, your choice. The car doesn’t move until the money has cleared or is in your hand.
We handle the paperwork NATIS change-of-ownership, SAPS clearance and yard deregistration, all done by us. You sign once at collection and we take it from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you buy non-running cars?
Yes. Non-runners are most of what we buy. Whether the car won’t start, won’t go into gear, or hasn’t moved in years has no bearing on the offer. We bring a tow truck, you don’t have to do anything.
How much will I get for my damaged car?
The offer comes down to year, make, model, mileage, what’s still complete, what the salvage market is paying for those parts this week, and the cost of getting the car back to our yard. We can’t give a fixed number off a Google search. We can give a real one off a few photos and a VIN.
Where can I sell my damaged car for cash in Gauteng?
Right here. Our yard is in Selby, Johannesburg, and we collect across the province at no charge. You can drop the car off if it’s still roadworthy, or we’ll come to it.
Do I need NATIS papers to sell a damaged car?
Yes, ideally. The original NATIS document or a duplicate from your nearest licensing department keeps things clean. If the papers are lost or there’s a finance hold, we’ve handled both before. Tell us upfront so we know what we’re working with.
Can I sell a Code 3 or Code 4 vehicle?
Yes to both. Code 3 (rebuilt after a write-off) and Code 4 (permanently demolished) cars are saleable as long as the paperwork matches the car.
How long does the whole thing take?
Most sales wrap up inside 24 to 48 hours. Photos in the morning, offer the same day, collection and payment the next day. Quicker is possible if you’re local and ready to move.
Do you actually collect for free?
Free across Gauteng, yes. Outside the province we’ll quote it case by case, but most of the time the cost gets absorbed into the offer rather than charged to you separately.
Will you buy a car that’s been standing for years?
Yes. Cars sitting under a tarp in the back yard, in a garage, or behind a workshop for five-plus years are part of our weekly intake. Flat tyres, dead battery, mice in the airbox: not our problem.
