There’s a real difference between a website that says it buys damaged cars and a yard you can drive into, walk around, and see for yourself. Lou Appel’s Auto Spares is the second kind. We’ve been buying damaged cars and supplying used parts from 233 Booysens Road in Selby, Johannesburg since 1939, more than 85 years, and you’re welcome to come and look at the operation before you sell anything.
A yard you can visit, not a phone number that disappears
A lot of “we buy damaged cars” operators are exactly that: a number on a classifieds ad and a tow truck that might not be answering next month. You hand over your car, you wait for the EFT, and you hope. We’re a third-generation family business with a fixed address, the same gates open six days a week, and parts customers walking in every day looking for a door, a gearbox, a wiring loom off something just like your car.
That last detail is the part that affects your price. Because we strip and resell parts, your damaged vehicle is worth more to us than its weight in scrap metal. A scrap yard weighs your car and pays for the steel. We look at what still works: the engine, the panels, the lights, the airbag modules, the alloys, and we pay for the parts we can move. That’s why a used-parts business like ours can offer more on the right car than a crusher ever will.
What we buy
If it’s a vehicle and it’s a problem, it’s probably something we’ll make an offer on. Over the years that’s covered just about everything that comes off a Gauteng road.
- Accident-damaged cars and bakkies, from a light front-end knock to a full write-off
- Non-runners, seized engines, blown head gaskets, gearbox failures
- Electrical faults and cars that won’t start and nobody can quite explain why
- Flood, fire, and hail damage
- Code 2, Code 3, and Code 4 vehicles
- High-mileage cars, unroadworthy cars, and vehicles still under finance
Cars, bakkies, SUVs, 4x4s, and light commercials all qualify. A hail-dented Polo, a Hilux that rolled, a Ranger written off after a collision, an NP200 with a dead engine: these are ordinary days at the yard. You can see the full picture of what we buy and the conditions we take if you want to check your car fits before you call.
How selling to us actually works
The process is short on purpose. Send us a few photos of the car and its details on WhatsApp, or just phone. We’ll come back with a cash offer, usually the same day. There’s no drawn-out inspection theatre and no waiting a week for someone to “get back to you”.
If the offer suits you, bring the car to Selby or we collect it free anywhere in Gauteng. That’s Johannesburg, Pretoria and the rest of Tshwane, the East Rand, the West Rand, and down into the Vaal. You’re paid on the spot, cash or instant EFT the same day, and we sort out the paperwork including the change of ownership so the car is properly off your name. If you’re closer to town, our page on selling a damaged car in Johannesburg covers the local side in more detail.
What to have ready
Bring your SA ID or passport, the vehicle registration certificate (the RC1, also called the NATIS document), proof of residence less than three months old, and your banking details. If the car is still financed, you’ll also need a settlement letter from the bank so the outstanding amount can be cleared. Have those together and the whole thing is done in one visit.
Why a real premises matters for trust and price
When you can stand in a yard and watch parts being sold off cars like yours, the price stops being a number a stranger invented over the phone. You can see why the offer is what it is, and you can see the business is still here, still trading, still answerable to the customers in front of it. Eighty-five years and three generations don’t survive on bad deals and disappearing acts.
It also takes the risk out of the handover. You’re not couriering your NATIS document to an address you’ve never seen. You’re dealing face to face, getting paid before the car leaves, and walking out with the ownership transfer started. Our longer write-up on selling an accident-damaged car in South Africa walks through what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to bring the car to the yard?
No. You’re very welcome to, and plenty of people prefer to, but it isn’t required. We collect free across the whole of Gauteng. The yard is there if you want to see who you’re dealing with first.
Will you buy a Code 3 or Code 4 car?
Yes. A Code 3 is a write-off that can be rebuilt and re-registered once it passes roadworthy testing again, and a Code 4 is permanently demolished and good only for parts and scrap. We buy both, along with ordinary Code 2 vehicles.
Can you pay out a financed car?
We can. Get a settlement letter from your bank showing what’s owed, and we’ll work the offer around clearing the finance so the car comes off your name cleanly.
How fast do I get paid?
Same day, on the spot, cash or instant EFT once we’ve agreed on a price and the paperwork is signed.
Come and see the yard for yourself at 233 Booysens Road, Selby, or send your photos through and let’s talk. Call us on 011 493 8260. You can also reach us through our contact page. Lou Appel’s Auto Spares, buying damaged vehicles in Johannesburg since 1939.
