Car disposal: OzBargain style?

I've got a 2004 Nissan X-Trail Ti with a busted valve in the engine that isn't worth repairing. Other than the engine it is in pretty good nick for its age, and it just ticked over 220,000k. I'm keen to get maximum value out of disposing it, but want your advice:

I'm already going to try hawk off the stereo and roof racks as they're easy to sell second hand and worth almost as much as I'd get for the car on its own (and won't significantly detract from the amount I'd get).

I doubt I can do much more - such as pull out the seats or sell the relatively new tires - as I'm in an apartment and will still have the rest of the chassis to deal with.

My options:

  • Call a scap metal seller who offers a pick up. Seems $200 is the most I'll get.
  • Calling wreckers for offers and selling to the highest bidder (currently doing). Focus on wreckers who specialise in Nissans.
  • Gumtree. Advantage is possible higher price, disadvantage is all the usual problems with scumtree bidders.
  • $500 offer from a friend. This is easy and no hassle, but I suspect he's just going to scrap it for profit using the garage space he has and I don't.

Am I missing anything else?

Comments

  • +1

    You can sell off parts then have the scrap metal dealers pick up the body.

    You wont get anything more if the stereo etc is included.

    If you sell tyres - sell them with exchange of rims that way the car is whole while it is being salvaged. Even getting $30 a tyre gives you another $120

    BTW check ebay to see what some parts are going for. Selling seats etc cheaply is still better than going for top dollar and maybe have a number of items sold at the same time, so you take off in the same week, then get scrap dealer pick up rest.

    Again you can specify trade overs if you want it to look complete.

    Likewise check things to sell like ECU, radiator, lights etc etc

  • Where is the insure comprehensive then ditch in Lake or torch it option?

    • Thanks for the advice RockyRaccoon, I hadn't even considered a rim for rim swap. Your logic seems solid and I guess it is stuff I could do without too much effort.

      2jzzzz Where is the insure comprehensive then ditch in Lake or torch it option?

      It is parked right outside work and in open view of a police station, which slightly complicates that option :p On a more geneal point, my 160km tow would have been covered by my insurance company if I'd hit a roo.

  • Sell it on carsales. Provide plenty of photos. Some punter or wrecker is sure to be interested in it. My mechanic mate is always looking for <$1500 cars so they can part them out

    • Definitely list it on-line as just a rolling shell, you will get more than $200 for it that's for sure.

      I see rolling shells advertised all the time.

  • a 2004 x-trail with nothing wrong but a busted engine is worth far more than $200 for scrap. surely a refurbished/recon engine wouldnt be more than a grand, and then you have a car thats still worth $5000+.

  • Is it running with a miss, or head been removed for inspection?

    • Haven't fully removed the head. But it is running with a miss and on 3/4 cylinders. There is something inside #1 keeps flattening a spark plug. Compression test shows a very low result on #1 relative to the rest, and a quick look with an endoscope shows one of the valves is bent inside #1

      • +1

        Might be #1 big-end bearing gone on the conrod, with the piston touching the spark plug (and obviously the valve/s) and closing up the gap.

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