Three ways to get rid of an old car in Brisbane, and an honest look at which one leaves you better off.
There's no single right answer here. The best option depends on what your car is worth, how much of your own time you're willing to spend, and how fast you want it gone. Here's how the three routes really compare.
Private sale
Private sale usually gets the highest headline price, and for a tidy, registered car with service history it's worth the effort. The catch is everything around it: photos, an ad, a roadworthy certificate, weeks of messages, tyre-kickers, no-shows, strangers at your house for test drives, and the risk of a payment problem after the car has gone. For an older or unroadworthy car, that work often earns you very little extra.
Dealer trade-in
A trade-in is convenient if you're buying your next car from the same dealer that day. What you give up is transparency. The trade figure and the new car's discount get bundled into one number, so it's hard to tell what your old car actually earned you, and dealers rarely want a car they can't put on the lot.
Cash for cars and removal
- A quote over the phone, usually within minutes, with no inspection to arrange.
- No roadworthy, no repairs, no advertising and no strangers at your door.
- Free towing, including cars that won't start.
- Cash in your hand on pickup, often the same day you call.
A rough rule of thumb
If your car is registered, roadworthy and genuinely desirable, get a cash quote as your baseline, then decide whether the extra a private sale might bring is worth the weeks of hassle. If it's unregistered, damaged, high-mileage or not worth a roadworthy, cash for cars almost always comes out ahead once you count the time and money the other routes quietly cost you.
Not sure which side of that line your car falls on? A phone quote is free and there's no obligation, so it's a sensible first call either way.