10 Top Tips to Sell A Broken Van

A broken van can be the bane to the existence of any owner, whether faults have arisen due to normal wear and tear, after an accident or because of some other unforeseen disaster.

However, the damage is done, trying to sell a non-runner can be an uphill struggle, especially if you have never attempted this before. To give you the best chance to succeed, here are a few words of wisdom on the matter.

Selling a broken van to upgrade to a new model can be made easier.

1. Be honest

You will make life much easier for yourself and your prospective buyer if you are completely truthful about the state of your van when you put it up for sale. Be sure to go into detail about all of the faults and flaws, no matter how minor, so that everyone is on the same page.

If you do miss out something major in your initial communications, expect that offers may be rescinded and other types of consternation will occur which are best avoided.

2. Provide paperwork

If you want to back up any claims you make about the history of your van or provide proof of any other aspect of its history, it is sensible to keep all relevant paperwork to hand.

This covers everything from receipts for work carried out on the vehicle, MOT certificates and any documentation associated with things like insurance claims.

3. Get an accurate valuation

Even if your van is seemingly irreparable, it still has residual value that can be unlocked if you are savvy about how you sell it.

As such it makes sense to get an accurate online valuation for your van which can then be used to shape how you handle the sale going forward. With a valuation to hand you will be able to work out which offers to accept, which to refuse and even which types of sales routes you should even consider in the first place.

4. Sell to a specialist

This is perhaps the most vital piece of advice for any first-timers, albeit an option that may not immediately be obvious if you have never had to part ways with a faulty van before.

There are specialist van buying companies which deal specifically in damaged vehicles, putting them in the best position to not only accurately assess how much your LCV is worth but also make sure that it is dealt with sustainably.

Another advantage of selling to a specialist is that you will be freed from having to handle some of the challenging aspects of going solo. You will get all of the official documentation involved in scrapping a vehicle, if it goes that far, for example.

Scrapping a van with specialists is sensible for a hassle-free experience.

5. Avoid cash offers

It might be tempting to take an offer to sell your old van for a quick cash pay-out. However, this is definitely not a good idea because it is actually illegal to do so.

The law was changed to prevent cash being payable in exchange for vans and other vehicles which are being scrapped specifically to clamp down on the theft of scrap metals, so this is certainly something to keep in mind if you want to make sure you sell your broken van in an above-board way.

6. Remove useful attachments

This may not apply to all van owners, but in some cases, you may have added features to your LCV over the years to expand its practicality which could actually prove useful if transplanted into any future purchases.

If you are simply selling your broken van for scrap, then it could be worth removing any peripherals, such as tail lift mechanisms, which would be more expensive to replace new than simply reuse.

7. Deal with tax & insurance

In all the hustle and bustle that comes with selling a broken van, you might forget that you are still paying to tax and insure it, which can be an unnecessary drain on your resources.

When you terminate both of these essential services, you can get a refund from the DVLA, if relevant, and your insurer respectively for the remaining months on your policy.

You could be due a refund on tax and insurance for your broken van.

8. Get a second opinion

In the case that your van appears to have suffered a serious fault or other breakdown, it is possible that you have simply assumed that it is not going to be fixable within a justifiable price range. Of course, unless you are an expert in automotive mechanics, this may not be the case.

To be doubly sure that your van is damaged beyond reasonable repair, always aim to get it checked out and get a quote for the costs of making it roadworthy again.

9. Be realistic

If you have got a quote for your van or have had it valued in order to work out how much you are likely to be able to sell it for, always use this as a way to anchor your ambitions for the price you will eventually get paid for it.

You can do all sorts of calculations and make many wild predictions about how much your van is worth on paper, but it is always better to be realistic. Take into account things like the state of the LCV market at the moment, the demand for used vehicles and the other economic pressures that might come into play for buyers and sellers alike so that you can keep a level head and not turn down perfectly good offers because you are being over-optimistic.

10. Be patient

There are some ways to sell your broken van quickly and some which take a little more time to come to fruition. If you have your mindset on selling it privately in order to get the best possible price, patience will be key as you may not receive an offer that catches your eye for a while.

Equally, if you are overly eager to get rid of your LCV, you might end up missing out on a good deal or even overlooking some important aspect of the process mentioned above that could come back to bite you.

In short, take your time, consider your options and always ask questions before leaping into the sale of a faulty van, or one which has been written off.