If you’re on a FIFO roster, chances are there’s a car sitting at home that isn’t going anywhere – a ute with a dead gearbox, an old sedan that failed its last inspection, or something that’s just been quietly rusting in the driveway since your last swing started. Selling privately is hard enough when you’re around every day to meet buyers. When you’re two weeks on and flying out again before you’ve sorted it, it’s easy to keep putting off.
Why Selling While You’re Away Complicates Things
Private buyers usually want to inspect a car, haggle, and arrange a time that suits them – hard to manage from a mine site with patchy reception. Meanwhile the car keeps costing you money: registration doesn’t pause for your roster, and a vehicle sitting unused for months can develop new problems (flat batteries, seized brakes, vermin damage) on top of whatever was already wrong with it.
If the car isn’t roadworthy or worth fixing, waiting for the “right buyer” often costs more in ongoing rego and storage hassle than it’s worth. Selling to a car removal service rather than privately tends to suit FIFO schedules better, since the whole thing can be arranged over the phone.
Get Things Sorted Before You Fly Out
Paperwork to Have Ready
You don’t need to be the registered owner to sell a car in WA, but whoever hands over the keys does need valid photo ID. If you won’t be home on pickup day, sort this out in advance:
- Confirm who will be present for the handover and make sure they have valid photo ID
- Locate the registration papers if you have them (not always essential, but useful)
- Check whether the car is under finance – vehicles still owing money generally can’t be sold until that’s cleared
- Remove personal items before it’s picked up
Can Someone Else Handle the Sale for You?
Yes – a partner, family member, or mate can arrange the sale on your behalf, as long as they’re the one presenting valid photo ID at pickup. You can get the quote yourself over the phone by describing the car’s make, model, age, and condition, then book towing for a day someone will actually be home. Or line everything up before you fly out and book the pickup for your next swing.
What Actually Affects the Price
A few things tend to matter more than people expect when a car is being sold for wrecking or parts rather than as a roadworthy vehicle:
- Make and model – some vehicles have stronger demand for used parts than others
- Completeness – a car missing its engine, gearbox, or catalytic converter is worth less than one that’s intact, even if neither runs
- Type of damage – accident, flood, and fire damage are all assessed differently depending on what’s salvageable
- Weight and metal content – scrap value fluctuates with the metal market, so it can shift from month to month
- Whether it has a chassis – a body shell without a chassis generally can’t be purchased
WA Rules You Can’t Skip
Number Plates Stay With You
In Western Australia, number plates are attached to the owner, not the vehicle. They don’t transfer with the car when it’s sold or wrecked – remove them before the tow truck arrives, and either transfer them to another vehicle or surrender them to the Department of Transport.
Notification of Disposal
Once the car is gone, you’re required to lodge a Notification of Disposal with the WA Department of Transport. This can be done online, so it’s fine if you’re back on site by the time it’s due – but don’t skip it, since the vehicle can technically still be linked to you until it’s lodged.
Timing the Pickup Around Your Roster
If your window at home is short, same-day pickup makes a real difference. Cash For Cars Perth offers free same-day towing across the Perth metro area, often within two to three hours if you call before midday, so a car that’s been sitting for months can be gone before your days off are over. Payment – cash or an instant OSKO transfer – is made before the car leaves the property, so there’s no waiting around afterwards for funds to clear.
What Gets Bought and What Doesn’t
Cars, utes, trucks, vans, and 4WDs are bought in any condition – running or not, deregistered, accident-damaged, or written off. What can’t be bought: stolen vehicles, cars still under finance, and bodies without a chassis. If you’re unsure which category yours falls into, just describe it over the phone.
Coverage runs across the Perth metro area only. If your car is in Bunbury or further south, it’s outside the service area, so it’s worth confirming your suburb is covered before you plan around a pickup date.
Sorting It Before Your Next Swing
Cash For Cars Perth is based at 5 Hantke Place, Welshpool – a licensed wrecking yard that dismantles and recycles vehicles on site – and is open Monday to Saturday, 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Whether you want to get a quote now and book the tow for your next days off, or arrange for someone else to hand over the keys while you’re still on site, call 0420 262 651 to sort it out over the phone.