If your car has been sitting at a Perth smash repairer since an accident, you’re probably weighing up two costs at once — the price of fixing it, and the daily fee the repairer is quietly charging to keep it on their premises. For a lot of owners, the second cost is what tips the decision. Here’s what to know before you decide whether to repair, sell, or scrap an accident-damaged vehicle in Perth.
Storage Fees Can Add Up Faster Than You’d Expect
Most smash repair yards charge a daily storage rate once a vehicle has been assessed and a decision is pending — whether that’s waiting on an insurance assessor, a parts quote, or simply your own decision on whether repairs are worth it. Storage fees of around $27 per day are common for accident-damaged vehicles in Perth, although the exact rate and the date charges begin depend on the repairer’s or storage yard’s terms. Leave a decision for a few weeks while you shop around for quotes or wait on insurance paperwork, and the storage bill alone can eat into — or exceed — whatever the car is actually worth.
This is the main reason owners end up selling a car for parts or scrap sooner than they planned. It’s not that the car isn’t worth fixing; it’s that every extra day of indecision has a real dollar cost attached.
Write-Off or Not, You Still Have Options
If your insurer declares it a total loss
If the insurer writes the car off, they’ll usually offer you a settlement based on the car’s pre-accident value, and in most cases they take ownership of the wreck. But if you’re under-insured, uninsured, or the damage happened off a claim entirely, the car — and the decision about what to do with it — stays with you.
If you’re covering the repair yourself
Sometimes the repair quote comes back higher than the car is worth on the road. In that situation, most Perth owners either sell the vehicle as-is to a wrecker or parts buyer, or accept the loss and keep paying for repairs on a car that may never be worth what went into it. There’s no obligation to fix a car just because it’s driveable in theory — plenty of accident-damaged vehicles are sold exactly as they sit, panel damage and all.
What Affects the Price You’ll Be Offered
Every accident car is different, but a few factors consistently move the number up or down:
- Extent of the damage — whether it’s cosmetic panel damage or structural/chassis damage affects both resale and parts value.
- Make and model — vehicles with strong demand for used parts (common Japanese and Australian models, for example) tend to attract better offers than rare or unpopular models.
- Completeness — a car with the engine, transmission, and major components intact is worth more than one that’s already been picked over.
- Age and mechanical condition before the accident — a well-maintained car with damage is often worth more than an older, run-down car with the same damage.
- Whether it’s registered or deregistered — this affects paperwork but generally not whether it can be sold.
Running or not, accident-damaged, flood or fire affected, deregistered, or already declared a write-off — all of these are still sellable in most cases. What generally can’t be bought are stolen vehicles, cars still under finance, and bodies without a chassis.
What Perth Sellers Need to Know Before Signing Anything
Number plates stay with you
In WA, number plates belong to the registered owner, not the vehicle. When you sell, take the plates off before the car is collected — they don’t transfer with the sale.
You need to notify the Department of Transport
After selling any vehicle in WA, you’re required to lodge a Notification of Disposal with the Department of Transport. This closes the vehicle off in your name and protects you from any fines, tolls, or liabilities that could come up after it’s gone.
Bring valid photo ID
Whoever is selling the car needs valid photo ID on the day. It doesn’t have to be the person the vehicle is registered to, but ID is required to complete the sale.
Getting the Car Out From Under Storage Fees
Once you’ve decided to sell, the main thing that matters is how quickly the car can actually be collected — every extra day it sits at the repairer is another day on the storage invoice. Cash For Cars Perth offers free same-day towing across the Perth metro area, and if you call before midday it’s often collected within two to three hours. Payment is made on the spot, in cash or instant OSKO bank transfer, before the vehicle leaves the property.
Note that the service covers Perth metro only — it doesn’t extend to Bunbury or further south. If the car is sitting at a repairer within the metro area, though, it can typically be arranged and collected the same day.
Ready to Move It On?
If your accident-damaged car is racking up storage fees at a Perth smash repairer, it’s worth getting a quote before those costs eat further into what the car is worth. Cash For Cars Perth is based at 5 Hantke Place, Welshpool, a licensed wrecking yard, and is open Monday to Saturday, 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Call 0420 262 651 for a free quote and same-day collection.