It won’t start. Fix it or scrap it?

How to decide, before you pay for a diagnosis.

We buy cars that don’t start every week. We also tell people, often, to go and fix theirs.

Rule out the cheap things

A car that clicks but doesn’t turn over is usually a battery or the connections on it. Cold snaps are when a tired battery gives up. A boost, a clean of the terminals or a new battery fixes most of those, and none of them is a reason to scrap a car.

A car that turns over and over without catching is a different story: fuel, spark or compression. That one needs someone to look at it.

Three questions

What would it cost to make it safe and running? Count the whole bill: this repair, plus the brakes, the tires and the rust that would come up at a safety inspection.

What would it be worth once it is? If the repair costs more than the car would sell for afterward, the math is done.

Is the body solid? An engine can be replaced. A rusted-through floor or frame usually can’t be, not for sensible money.

When it is the engine or the transmission

On a car that is fifteen years old, a used engine with the labour to fit it is often more than the car is worth. People do it for cars they love. For a car that is just transportation, it is usually the point to stop.

If you decide to scrap it

Don’t pay to tow it to a garage first. We pick it up from where it sits, running or not, and the towing is in the number. Tell us what you know: whether it clicks, cranks or does nothing. If it sounds like something small, we will say so on the call, and you can go and fix it instead. There is no charge for an opinion.

Written at the yard.