Short answer. If the engine, gearbox, wheels or catalytic converter are in good shape, selling parts first may beat scrapping the car whole. If the car is stripped, it is a metal sale.
A scrap car has two values: what its parts can fetch and what its metal can fetch. This guide helps you decide which one you are really selling. It gives no prices, because we found no reliable source. For the factors that set the value, see how much your car is worth as scrap. A note on bias: ScrapTrade operates a scrap marketplace and has a commercial interest in scrap sales.
The parts that carry value
- Engine and gearbox, covered in selling or scrapping an engine or gearbox and what a scrap engine is worth.
- Catalytic converter, which is covered in catalytic converter scrap value.
- Alloy wheels, covered in what alloy wheels are worth as scrap.
- The battery, in selling an old car battery.
How to decide
- List what still works and is complete.
- Ask a wrecker what it would pay for the car whole, and what it assumes about missing parts.
- If you remove parts, ask the scrap buyer what it pays for the shell, since a stripped car is valued differently.
- Weigh your time and tools against the gain.
A warning
Removing a catalytic converter or other parts yourself can lower the whole-car offer and may be unsafe. In NSW a dealer will not buy a vehicle that lacks its identifier details, so keep the VIN plate with the shell. Ask the buyer before you take anything off.
A simple way to compare
- Get a whole-car quote from a wrecker, call it A.
- Get quotes for the parts you could sell, such as the engine, wheels and converter, call the total B.
- Get a quote for the shell without those parts, call it C.
- Compare A with B plus C, and subtract your time and the cost of tools and removal. If B plus C is not clearly higher than A, sell the car whole.
Where ScrapTrade fits
Parts, engines and shells can be listed separately on ScrapTrade, free with no commission, with verified buyers negotiating in chat and the buyer's 5% deposit escrowed after acceptance. We could not confirm that whole vehicles are accepted, so email cs@scraptrade.com.au.
What we could not verify
- What any part or shell is worth.
- How wreckers price partial cars.
- Whether removing parts changes the offer in your market.
Frequently asked questions
Is my car worth more as parts?
It can be if the main components are intact and in demand. Ask a wrecker.
Should I remove the catalytic converter?
Ask your buyer first, because it can change the whole-car offer.
Where do I sell parts?
Wreckers, parts buyers and marketplaces. See the linked guides.
Sources
- ScrapTrade guides on engines, catalytic converters, alloy wheels and car batteries, accessed November 2026.
General information only.