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SA Best Towing
Older white Toyota HiAce van on the SA Best Towing tilt tray, a second white van on the rear lift, gum trees behind

Car removal and cash for unwanted cars in Adelaide

The truck’s headboard says “Car removal, cash for unwanted cars”. Some cars are worth money and some aren’t. Describe yours, and we tell you on the phone which it is.

Call 0457 300 057
4.8 on Google from 41 reviews

In short

Some unwanted cars are worth money and some aren’t. Make, age, condition, whether the car is complete and current scrap metal prices decide it. SA Best Towing removes dead, rusted, unregistered and written-off cars across Adelaide from its yard in Angle Park, and tells you on the phone which yours is.

Jobs we can take

Dead in the driveway for years

Flat tyres and a layer of leaves on the bonnet. The winch gets it onto the tray.

The repair costs more than the car

The mechanic’s quote is bigger than the car’s value. Selling it as it stands is the cheaper way out.

Crash-damaged and not worth fixing

The roster truck on (08) 8116 9209 clears the crash scene. Once the car sits in a holding yard or at home, we collect it.

Unregistered and on the street

Leaving an unregistered car standing on a road is an offence in SA. Get it onto private property or have it taken away.

Clearing a house or an estate

An old car left in a shed. Tell us who holds the papers and we’ll explain what to bring.

What decides if an old car is worth money

Make and age come first. A late-model ute with a dead engine still has doors, lights and a gearbox that someone wants. A thirty-year-old sedan with rust through the floor is worth about its weight in steel.

Then we look at whether it’s complete. A car missing its engine, gearbox, wheels or catalytic converter is worth less, because those parts carry the value. Scrap prices move too, so we price your car on the day you call.

Some cars aren’t worth paying for, like a burnt-out shell or a stripped car on bricks in a backyard. We’ll tell you that on the phone.

If your car is worth money, we buy it ourselves. You deal with us from the first call to the moment it leaves on our truck, with no wrecker in between.

Proof that the car is yours to sell

Have photo ID ready, plus the registration papers or the receipt from when you bought it, in the same name. If someone else owns it, they need to agree to the sale, in writing if they can’t be there.

Check for finance too. If money is still owing, the lender has a claim on the car and you can’t sell it until that’s cleared. A search on the Personal Property Securities Register at ppsr.gov.au shows it.

Service SA, rego and number plates

If the car is still registered when you sell it, Service SA expects a notice of disposal. It’s free, and you can lodge it online through mySAGOV when the buyer is in SA. The notice doesn’t transfer or cancel the rego, and when a car goes to a wrecking yard, Service SA keeps you on record as its last registered owner.

If there’s rego left and the car is headed for wrecking, ask Service SA about cancelling the registration for a pro-rata refund instead. For a wrecked car they want a statutory declaration or an insurer’s letter saying it hasn’t been on a public road since the damage.

Plates go back to Service SA when you cancel, unless they were destroyed. Unscrew them before we load the car, and empty the glovebox and boot.

How the job runs

From the first call to the drop-off, in the order it happens.

  1. Send us the details and photos

    Make, model, year and what’s wrong with it. Photos sent by text help us give a straight answer.

  2. Get an answer before anything’s booked

    We tell you on the phone whether the car is worth money, and book the pickup once you agree.

  3. Papers ready, car loaded

    On the day, have your ID and ownership papers ready before the car goes onto the tray.

  4. Finish with Service SA

    Lodge your notice of disposal or cancel the rego, and hand in the plates if you’re cancelling. Keep a copy for your records.

Silver Mitsubishi Pajero on a car trailer carried on the SA Best Towing tray, a black Mini on the rear lift, paddocks and gum trees behind
Red and black sports motorcycle strapped on the tray, a white hatchback on the rear lift, gum trees along the road

What changes the price

Every job is priced on the phone before it’s booked. These are the things that move the number.

Get a priceRead the price guide
  • Make, model and age, and the demand for its parts
  • Whether the engine, gearbox, wheels and catalytic converter are still there
  • Scrap metal prices at the time
  • Access and loading: backyards, flat tyres, no keys
  • Distance from our Angle Park yard

Common questions

Answers for people in the same spot as you. Anything else, call and ask.

How much money will I get for my unwanted car?

We can’t put a figure on a car until we know what it is. Value comes down to make, model and age, whether the car is complete, and what scrap metal is worth at the time. Call SA Best Towing on 0457 300 057 or text photos, and we’ll give you an answer before anything is booked.

Do you pay for every car you remove?

No. Plenty of old cars are worth money, but a stripped shell or a burnt-out wreck can cost more to load and haul than its metal is worth. We tell you which side of that line your car sits on when you call.

Do you buy the car yourselves or pass it to a wrecker?

We buy it ourselves. When a car is worth money, the offer you hear on the phone comes from SA Best Towing, and the car leaves on our own truck. You don’t have a wrecker or a broker to deal with along the way. If yours isn’t worth paying for, we say so on the same call.

What paperwork do I need to sell a car for scrap in South Australia?

Photo ID and proof you own the car, such as the registration papers or a purchase receipt in your name. If the car is still registered, lodge a notice of disposal with Service SA after the sale, or cancel the rego with Service SA if the car is going to be wrecked.

What do I do with my number plates when my car is scrapped?

Take them off before the car leaves and return them to Service SA when you cancel the registration, unless they were destroyed. Keeping special or personalised plates means a trip to a Service SA centre for standard plates before you sell. Don’t let plates go to the wrecker on the car.

Can I sell a car the insurer has written off?

Check who owns it first. Once an insurer pays out a total loss, it often takes the car as salvage. If you kept the car, a statutory write-off can’t be registered again, so it’s worth its parts and metal. A repairable write-off can go back on the road after it passes inspections.

Can I get a refund on unused rego when my car is scrapped?

Yes. When you cancel, Service SA refunds the unused part of the registration fee, CTP premium and lifetime support levy, less an admin fee. A wrecked or written-off car needs the application to cancel registration, a statutory declaration or insurer’s letter, and the plates. Ask Service SA how it applies to your car.

Vehicles we can carry for this job

Dark Mini raised on the rear lift behind the SA Best Towing tilt tray, a silver Pajero on a car trailer on the tray

Car towing

Sedans, hatches, sports cars, EVs and hybrids, carried on the tray with all four wheels off the road.

Lifted white Toyota LandCruiser with a snorkel on the SA Best Towing tilt tray, a small flat-tray truck with a roll cage on the rear lift

4WD and SUV towing

Lifted 4WDs, family SUVs and all-wheel-drive wagons, carried on the tray so no wheel turns on the road.

White Toyota HiAce van on the SA Best Towing tilt tray, a second white van on the rear lift, gum trees along the road

Van towing

HiAces, Sprinters, delivery vans and people movers, including high-roof vans and two-van fleet moves.