JOHANNESBURG, October 2026. A car that has been battered by hail or written off by an insurer is not worthless, and Damaged Cars Wanted wants Gauteng motorists to know it. The vehicle buying service is run by Lou Appel’s Auto Spares from its yard on Booysens Road in Selby. With the Highveld summer storm season starting, it is asking owners of hail-damaged, accident-damaged and non-running vehicles to request a same-day offer rather than let the car stand idle and lose value.
Spring is when Gauteng gets its first heavy afternoon thunderstorms, and hail often comes with them. One storm is enough to dent a roof and bonnet, crack the glass and damage the trim. Some owners face only a simple repair. Others find that their insurer has decided the car is not worth fixing. That leaves them with a salvage offer that seems too low and a vehicle they no longer trust to drive.
When an insurer declares a write-off
Damaged Cars Wanted buys hail-damaged vehicles straight from their owners. If an insurer plans to write a car off and its salvage offer is weak, the business will pay the owner directly. It takes cars the insurer has classified as Code 2, Code 3 or Code 4, and its own guidance confirms that Code 3 and Code 4 vehicles can be sold provided the paperwork matches the car.
For motorists who want to sell damaged cars without delay, the attraction is a direct path from a damaged vehicle to money in the bank. There are no months of repair quotes and no private buyers asking what still works. A few photos are enough for the team to assess the car, and it then makes a same-day cash offer with no obligation to accept.
More than storm damage
Storm damage is this month’s seasonal focus, but the business buys nearly any make, model or year in nearly any condition. That covers accident-damaged cars with front, rear or side impacts, as well as rolled and smashed vehicles and non-runners. It also covers cars with seized engines, blown gearboxes, slipping clutches or failed timing chains, and vehicles with electrical faults such as failed body control modules or immobiliser trouble.
Flood and water-damaged vehicles are also bought, including cars with submerged interiors and electrical write-offs. So are fire-damaged cars, from an engine bay fire to a complete burn-out. The business buys damaged 4x4s, SUVs, light motor vehicles, bakkies and LDVs too. High mileage vehicles qualify, as do cars that have stood in a garage or back yard for five years or longer. A flat tyre or a dead battery makes no difference to the offer.
Step by step, from photos to payment
Anyone planning to sell your damaged car this spring will find the process laid out in simple steps on the website.
First, the owner sends the details by phone, email, WhatsApp or the online form. This should include four to six photos of the front, back, both sides, the engine bay and the dashboard, plus a note on whether the car runs. After reviewing the photos and the VIN, the team sends a preliminary offer, normally within a few hours.
The owner can accept it or make a counter-offer. The team will then either agree or explain what stops it from reaching that number, and there is no pressure either way. When an offer is accepted, the business arranges a tow truck or a driver, depending on whether the car still runs. Collection anywhere in Gauteng is free and is not taken off the offer.
The seller is paid before the vehicle leaves, either by EFT into their bank account or in cash on the day, whichever they prefer. The car stays where it is until the money has cleared or is in the seller’s hand. Most sales are finished within 24 to 48 hours. A typical sale has photos sent in the morning and an offer the same day, followed by collection and payment the next day.
The paperwork is done for you
Hail and accident claims already bring plenty of admin, so the business takes care of the transfer itself. Its team handles the NATIS change of ownership, SAPS clearance where it is required, and yard deregistration. The seller signs once at collection and the business files everything else.
A sale is simplest with the original NATIS document, or a duplicate from the nearest licensing department. If the papers have gone missing or the vehicle has a finance hold, the business has handled both situations before and asks sellers to raise them at the start.
Decades of know-how behind every offer
Lou Appel’s Auto Spares has bought damaged cars and bakkies at the same Booysens Road yard in Selby since 1939 and cites more than 85 years in the motor industry. That long background in parts and salvage lets the team judge what a gearbox is worth, what panel work will cost and which parts are still usable, so it can put a fair offer on the table first time.
Each offer depends on the car’s year, make, model and mileage, on what is still complete, on what the salvage market is currently paying for those parts, and on the cost of getting the car back to the yard. For that reason the business does not publish fixed prices online. It gives a real figure once it has photos and a VIN.
Johannesburg and the rest of Gauteng
The service is aimed at vehicles in Gauteng, especially those near Johannesburg. If the car is still roadworthy, the owner can drop it off at the yard, or the team will go to the car. For vehicles outside the province, collection is quoted per case, and in most cases the cost is built into the offer rather than charged separately.
For households and businesses selling damaged cars after a storm, the point this October is straightforward. A hail-dented or written-off car does not need to sit in the driveway losing value. A few photos can produce a firm offer the same day.
Motorists in Gauteng can find out more and ask for an offer at https://damagedcarswanted.co.za/.
About Damaged Cars Wanted
Damaged Cars Wanted is a vehicle buying service run by Lou Appel’s Auto Spares at 233 Booysens Road, Selby, Johannesburg. It buys damaged, non-running, accident-damaged, hail-damaged, water-damaged and fire-damaged cars and bakkies throughout Gauteng. It provides same-day offers, free collection within the province and payment by EFT or cash on the day, and it handles NATIS, SAPS clearance and deregistration paperwork in-house. The office is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
Media Contact
Damaged Cars Wanted
Email: info@usedautospares.co.za
Phone: +27 11 493 8260
Website: https://damagedcarswanted.co.za/
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