Cochrane Car Buyers buy vehicles with mechanical failures of every kind, anywhere in Cochrane and Rocky View County. Blown engines, dead transmissions, electrical faults, cars that won't start and cars that haven't moved in years.
You'll get a firm number, a tow truck at no charge, and your money before the car goes anywhere. This goes for anything on wheels, by the way: cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, motorcycles, RVs and fleet vehicles.
Why Cochrane cars reach this point sooner
Cochrane is a commuter town. A household driving into Calgary every day can put 35,000 to 45,000 km on a car in a year, which is roughly double the national average.
That means a Cochrane car hits 200,000 km in about five years instead of ten. Big components fail on mileage rather than on the calendar, so a five year old car here can be mechanically similar to a ten year old city car while still looking nearly new and often still carrying finance.
That gap between how a car looks and what's happening underneath is why so many people around here get blindsided by a five thousand dollar quote on something they think of as a newish vehicle. If that's you, you're not unlucky. You're just on schedule for how these cars get used.
Questions people ask us
Yes, and non-starting cars are a big part of what we buy. Don't spend money trying to get it going before you call, because a jump start or a new battery won't change our offer much.
It depends mostly on the year and the state of everything else. A late model car with a blown engine but an intact body and gearbox can still be worth thousands, because the rest of it has real demand. An older car with the same failure is priced closer to scrap.
Usually a bit more than with a blown engine, because the engine is the more sought after used part. As always, the year and the condition of the body drive most of the number.
Rarely, in our experience, though it does depend on the car. You're weighing a bill of $3,500 to $7,000 against a vehicle that will probably need something else substantial within a year or two. Get the repair quote, get a number from us, and compare the two before you decide. We'd genuinely rather you made the right call than sold to us by default.
Yes, and this comes up more often in Cochrane than people expect. If you've just moved here and the inspection produced a repair list worth more than the car, that's a straightforward sale.
No. Never spend money repairing a car you're planning to sell to us, because you won't get it back in the offer.
Yes. If a Cochrane shop has your car and you've decided not to go ahead with the work, we'll collect it from them directly. Just let the shop know we're coming.
Yes. Flat tires, dead battery, seized brakes, grass growing through it, all completely normal. We'll bring the right gear.