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Sell Your Damaged Car in Cochrane, Whatever Happened to It

Crashed, hailed on, hit a deer, or written off by the insurer? We'll buy it as it sits. You don't need to fix it, clean it, or get it drivable first.

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Open 7 AM to 8 PM, seven days a week.

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Firm Offers Free Towing Paid on Spot

Cochrane Car Buyers buys damaged vehicles outright, anywhere in Cochrane and Rocky View County. We'll give you a firm number, come and collect it for free, and pay you before it goes on the truck.

If the body shop quote came back higher than the car is worth, or your insurer called it a total loss and you kept the vehicle, you're in the right place. Those are two of the most common calls we get.

The kinds of damage we see

Collision and accident damage

Front end, rear end, side impact, rollover. Frame damage doesn't rule a car out either. We buy plenty of vehicles where the repair estimate came in higher than the car was worth in the first place.

Hail damage

Cochrane sits right in Alberta's hail belt, and one bad storm can write off hundreds of cars in an afternoon. If your paintless dent quote is running into five figures on a car worth less than that, selling is often the better move. We'll buy it whether or not you've made a claim.

Insurance write-offs and total losses

If your insurer declared it a total loss and you took the reduced payout to keep the car, you now own something most buyers won't touch. We will. We also buy salvage-branded vehicles.

Deer and wildlife strikes

Highway 1A, Highway 22 and Highway 40 keep us busy with these. A deer strike that flattens a front end on an otherwise healthy vehicle is one of the most common damaged cars we pick up around here.

Dents, rust and general wear

Cracked glass, a bumper hanging loose, damage from a tree or a garage door, or just years of Alberta winters. If it looks rough enough that private buyers won't bother calling, we'll still make you an offer.

Fire, flood and vandalism

Yes to all three. These come up less often, and a few buyers in this market quietly turn fire damage away. We don't.

Repair it, claim it, or sell it?

Three options, and which one makes sense depends on numbers most people don't have sitting in front of them.

One thing worth knowing about hail. In a lot of cases you can claim, take a cash settlement, choose not to repair, and still sell the car afterwards. Policies differ between insurers though, so check yours before you commit to anything. If you're not sure, ring us and we'll tell you how it's gone for other people around Cochrane.

Hail payouts versus selling, with real numbers →
Option Makes sense when... Worth knowing
Repair and keep it The repair costs well under what the car is worth fixed, and you like the car Collision work in Alberta rarely comes in under the original estimate
Claim it and repair Damage is well above your deductible and the car is worth putting right A repair history can knock down resale value, and your premium may go up
Take the payout and sell it to us It's written off, or the quote is close to or above what the car is worth You lose the car, but you stop spending money on it

What a damaged car is actually worth

Four things set the price, roughly in this order.

  • The year and model. A 2019 with a crushed front end still has real value in its parts. A 2007 with the same damage is priced closer to scrap.
  • What survived. An intact drivetrain, catalytic converter, airbags and wheels carry most of the value on a damaged car.
  • Whether it still starts. A damaged car that runs is worth more than one that doesn't, even if it's nowhere near roadworthy.
  • Scrap metal prices, which move week to week. That's why nobody can quote you properly from a web page.
Situation Typical range
2018 or newer, hail damage only, drives fine$4,000 to $20,000
2015 or newer, collision damage, still runs$2,500 to $12,000
2015 or newer, insurance write-off, not drivable$1,500 to $8,000
2010 to 2014, moderate collision damage$700 to $3,000
Pre-2010, heavy damage, not running$200 to $900

Those are rough guides rather than quotes. We price each car on its own, because the year, the model, what's still intact and the scrap market all move the number around.

How it works

01

Tell us what happened.

Year, make, model, and where the damage is. Photos speed things up on badly damaged cars but you don't have to send any.

02

We give you a firm number.

Not a range. What we say on the phone is what we hand you.

03

Free tow, paid on the spot.

We'll bring a flatbed if it won't roll. Cash or Interac e-transfer before we load it, and we handle the paperwork so the car is off your name.

The full process and what you'll need →

Questions people ask us

Can I sell a car the insurance company wrote off? +

Yes. If you kept the vehicle after taking a reduced settlement, it's yours to sell. Bring the settlement paperwork if you still have it, as it helps us confirm ownership quickly.

Do you buy salvage-title vehicles in Alberta? +

Yes. Alberta brands vehicles as either salvage, meaning repairable, or non-repairable, and we buy both. A salvage brand brings the value down but it doesn't make a car unsellable.

Is a hail-damaged car worth anything? +

Often a lot more than people expect, because hail damage is purely cosmetic. The engine, interior and electronics are usually untouched, so a hailed late-model car can still be worth thousands.

Do you buy cars with frame damage? +

Yes. Frame damage normally ends the argument for repairing a car, but it doesn't change what the parts and materials are worth.

Will you buy a car that's been in an accident but still drives? +

Yes, and it'll be worth more than one that doesn't. Feel free to keep driving it right up until we collect it.

Should I tell you about all the damage? +

Yes please, in as much detail as you can manage. Our offer is firm because it's based on accurate information, and surprises at pickup are exactly how other companies justify dropping the price.

Is a damaged pickup worth more than a damaged car? +

A damaged pickup of the same year and condition usually prices above a car, because demand for used truck parts in Alberta is strong.

What if the problem isn't damage at all? +

If the body is fine and it's the engine or gearbox that's given up, have a look at our page on selling a car with mechanical problems instead. View mechanical problems page →

Damaged car sitting in the driveway?

Find out what it's worth. No obligation, and it takes about two minutes.

Call (587) 355-1650 | Email hello@cochranecarbuyers.ca

Get a Cash Offer →