My Car Needs A New Engine. Can I Sell It?

If your car needs a new engine, you can absolutely still sell it. However, it is a more complicated process because selling vehicles with problems isn’t a dealership’s area of expertise. They’re likely to make an offer that is much lower than your car’s actual value solely because cars with engine problems are outside of their wheelhouse.

A bad engine can transform a perfectly good car into a hunk of junk instantly. The other components on an older car with low mileage will help it still hold value, even with a defunct engine. Take a look at our instant value calculator and see what your car with a blown engine is worth.

If your engine is blown, keep reading to find out how you can get the best value for your vehicle and sell it hassle-free.

How Much Does It Cost To Replace An Engine?

vehicle engine

Engine replacement costs for most cars can typically range between $3,000 and $5,000. Depending on the engine’s level of complexity, the costs can jump upwards to $6,000. Most four-cylinder vehicles, however, will need around $4,000 to complete a total engine replacement.

If your vehicle is 15 years old or more, then $4,000 may be more than the car’s actually worth. That money would be better off put towards a new vehicle, but what do you do with your car without an engine?

Who Buys Cars With Blown Engines?

When selling a vehicle with a bad engine, your options are dictated by how quickly you want to sell the vehicle and how much you want to get for it. Those options are:

car junkyard

Junkyard/Scrap Yard: Fast sale. Lower payout.

Junkyards and Scrap yards specialize in taking unwanted, obsolete items off a customer’s hands. You’ll likely get the vehicle’s weight in scrap metal as payment, because these yards make their money off buying low and then selling the individual components for more profit.

Dealership: Fast sale. Lower payout.

Dealerships will allow you to trade-in your car with its blown engine. Keep in mind, however, that their focus is vehicles that are roadworthy and ready to be sold. An engineless car isn’t their specialization, so they are likely to give you an extremely low offer. Furthermore, the offer might be in the form of credit on a new vehicle from that exact dealership (as opposed to cash you can spend anywhere).

Private Buyer: Slow sale. Higher payout.

Selling your car to a private individual is a viable way to get more money for your engineless car. However, it’s a slow process to sift through serious buyers willing to purchase a car that they have to repair before it can hit the road.

DamagedCars: Fast sale. Higher payout.

An online platform like DamagedCars is tailored to ensure that any vehicle you’re looking to sell is sold quickly and conveniently. DamagedCars also aims to provide you with a fair market value for your vehicle, regardless of the condition it is in. If you want to find out how much your car with a blown engine is worth, click here.

How To Sell A Car With A Bad Engine

Describe your car

By filling out our form with accurate information, we can give you an instant offer for your car.

Accept the quote

Happy with the offer? We can schedule your car for pickup and payment in 24-48 hours!

Get paid!

When the tow truck driver arrives, you'll get paid on the spot for your vehicle. It's that simple.

How Much Is A Car With A Blown Engine Worth?

You can typically expect the trade-in value of a car with a bad engine to drop at least $4,000 from what it would be worth with a running engine. That’s how much a new engine could cost you on average.

Like the price? Sell it to us. Not sure or not ready to sell? Our quotes are guaranteed for seven days, so you have time to think it over.

Sell Your Car With A Broken Engine To DamagedCars

get paid for a blown engine car

Consider selling your car online on a platform like DamagedCars. You can compare quotes and see what kind of prices you can get for your vehicle. At DamagedCars.com, we guarantee that we offer fair market values for your car based on its year, make model and your location.

We'll even take into account any work or upgrades you put into your vehicle. We guarantee our offers for seven days, so you can take time to think about it and consider your options. Once you're ready to sell, we offer FREE towing and FREE title transfer, and we can schedule a pickup in 24-48 hours.

Get your fair market offer for your car in less than 90 seconds, and have your car towed for free in 24-48 hours. See how much you can get for your bad engine vehicle today!

Need answers? Get FREE advice from our client care experts NOW!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Sell A Car With Mechanical Issues?

The best way to sell a car with a seized engine is to reach out to potential buyers in your area and compare your options. You might think a dealer would offer the most cash for your car with engine problems, but you could be disappointed by their trade-in offer suggestion.

Instead, contact junkyards and online junk car buyers near you. These buyers can help you determine what your car is worth, and they typically include free towing. DamagedCars includes free towing with every offer we make, and we can come to you and pay you on the spot for your car, truck, van or SUV in 24 to 48 hours.

How Much Is My Car Worth With A Blown Engine?

Without a functioning engine, you can expect to get at least $3,000 less for your car as a sales price than you would get for a functioning vehicle. So if your vehicle is worth $10,000 in good condition, you should expect to get something closer to $4,000 to $7,000 for it. If it has other problems, such as high mileage, old age or other mechanical problems, you can expect to get an even lower price for it.

Where Can I Sell A Car With A Blown Engine?

The best way to sell your car is to figure out who buys cars with blown engines, because not everyone does. For instance, some dealerships may not be interested in your vehicle.

If you want to sell your vehicle with engine problems, the best place to sell it is with an online junk car buyer like DamagedCars. DamagedCars will help you figure out the true market value of your vehicle in any condition, and we can pick up your vehicle and pay you in just 24 to 48 hours.

How Do I Sell A Car With Engine Problems?

The easiest way to get rid of your car with problems and get paid for it is to use an online junk car buying service, such as CarBrain. We specialize in vehicles in any condition, including cars with bad engines. It takes just 90 seconds to get a no-obligation quote, and all offers include FREE towing and title transfer.

Does Replacing An Engine Affect The Value Of A Car?

In many cases, yes, replacing an engine will change the car’s value. Exactly how much it will affect the resale value of your car depends on who you are selling it to and what kind of engine you replace the original one with.

Typically, the original engine will be worth more than a replacement engine. Of course, a car with a replacement engine is still more valuable than a car with no engine, but it’s worth keeping in mind when shopping around for offers.

Is It Worth Fixing A Car With A Blown Engine?

In many cases, it’s not worth fixing your car if it has serious engine damage, since the cost of repairing or replacing it will easily total a few thousand dollars. Instead, you should figure out how much you can sell a car with a bad engine for.

CarBrain can make an offer on your car with a blown engine in just 90 seconds. We’ll provide a fair market offer with free towing and title transfer included. You can get paid and get rid of your problem vehicle in just 24-48 business hours after accepting our offer!

For what it’s worth...

DamagedCars is the premiere marketplace for less-than-perfect cars!

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