There are four ways to go. Scrap pays least. Breaking it for parts yourself can pay most, if you have the time. Selling it as spares or repair sits somewhere in between. For most people, a specialist buyer who collects is the best balance of price and effort.
Your options
Here's how the four routes compare. The right one depends on how much time you've got and how much work you're willing to do.
| Option | Money | Time and effort |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap | Lowest | Low |
| Break it for parts yourself | Often highest | High: weeks or months of it |
| Sell privately as spares or repair | Middle, but unpredictable | Medium: adverts, messages, viewings |
| Specialist buyer | Fair, and certain | Low: photos, an offer, collection |
Scrap
A scrapyard sees metal, and a quad doesn't weigh much, so you'll get very little. That's fine for a machine that's truly finished: rotten frame, fire damage, nothing worth saving. A registered quad has to go to an authorised treatment facility, GOV.UK says, and you tell DVLA it's been scrapped.
Breaking for parts yourself
This one can make more than selling it whole. Used engines and gearboxes from popular farm quads always find buyers. Diffs sell. So do wheels and plastics. Sold one by one, the parts often add up to more than the machine is worth in one piece.
The catch is time. You need space to strip it and somewhere dry to keep the parts. Every item needs photos and a listing. Then there's packing and posting, and the questions. You'll sell the good bits quickly and be left with a frame and the parts nobody wants. Drain the fluids properly (oil and fuel, plus coolant) so none of it soaks into the ground. If you enjoy that kind of work and aren't in a hurry, it's a genuine option.
Selling privately as spares or repair
A private buyer who wants a project might pay well, especially for a popular model. But non-runners attract time-wasters and hard bargainers, and you'll need to arrange collection, because a seized quad doesn't ride onto a trailer.
Selling to a specialist buyer
A buyer who deals in quads knows what a Rancher engine or a Grizzly gearbox is worth, so they price the machine on what's still good. Weight doesn't come into it. You deal with one offer and one collection, and you're paid before it leaves. That's what we do. We buy non-runners of every make. A seized engine doesn't put us off, and nor does crash damage.
What makes a non-runner worth more
Two non-running quads can be worth very different amounts. These push the price up:
- A popular model. Parts for the Honda Rancher and TRX 500 Foreman are always wanted. So are Yamaha Grizzly and Kodiak parts, and anything off a Suzuki KingQuad.
- A known, simple fault. "Won't start after sitting a year" is worth more than "it made a bang and stopped".
- Straight frame, no rot. That's the base for any repair.
- Nothing missing. Plastics and racks cost money to replace, and so do wheels.
- Low hours. If the clock still works, tell the buyer the reading.
- Paperwork. An invoice or V5C and a readable frame number make it easy to buy even when it doesn't run.
For what the same machine would fetch running, see valuing a quad bike.
What to tell a buyer
Tell them everything you know, including the bad news. Buyers price the risk they can't see. Be vague and they'll assume the worst. Be clear and they can price what's actually wrong.
- What happened: when it stopped and what it was doing at the time.
- What you've tried already, and what you found.
- Whether the engine turns over on the starter. If not, does it turn by hand?
- Whether it's stuck in gear or the wheels turn freely.
- Any crash damage or water damage, and any parts that have been taken off.
- How long it's been standing, and where.
We'd much rather hear "the gearbox is locked in second" up front than find it on the day. Describe it accurately and the figure we quote is the figure we pay.
Photos to send
Good photos get you a firmer offer. Don't bother washing it. Mud doesn't put us off, and a pressure washer can push water where it shouldn't go on a machine that's already broken. Just make sure we can see what we need.
- Both sides, full length
- The front and the back
- The dash, lit up if it will, so we can see the hours or miles
- The engine, from both sides
- The frame number: wipe that bit clean and shoot it close up
- Any damage, close up
- The tyres and the underside, if you can get to them
A short video of it trying to start (or not) is useful too. Can't spot the number? We've listed where each make stamps it.
Should you fix it first?
Only if the fix is cheap and certain. A flat battery might be all it is. So might a blocked fuel filter or tired plugs. Fixes like that cost very little, and a runner sells more easily.
But if you don't know what's wrong, the fix can cost more than it adds. Diagnosing a quad that won't start can mean parts thrown at it one after another. A new starter motor that doesn't solve the problem is money gone, and you still have a non-runner.
A simple test: if you can't name the fault and price the fix before you start, sell it as it is. A specialist buyer has already priced the repair into their offer. Selling your quad bike to us works the same whether it runs or not. We still match your ID and paperwork to the number on the frame. Then the bank transfer reaches you, and only then does the winch come out. Get an offer with a few photos and we'll come back within 24 hours.