What is a wrecked truck worth to truck wreckers?

There’s no single answer, because every truck is priced individually. Whether you’re selling a ute, a commercial van or a heavy truck, wreckers price them based on a few factors, such as:

• Make and model: Popular trucks with strong parts demand, like the Hino, Isuzu and Mitsubishi Canter, usually fetch more.
• Size and class: Light-duty trucks are generally worth less than medium-duty ones, which have bigger engines, heavier-duty components and more recoverable parts.
• Year: Newer trucks usually have more reusable parts that are still in demand.
• Condition: Running or not, accident damage, rust, and whether the engine, gearbox, cab and tray are intact all affect the price.
• Odometer: Lower kilometres usually mean more valuable engine and driveline parts.

We buy 1-2 trucks every week. Below are the prices we’ve actually paid for trucks from 1993 to 2018.

Year alone doesn’t set the price. In 2018, we paid $3,000 for a Hino 300 Series and $15,000 for a Hino FG, which is the maximum of our price range.

Both are Hinos from the same year, but the 300 Series is a light-duty truck, and the FG is a medium-duty truck, and that class difference explains the gap.

The same pattern shows up in 2003: we paid $6,500 for a Hino FG but $2,300 for a Mazda Titan T-Series.

Prices depend on each truck’s condition and current parts demand, so use these figures as a guide, not a quote.