Worth Keeping my Hiace

I think you've arrived at the inevitable conclusion: a non working vehicle in a foreign country.

What to do. BTW all Hiaces like that are probably RHD as the Japan Domestic Market is, but that may not help in Europe - where the call for a van may still be low.

Additionally to scrap it properly you really need to have the vehicle around for a bit and advertise all the bits: for older bikes that's the way to maximum profit, for older vans? I have no idea.

The reason for refusing to tow an automatic is that the oil pump is stopped but the wheels push half the stuff inside around: it wears the transmission out. It needs to go on a low loader etc, the Austrians were right. Which is a good sign TBH.

The DVLA must have a system for a vehicle dying permanently abroad.

So you have a number of options, none of them ideal, your least hassle one is to find a garage or camper firm in Austria to buy it as a non runner.
Another option is to rent a parking space or garage, park it there and go home to the UK and decide what to do from there. That also makes collecting it easier if you find someone with a truck as it's a round trip then. Or even if you find a decent gearbox and travel with that to have it fitted in Austria, or sell it remotely and post the buyer the keys.

Either way if I was in your situation I'd be tempted to park it and come home to figure out some options in the UK where people speak the same language and you can chat to car transporters. There are a few one-man-bands who deliver cars to motorshows etc, you never know - although it's quite tall.. maybe worth getting some quotes though, nothing to lose.

The requirement for MOT to get it back is ridiculous. It makes sense in case you crash it, but on the back of a trailer it doesn't change anything. They should be more understanding that your MOT can expire if you are away for a while and facing technical issues that don't allow you to leave.
If such a recovery would be possible, back to the UK, you coukd probably sell it easier.

However I doubt it if it would be worth it when you would find a company to do the recovery for you, as the price will not be cheap.
Perhaps you could complain at the insurance company?

The red button on the autobox should put it into neutral and allow it to be moved. Would it allow it to towed? I've never dared push mine (fear of ejection seats).

If you decide to ship the vehicle back to the UK, try an online shipping company for quotes. Such as: https://www.shiply.com/vehicle-delivery/

Hey guys, thanks for your replies. I've been offered 1000 euros by a dude in one of the local facebook groups I posted to. I'm leaning heavily towards taking his offer. I can't really leave it here as this is a ski town so there's no free parking anywhere, and it's currently in the cark park of one of the skischool's houses, needs a bleeper thing to open the gate, and the skischool closes for the summer soon so getting it picked up then probably wouldn't be possible.

Some calculations I've made:

Paid: 9500 euros.
Repairs last time it broke down: 2000 euros.

Ignoring road toll costs and petrol I'm in about 11500 euros.

Pessimistic outcome:

To fix this time: 2000-3000 euros.
Channel tunnel: 150 euros
Road tolls and petrol: 300 euros.
Tax: 400 euros for tax and potential 1200 euro SORN fine
MOT: 1000

Total cost so far: 4000-5000 euros

Sell for 6000 euros for quick sale (£5000).
Profit: 1000-2000 euros.

Optimistic outcome:

Fix this time: 1000 euros.
Channel Tunnel: 150 euros.
Road tolls and petrol: 300 euros
Tax and MOT: 1000 euros

Total cost so far: 2500 euros.

Sell for 9500 euros (£8000).

Profit 7000 euros.
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So if everything goes right I could make a bit of money, but if it doesn't I could have spend a lot of time, effort and stress to get this sorted and I might only make a very small amount of cash back. Plus the fact I could end up being stung for a 1200 euro SORN fine (in the UK you have to register your vehicle as off the road, and well, I've been out of the country and didn't do it). Realistically if I sell it for 1000 I'll be 1000 euros better off financially than I am at this precise moment in time....

Plus a mate of mine is relatively close in Switzerland and he's been amazingly kind and offered to pick me up in about a week. So I'd only have to post a couple of bags back to the uk and pay for the shared petrol costs back to the UK. I'm kinda leaning towards taking the 1000 euros and being done with it.

GPW wrote:

The reason for refusing to tow an automatic is that the oil pump is stopped but the wheels push half the stuff inside around: it wears the transmission out. It needs to go on a low loader etc, the Austrians were right. Which is a good sign TBH.

Ah well at least I can rest assured it will actually move.  I was worried that the wheels wouldn't actually go round forwards and it would need a flatbed truck (is that the same as a low loader? I'm guessing so) to move it or something.  If it wears the transmission, sounds a bit callous, but it wouldn't be my problem at that point.  They guy who offerred to buy it said he could sort out a tow for it, so providing it is actually towable, that's good enough for me.