If you want to get your salvage car off your hands with reputable junk yards in your area, get its value calculated instantly. Towing and title transfer are completely free and pick-up can happen as soon as 24-48 hours.
Continue reading if you’d like to learn the ins-and-outs of selling a salvage vehicle and how their value is determined across the salvage industry.
Under most instances, a car gains a “salvage value” once it’s been declared a total loss by your insurance provider. This is called being “issued a Salvage Title or Salvage Brand.”
Salvage titles are permanent. Even if the vehicle is rebuilt and issued a “Rebuilt Branding,” all future buyers will be aware that the car was declared a total loss in the past.
Calculating the salvage value of a vehicle is relatively straightforward. Depreciation for all vehicles occurs at a predictable rate over the course of the car’s lifetime.
One Minute: A brand new car will lose an average of 10% of its value the instant it leaves the dealership. A $20,000 vehicle is immediately worth $2,000 less once those wheels leave that lot.
One Year: A new car suffers its biggest drop in value during those first 12 months. After one year, it is worth 20% less than what it was purchased for. That $20,000 car is now only worth $16,000.
Five Years: The car’s total value will have decreased by about 60%. The first year drop off is replaced by a 15-25% depreciation each of the following years until the five year mark. That $20,000 car is now worth about $8,000.
Additionally, you must account for the damage a salvage vehicle has suffered. A car’s salvage value is typically much lower than its used car value, especially if it’s no longer running.
Should a car not be repaired in the aftermath of a major accident, it will generally only be worth 10%-50% of a similar used car’s value. Even repaired, you’re likely to receive about 70% of its undamaged value.
Body Damage
Blown Engine
Broken Transmission
Faulty Electrical Systems
Dead Battery
Fuel System Issues
Bad or Broken Brakes
When it's time to sell your scrap car, finding a reliable car salvage yard near you is crucial. However, it's essential to do your research before heading over to the nearest yard. Referrals from friends, family, and local mechanics can help you find a trustworthy salvage yard. You can also search online and check reviews and the Better Business Bureau to ensure the yard has a good reputation.
When you have a list of potential yards, inquire about their towing policy and whether they offer free towing. By taking these steps, you can find a reliable salvage yard that will provide a fair offer for your car and save you the hassle of dealing with an unreliable yard.
Car won't run? Will it cost more than it’s worth to fix it? Has it been in a wreck? Transmission shot? Has the engine blown?
It's likely time to move on. Usually, this involves finding car yards near you to buy your scrap car. You don't want a ton-and-a-half of metal, flammable fluids, and rubber sitting in your driveway rotting.
The longer it stays, the harder it is to get rid of. Birds will soon think it's a fun target. Small animals will learn to call it home. It's time to bid that former favored method of transportation farewell.
You might think your best option is to find salvage yards that buy cars near you but beware. Auto salvage is a tricky business. With a lot of work and little margins, getting the most out of selling your car to a car salvage yard, is a complicated endeavor.
There are a few things to consider before heading over to your local auto salvage to sell your car. Here's how it generally works:
You have to pay for the tow to get your car to the salvage yard in order to get your offer. Tows aren’t cheap. Sometimes they exceed $100.
What happens if you get there and the offer is really low? You just paid $100 to tow your car there and now you have to either accept the low-ball offer or pay another $100 to get your towed vehicle taken back home.
You have no idea what they'll offer until you arrive with your car. If they offer you anything. You can ask and cajole all you want, but they won't give you an offer over the phone.
You likely won’t receive the best customer service. Auto salvage near you is likely busy with a lot going on at any given moment.
If you have a high-quality car, the auto parts might be worth more than just scrap metal prices. Or even if you have a vehicle only worth the few truck parts available, you still might be able to get more money for it.
Some auto salvage places near you will charge you pretty high towing fees. You ought to shop around for nearby auto salvage yards that will pick your car up for free. Junkyard car pickup is included, for instance, if you sell your car to DamagedCars.com.
You could try to play the auto salvage game but when junkyards buy cars they have you on their turf. It is important to know that auto salvage yards will be making money off your car.
It probably won't be a lot, but you don't want to short change yourself by taking too little and allowing them to make all of the profit.
When it comes to selling their car, sometimes people don't know that they could be getting a better offer with a much easier and convenient process. People just want their salvage car gone and don’t necessarily realize it still has some value.
Choose the better way. Sell your car to DamagedCars.com, where we specialize in buying damaged, wrecked, broken-down and salvage cars the fast, easy, and convenient way.
We buy cars nationwide through our network of local service providers. We are where you are.
We give you a guaranteed offer either online or over the phone. All we need is some basic information about your car, maybe a few pictures, and we can give you a no-obligation, guaranteed offer, fast.
We can buy any Make of car from Hyundai to Rolls Royce and everything in between.
You can take or leave our offer. We strive to make the best offer for your car. But, if you don't like the offer, you haven't paid for a tow and you wasted very little time.
We encourage you to do your research. Look up DamagedCars.com. Our offers are good for three days. You can come back when you’re ready to sell us your car.
Once you accept our offer, we handle the towing. We’ll schedule a pickup around your needs and tow the car for free. We pay for the tow, so you don't have to.
DamagedCars specializes in buying cars that have seen better days. Regardless of the reason your car is damaged, we make the process of selling it as easy as 1-2-3:
Step 1: Get your free quote! Simply enter some basic information about your car on our website and you’ll receive a free and guaranteed quote within 90 seconds.
Towing is complementary, so you’ll never have to worry about hidden or additional fees taking away from the profits you take home.
Step 2: Schedule your pickup within 24-48 hours! If you’re happy with your quote, you’ll be able to schedule your vehicle retrieval with one of our partners within your area. They’re trusted to come to you at a time that works best for you.
Step 3: Complete your sale! After a quick inspection and transferring of your title, you’ll receive the amount you were quoted, no haggling or fuss. Your vehicle is taken off your hands and money is put in them!
You'll get an offer from us with no pressure to sell from us, and we can answer any questions you may have about your cars.
All we need is your ID and proof of ownership to pick up your car. And remember to check your local laws regarding license plates before we buy your damaged vehicle — if they stay with the seller, remove them!
NO Haggle. FREE Towing. No FEES!
See All Locations Here
YEARS: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Car salvage companies pay varying amounts for different cars. Automotive salvage yards near you might be willing to negotiate on prices but typically a car’s value is based on the amount of metal on it.
However, metal prices fluctuate often and metals are not as in-demand. Thus, you likely won’t receive thousands for your salvage car.
Unlike vehicle salvage yards near you, DamagedCars.com, will help to maximize your price. We look at more factors than just your car’s make, model, and year to give you the best price. With us, you also won’t be responsible for towing because we got you covered.
Typically, automobile salvage yards near you own their own tow trucks. But more often than not, they will charge you to use them. What’s worse is that they might not tell you about the cost until after you have already sold your car to them.
At DamagedCars, we always provide free towing, unlike the auto salvage yards near your location. In fact, it doesn’t matter where you live or what state your car is in—we will tow for free!
At a local auto salvage yard, you will get paid for the weight of your car. But this amount can vary by yard. A car salvage near you might give a different estimate than another place because of their own demand for metal.
Rather than relying on automotive salvage yards near you, you can get a free quote for your broken vehicle without even having to take it anywhere.
At DamagedCars, we evaluate vehicles entirely online using our unique pricing calculator. It only takes 90 seconds to get your guaranteed quote!
Finding local auto salvage yards is easy. There are likely many car salvage places near you and you can make an appointment at one to get your price estimate.
The easiest way to find car salvage yards near you that buy cars is to search for them online. However, you will then have to choose the one who offers the best price. This can take a while because you will likely have to visit each one to get your car appraised.
Instead of going through this hassle, get your free quote from DamagedCars.com. After you accept our offer, you can schedule your free pick-up within 24 to 48 hours and be done with your damaged car!
The price scrap yards purchase vehicles for follows an industry average. Your best bet for maximizing profit at one is to choose one close to you that offers free pickup and give them a vehicle without any parts removed.
Yes! Scrapping a car will result in you getting paid for your vehicle. Keep in mind, scrap yards will weigh your car and payout its weight in scrap metal. You’ll likely end up with a lower payout than what your car is actually worth.
Salvage yards payout for cars can range from $50 to $15,000, with the average actually falling between $100-$500. The value of a salvage car is typically 70% of a similar car that’s still in working condition.