You’ve got an old, junk car you’re trying to get off your hands, but can’t seem to find a place that gives you the offer you want? That’s a conundrum that’s all too common with owners of old clunkers.
There are a few steps that you can take to prepare your junk car for a sale to lock in the best offer when a buyer shows up.
Keep your car as intact if possible
Make sure you have the key for the car
Have all of the required paperwork complete
Abide by the lemon laws
Find the right buyer
Let’s take a deeper dive into these points.
Junk and scrap yards purchase vehicles for their salvaged metal value. This means they will pay for the weight of your car no matter what condition it's in. If your vehicle is still starting and isn't wrecked from accident then it may still have some value left in it. Before selling to a junk yard check what your vehicle is worth with CarBrain, who knows you might actually get more for it selling it AS IS.
This same logic applies to when you're selling it. Even if your vehicle is an old junk car its important to keep it fully intact because you never know why a buyer is looking to buy a junk car. Their intentions could be to part it out in order to build another car they have or perhaps they are planning to fix it up for resale. The bottom line is if any pieces are missing off the car it can and most likely will negatively affect the final price that you get for it.
Parting out a car may seem like a great idea at first but it's a can of worms you might want to avoid opening and after a car is missing parts it will be worth significantly less than a complete car.
Core items that will definitely keep you from getting top dollar for your junk car if they’re missing:
Engine
Transmission
Interior
Wheels & Tires
Battery
Not only that but without keys a buyer cannot properly secure the car. This means when it gets to their location they cannot lock the car because they won't have access to it after. They won't be able to leave the windows open either, not only for security reasons but for rain and other weather conditions as well.
Also, some cars that have transponders that require a professional facility to replicate a key and program it to your specific vehicle. This service is time consuming and it can cost a pretty penny. Even on a common car a transponder key with programming can cost over $300. If you're selling a junk car, then make sure you have at least one key to ensure you get top dollar value for it.
Some of these documents can take over a month to get a replacement and by that time it could be too late. The buyer may reduce or withdraw their offer by the time you're ready to sell.
Most common documents needed to sell a car
Formal I. D
Vehicle State Title
Registration
Every car sale is unique and so is the required paperwork. There will be occasions where specific documents are needed. Before selling your junk or wrecked car find out what state your vehicle is titled and verify with their local DMV to make sure you have all of the paperwork needed to sell your car.
CarBrain knows that the process of selling and getting top dollar for a car can be complicated and confusing and that's why we’ve created this map showing all the states and their title requirements to sell cars.
Even though this mainly applies to dealers, private sellers still have a set of laws to follow when selling a car. These laws vary per state but there is one common law that all must follow to avoid tampering with the vehicle's mileage. It is illegal to alter a vehicle's miles in any way. In situations where a vehicle's odometer becomes inoperable then you must report it to the DMV to have it properly taken care of and fixed.
To get top dollar for your junk or wrecked car it's important that you showcase it to the right buyers. Selling it locally means that you’ll get swamped with calls and texts from strangers at all hours of the day.
You’ll have to meet with them and haggle back and forth just to receive their low-ball offers. Junk and scrap yards don't care about your vehicle's options like leather or sunroof nor its conditions; they're just looking for the metal value that they can scrap from it.
Check out CarBrain: we're the smart way to sell your car! We specialize in buying junk, crashed, and less than perfect cars. Our dedicated team of buyers have over 30 years of experience in the car business! We’ve put our knowledge to the test and created an interactive price engine designed to make offers on most cars in just 90 seconds! If you agree to our offer, then we’ll deliver the payment straight to your hands and tow the car for FREE! All this in just 24 to 48 hours.
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