According to CarScoop, Americans are keeping their cars for longer than before. With the average car being roughly 11.8 years old, when your vehicle reaches the end of its service life and is no longer roadworthy, it doesn’t automatically mean it is now worthless. Before we begin to discuss how to get rid of a junk car and the processes involved, you need to know that irrespective of how old our vehicle may be, there’s still a chance to get some money for it.
There are numerous ways to get rid of a junk car, but it’s up to you to determine which option works best for you. Some important variables that will influence your choice are your financial situation and the condition of your car.
If you are low on cash and you need to get rid of your junk car ASAP, you might seek the quicker and easier options to take it off your hands. Alternatively, if you have time on your hands and the vehicle is still in good condition, then you may be looking for a bigger payout for it.
Either way, the methods outlined in the article are great ideas on how to get rid of a junk car no matter what condition it is in.
It is very important that you take the time to prepare your car so you can get a higher amount of money for it. Here are some key areas to give attention to when preparing the junk car.
For a car that’s still in good shape, you can determine the value by using an online service such as Kelly Blue Book to get a rough estimate. According to statistics, these sorts of online resources are widely used by car owners to get a fair valuation of their car. But, in reality, the amount of money you get for the car will be lower than the Blue Book estimate. The key reason is that most car owners who use online service to evaluate their cars are either selling their car as used cars or need a price to start negotiations with the junk buyer.
If you have good knowledge of car repair service costs, you can take the original price provided in the evaluation book and subtract all the repair costs for faulty components. This will help you get a better estimate of your junk car.
You need to be honest with yourself about the state of your car. Just how junk is the car? Is it damaged beyond recognition?
Why does it matter what condition your car is in? If your car is eligible for repairs or maintenance, then it is going to command a higher fee. You also need to consider if the junk car is movable or not as this will help you analyze and evaluate different parts of the car.
While you’re going through all the individual parts of the car, remember to take note of all the valuable parts of the car. For instance, are the tires free of tire dry rot? Is the alternator still in good working condition? What of the GPS, is it still working? After going over all the valuable components and parts, write a simple reminder of what you can see. This little note will go a long way in helping the junk disposal service and will make your interaction smoother.
Buying a car without a title, even if it is a junk car, involves a lot of hassle that most junk service won’t want to get themselves involved in. Except they (the junk service) operate an illegal business, in which case you shouldn’t be dealing with them, they’ll ask for the title of the car before moving it.
Without the title, no transparent junk car removal service will buy the car because without signing the title over to them, the car still belongs to you, and they could get into a lot of trouble for buying a car without a title.
For most people, a car is like a second home so they don’t mind keeping some valuable stuff in the car, as far as the car is kept safe from theft and break-ins. It is possible that some of these items might be left in the car and passed on to the junk car disposal service team.
Make sure to go through the contents of your car trunk, under the seats, the floor mats, between the front seats, and the glove compartment to identify and remove all valuable items from the car.
When it comes to getting rid of a junk car, the requirements vary from state to state. Most of these requirements are available for public use online, so you have no excuse for not carrying out comprehensive research on all the items required by your state before getting rid of a junk car.
You’ll need to compare different offers before you settle for the price offered by a junkyard service. Here are some important tips that’ll help you get the best offer for your junk car.
You should only proceed with this step when you’ve thoroughly evaluated and assessed your junk car. The junkyard will be able to quote an equivalent value for your car only when you provide comprehensive information about the car. Write down all price tags quoted by different junkyard companies so you can choose the best paying junkyard.
For instance, some junk removal companies will prefer a readily dismantled car, while others will prefer to do the dismantling by themselves. You’ll have a higher chance of getting more money for your car if you disassemble the junk car. Find out from the junk removal company will pay more if you deliver the car to the junkyard versus if they have to collect it themselves. Make sure to go over the required paperwork and request an explanation for confusing terms.
If you have a lot of time for research, you can look around for the most convenient option before selling your car. Since most car owners lack the necessary skills to dismantle a car, it’s best to choose a junkyard will do so and still pay more.
You should only tow your car to the junkyard if you are comfortable doing so and you’re sure of getting more value. This way you’ll help the junkyard save on labor and they’ll likely pay you more for that.
If your car can’t be driven, then you should look for a junkyard that is willing to pick up the vehicle from your location as this will be the most convenient option for you. Junkyards often quote a certain amount online, then later lower it after evaluating the car on arrival. This is why it is crucial to know the value of your car and stick to it.
Though each state will offer slightly different terms, you’ll need to return your car license plate in order to cancel your car’s registration. You’ll get all the necessary information that you need to follow in order to complete the cancellation process from the junk removal company. Alternatively, there are several online resources you can use to get all the information and the exact procedure you need to follow.
If your car is not completely broken, you can find a buyer for it or trade it in for your next car. Selling or trading in your car will help you fetch a higher payout. You will get more money for your car if the car was properly maintained while you were using it, the body still looks clean and neat, and you advertise the car to get more buyers interested.
First off, not too many people do this because there is little to no monetary gain in the car. Some of these charity programs employ people to repair and maintain the junk cars they receive, whereas others will just dismantle the car and sell the parts to the recycler for money.
There is a high demand for car used parts, and that partly responsible for the increase in car theft and break-ins. Popular vehicle models have a high demand for side windows, metal panels, windshields, rims, tires, window motors, radios, catalytic converters, exhaust systems, cooling systems, etc.
You might find yourself in the unfortunate position where your car develops a fault that sees you become stranded on the roadside. You may consider junking the car if the repair cost is astronomical and the car is old.
Small components like Catalytic converter can be priced anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 or more. A head gasket can cost you upwards of $1,500 and an automatic transmission will cost above $4,000. Even something as small and failure-prone as a car’s onboard computer can cost over $1,000 to replace. If your old car needs one or more of these costly repairs, you might be tempted to sell it as scrap.
Every year in the US, there’s an average of 6 million auto crashes and the number keeps climbing yearly. Normally, your insurance will pay for the damage your vehicle sustained as well as damages to any other vehicle involved, that’s after the deductible. As is often the case, this deductible can be over $1,000 or even $2,000.
On the other hand, mother nature can also be your worst enemy. You probably didn’t know that damages from hail cost US motorists and property owners over 22 billion every year. In Texas, Hurricane Harvey damaged over 300,000 cars, and that’s just a few of nature’s destructive forces that can render a car useless.
If you still owe a bank, finance company, or credit union money on the car that you are planning to junk, then you’ll have to pay them off first. This is because if you look at the title, there’ll be a financial entity listed alongside your name as the owner of the car, meaning there’s a lien on the car.
You become the sole owner of the can and can do whatever you want with it only when you pay off the balance you owe. The easiest way to go about this is to pay off the loan first, then sell the car for scrap. Alternatively, if the amount you owe is smaller than what you expect to get from the sale, you can get a loan to pay off the car loan, charge the new loan to your credit card and clear the loan when you’ve completed the sale.
Laws for junking vary from state to state, but we’ve found that the easiest and most convenient way to get rid of a junk car is to sell it to a junk car removal company.
Most of them will provide a quote for the car, then on inspection, they’ll get a towing company to move the car. At this point you’ll get monetary value for your car, that’s if it looks like you described.
This is the best way to get rid of an old car that is not worth fixing from your garage, property, or roadside with very little effort.
