If you’re reading this, then chances are that you have an old car sitting in your driveway that you’ve realized is no longer worth all the time and money you’d have to invest in it to keep it functioning. Or perhaps you have decided that you don’t want to keep taking a chance with it by continuing to drive it. After all, it could break down at any time.
If this is the conclusion that you have come to, then your next course of action is to find a buyer that is willing to pay you a good price for it. In this regard, there are several cash-for-car companies out there that are willing to buy cars for cash near me, no matter what the car’s current condition may be.
Plus, the best part about it all is that the sale process is so simple it can be handled completely online.
How to Quickly Scrap a Junk Car for Money?
Before you think about selling your car for cash online, the first thing that you need to do is make sure that you have all the relevant paperwork in order. This means making sure that you have the car title in hand because most states, if not all, typically require you to sign over a car title to legally transfer ownership.
In the event that you are unable to locate your car title, then you need to head over to your local DMV and request a replacement, which will normally require you to pay a fee. Even if your state does not require titles for certain vehicles, you will need to provide some form of legal documentation proving your ownership of the vehicle in order for a junkyard to accept it.
In this respect, you should also have the bill of sale and registration papers before you proceed with trying to get cash for cars in Georgia via USCarJunker—or any other state, for that matter. Once you have all the paperwork ready, all you need to do to get started is to follow these steps.
Step 1: Head to a cash-for-car company site like USCarJunker. From there, you will only need to fill out a quick online form with your personal details and vehicle information. The form will also require you to answer questions about the condition of the car, e.g., if it has any visible damage to the exterior body. Are the windows broken? Are there any missing parts?
Step 2: Once you submit the information, you can expect to receive an instant, no-obligation cash offer, which you can decide to either accept or decline. If you accept it, the company’s representatives will then reach out to schedule a time and date for pickup, at which point you will also be provided with the payment.
Do I Need To Tow My Junk Car To The Buyer?
This only applies if you intend on selling your junk car to a private buyer. In such cases, you may need to either drive it to them or call a tow truck to have it delivered to them. However, finding a buyer for a junk car can often be extremely difficult, and the transport costs can often reduce the profit you make, especially if the buyer is far away.
The good news about using a cash-for-car service like USCarJunker is that they will usually have a towing agency on call to pick up your car, and you won’t even need to pay anything.
They will simply roll in with a trailer and collect the car before paying you the quote that they offered. However, do keep in mind that some junk car services may require you to drive the car to them if it is still in drivable condition.
How Much Money Can I Make Selling A Junk Car?
Unfortunately, it may not be as much as you think. Junk cars are already well past their prime, and there’s not a lot of use for them except being scrapped for their spare parts or recycled for scrap metal. As a result, most scrapyards will only purchase such cars for the value of their weight in metal.
On top of that, the market value of scrap metal is constantly changing, so getting a competitive offer is usually difficult. Scrap metal values used to be significantly higher about 20 years ago, and it is for this same reason that you will not often see vintage foreign cars like Volkswagens and Audis in the US.
Most of them will have broken down, and since their owners found them expensive and difficult to fix, they decided to sell them for scrap when metal prices were at an all-time high. These days, given that the average passenger car often weighs between 1.5 and 2 tons, you can often expect to get a few hundred dollars for it if you take it directly to a junkyard.
Alternatively, if you use a cash-for-car service, you may be able to get a slightly higher amount for it because they often take into account other factors such as the type of car, its current condition, any working spare parts, etc.
All in all, you shouldn’t expect to make a significantly large profit unless the vehicle that you intend to scrap is exceptionally heavy. For instance, if you own an old SUV and intend to junk it, you can often make more money from it than from a regular sedan.
A good rule of thumb is to always find out how much the local scrapyards in your state are paying for used cars. Alternatively, you can also compare quotes from different cash-for-car services online before you decide to sell them.
What If I Decide To Sell My Junk Car To A Private Buyer?
Nowadays, almost every classic junk car comes with its own niche of car enthusiasts that are willing to buy it for its collector’s value or even just for its unique spare parts. Some of them may even be looking to restore it completely back to working shape. In this respect, you can always try to sell your car on sites like eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook rather than scrapping it.
The benefit of this approach is that you will most likely be able to make a little more money than if you sold it for scrap. However, the downside is that finding an interested buyer can take weeks, if not months. On top of that, you still have to deal with the extra baggage that comes with selling a car such as organizing the relevant paperwork, transporting it, etc.
Alternatively, you can always try to sell some of the parts yourself online, rather than the whole car. This can include catalytic converters, rims, doors, wheels, bumpers, GPS, etc. You can use the same online marketplaces listed above, as there are bound to be people looking to fix their cars with some of the parts that you have.
However, you will need to hire a professional mechanic to strip the car to ensure that the parts aren’t damaged in the process. After that, you simply need to take photos of the parts, post a few online ads, and wait for any interested buyers to contact you.
