What to Expect When You Junk Your Car for Money

Do you have a car that’s come to the end of its life?

If yes, you’re probably exploring your options on what to do with it. You could decide to keep it in your yard and watch it rust away. You could donate it to charity. Or you could junk it.

In this article, our focus is on car owners who’re looking to junk their cars but don’t quite know how the process works or what to expect. All in all, when you resolve to junk your car for money, it’s your expectation that you’ll fetch a decent amount of cash.

Well, that will depend on a couple of factors. Continue reading to learn what to expect when you’re junking your car.

You’ll Need to Take Out Valuable Parts

If you’ve never junked a car for money before, you might not know that it’s important to remove valuable parts from the car. Although not necessary, removing these parts helps you make more money.

You see, if you sell the car with all the valuable parts in there, the junkyard might not tell you to remove them. They’ll most likely buy the car that way and remove them before scrapping it.

If you’re not handy with car parts, get your local mechanic to assess the car and determine functional parts that can be sold in the used car market. The mechanic will then remove them, clean them up, after which you can start processing them for selling.

Paperwork Needs to Be Straight

If you’re planning to junk a clunker that you stopped using ages ago, there’s a chance you’re not sure of the state of its ownership paperwork. If you’re in this situation, there’ll be an obstacle when you’re dealing with junkyards.

You need to prove that you’re the owner of the car. Not many junkyards will touch a car if you can’t provide the necessary paperwork.

As such, get the car’s documentation before you start junking it. Ensure the documentation is up to date. If you’ve switched addresses, for instance, go to your local department of motor vehicles and update it.

You Need to Get Multiple Offers

If you live in a big city or metropolitan area, there are probably tens of junkyards.

If you want to get the best deal, don’t settle on the nearest to your home or the first one you come across. This is because different yards have different going rates for junk cars. View more on the linked page to learn how you can determine the value of your car.

Ideally, you want to get quotes from about 5 junkyards. Compare and see where you’ll get the most value.

Keep in mind that just because a quote has the highest figure doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. You need to consider other costs you might incur, such as transporting the car to the yard.

Go Ahead and Junk Your Car for Money

You’ve made the right decision to junk your car for money. However, if you’ve never done it before, you might not know what to expect. With this guide, you now have a good idea of what will likely happen.

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