How to Junk a Car: 7 Steps to Take Before Selling It to the Junkyard

Are you sick and tired of looking at the hunk of junk that’s been sitting out in your driveway or a junkyard for months or even years now? When you have a junk car on your property, it can have an impact on your curb appeal. It can also take up valuable space that you could be using for something else. So rather than allowing for it to continue to sit, you should learn how to junk a car and have it towed away for good. There are more than 8,000 companies across the country that are more than happy to sale junk cars off their owners’ hands.

How to Junk a Car 7 Steps to Take Before Selling It to the Junkyard 2

But before you sell a junk car to a junkyard, there are a few things you should do to make sure the transaction goes smoothly. Here are seven steps you should take before selling your junk car.



1. Make Sure You Have the Title for Your Junk Car

It’s possible to sell a junk car without a title, but the process can be a lot more complicated.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to look around for the title for your junk car and keep it handy. You’ll need to sign it over to whoever you sell your car to in order to finish off the transaction.

Before you try to figure out anything else as far as how to junk a car, you should search high and low for your title if you haven’t already found it.

2. Take Out Your Personal Possessions

If you haven’t been inside your junk car in months now, you might not even remember what’s in it. But before selling a junk car, you should always look in it to make sure you don’t leave any personal possessions behind.

You don’t have to worry too much about cleaning the inside of your car or anything. But you should check in your glovebox, your trunk, and even under your seats to see if there is anything in the car that you want to keep. There for you should follow these tips if you want to sell cars not running.

3. Sell Any Valuable Parts

Do you have a stereo system and speakers in your junk car that might be worth some money? Or do you have newish tires on your junk car that someone might want to buy from you?

You’re free to take these part out of your car so that you can sell them and make more extra money. Even something like the battery in a junk car might be worth something if it’s not too old.

Don’t be afraid to do some research to see if any of the various parts in your car might be worth removing before you sell it.

4. Remove Your License Plates

If your junk car still has your license plates on it, they’re going to need to come off before the car is towed away. You could run into legal issues if you don’t remove your license plates and return them to your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

Every state has different rules with regards to what people should do with old license plates. Find out what your state requires and follow the rules to avoid facing a penalty later.

5. Run Through the Gasoline

More often than not, junk cars don’t start. But if by some chance your junk car does, take advantage of it by using up whatever fuel might be left in the gas tank.

Run some errands in your car before selling it to use the fuel that’s left in it. It’s one more way to maximize your profits when getting rid of a junk car.

6. Find the Right Buyer

As we mentioned earlier, there are thousands of companies out there that will pay you cash for your junk car. That means you’ll have plenty of options when looking for a buyer, but it also means you’re going to need to do some work to find the right one.

Look for a buyer that has lots of experience with buying junk cars in your area. Look for one that you will sell cars not running quickly, too, so that you can get it out of your driveway right away.

And maybe most importantly, look for a buyer that’s going to give you top dollar for your car. You should consider calling around to a bunch of junk car buyers to see which one will offer you the most money for it.

The quotes that you receive from different companies will often vary. One company might offer $200, while another one will triple that and offer you $600.

You can ensure that you’re able to get what you’re looking for by reaching out to different companies and asking them to make you their best offer.

7. Cancel the Car’s Auto Insurance Policy

Even if your junk car has been sitting in your driveway, you may have had an auto insurance policy for it. All vehicles are supposed to have insurance policies on them.

You can feel free to cancel the auto insurance policy on yours once you find a buyer for it and give them the keys. You won’t have to worry about what happens to the car anymore after it’s out of your possession.

Your junk car buyer will be responsible for getting it to wherever it’s going, either on the back of a tow truck or out on the open road.

Knowing How to Junk a Car Before You Do It Is Important

If you’ve never sold one before, you might not have the slightest idea as to how to junk a car. But it’s a whole lot easier than you might think.

You can often find a buyer for a junk car in a matter of a few hours. They’ll arrange to have your car picked up once you accept their offer and get it out of your life once and for all.

Just make sure you follow the steps listed here when you’re in the process of selling your junk car. It’ll help to bring in as much money as possible for your car and prevent headaches down the line.

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