How to Sell a Junked Vehicle

Wrecked and junked vehicles can be sold in a number of ways.

There are many situations in which your junked vehicle becomes a liability, such as if it was totaled in a wreck, it costs more to repair than its worth or it's become a lemon and a "money pit." Usually, you can at least get some money for the car, which is useful if you've already purchased a better vehicle and need the extra funds. Aside from placing a "For Sale" sign on the car and entertaining offers from private buyers, you have several options to sell the junked vehicle.

Instructions

1. Drive or tow your vehicle to a junkyard or auto salvage yard. Call several junkyards or salvage yards beforehand and ask how much each pays for junked vehicles. Some junkyards pay you according to how much your vehicle weighs. This may be more advantageous than selling it to a junkyard that makes an offer based on its condition. You'll typically receive much less for the car if you have the junkyard tow it. Aside from junkyards and auto salvage yards, you can also call a junk car removal company that regularly seeks cars in return for cash and ask how much it pays for junked vehicles.

2. Take your car to a used car dealership or to an auto repair shop. Used car dealerships and auto repair shops may pay for your junked vehicle based on the worth of its salvageable parts. A used car dealership may make you an offer based on repair estimates for the car and how much the dealership thinks it can reasonably sell the vehicle for after its fixed. In either case, you'll need to explain the symptomatic problems the car has been experienced and why its a junked vehicle so the dealership or mechanic can make accurate offers.

3. Part out your junked vehicle. Taking this route involves identifying and then removing the individual components of the vehicle that work and can be sold. You can remove essentially anything that can be unbolted, including the seat belts, steering wheel, the AM/FM stereo or CD player, hood and trunk lid, wheels and hub caps, headlights, and taillights. Engine components may include the alternator, battery, intake manifold, exhaust and parts of the vehicle's suspension system. You can advertise the individual parts in classified ads in the newspaper, online or through auction websites. After selling, a junkyard may be interested in towing the vehicle's body for free or for a minimal amount of cash.

Tips & Warnings

• When parting out your car, you may need assistance from a friend or experienced individual if you're not so mechanically inclined.

• Parting out your vehicle may take several months from start to finish.

References

• CarsDirect: How to Sell a Car for Scrap Metal and Parts -- Four Tips You Can't Ignore
• Mobil1; Donate, Scrap or Sell; Wayne Scraba
• CarsDirect: How to Sell a Car to a Junkyard -- Tips for Getting the Most Money Possible

Resources

• MSN Cars; Selling or Scrapping a Used Car; James Ruppert; August 2009