Junk car removal
Get cash for your junk car, running or not
The short answer
Cash for junk cars is the sale of an end-of-life vehicle to a licensed recycler who hauls it away and pays you at pickup. The offer is built from curb weight, the catalytic converter, resalable parts and the distance to the yard, and the buyer confirms that figure against your car before it is loaded.
When you need this
A junk car buyer is right once the vehicle has stopped being a car with a problem and become recoverable material. These are the situations where that is already true.
The repair estimate is bigger than the car
A shop quotes more than the vehicle would fetch running. Past that point you are not deciding whether to fix it. You are deciding who takes the weight, the converter and the few parts somebody still buys.
It has not started in a long time
Flat tires, a dead battery, a registration that lapsed while you thought about it. A car that sits still keeps costing you in insurance, storage or space, and none of that comes back when you sell it.
You are clearing a driveway, a rental or an estate
The car belongs to a property you are handing back or an estate you are settling, and it has to be gone by a date. What you need is a buyer who arranges the tow and documents that the car left your hands.
The insurer totaled it and you kept it
You took the owner-retained settlement, so the wreck is yours. A licensed recycler is one of the few buyers set up for a vehicle carrying a branded title and the paperwork that comes with it.
How it works
The order matters. The paperwork step is the one that protects you, and it is the one people leave until the truck is already outside.
Describe the car the way a buyer will see it
Make, model, model year or the VIN, and where it is parked. Then the things that move money: does it roll and steer, are the wheels on it, is the engine in the bay, is the catalytic converter fitted, do you have keys. A car described better than it is gets re-priced in your driveway.A recycler prices what can be recovered
The buyer works out what the shell weighs, which components can be pulled and sold on, what scrap is paying that week, and how far a truck must travel to reach you. That last one is a cost they carry, so it comes out of your number.Get your ownership documents in hand first
Ask the buyer which documents their license requires, and ask your state DMV what it wants from you: what happens to the plates, and which release of liability form ends your responsibility. A duplicate title takes as long as your DMV takes, so start it before you book a pickup.The offer is confirmed at the curb, then you are paid
The operator walks the car against your description and confirms the figure before it goes on the deck. If it is not what was described, it is re-priced there and you can still say no. Payment happens at pickup, and you keep a signed copy of everything before the truck leaves.
Upfront pricing
What a junk car buyer typically pays
These are indicative ranges for an end-of-life vehicle, not quotes. A buyer pays for metal sold by the ton plus whatever can be pulled off and resold, minus the cost of getting a truck to you, and scrap is a traded commodity that moves week to week. The operator confirms the final figure against the actual vehicle before anything is loaded, and you can decline.
| Service | Typical offer | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Complete vehicle, catalytic converter still fitted | $100 – $500per vehicle | Body, drivetrain, wheels and converter all present, whether or not it starts. |
| Catalytic converter already gone | $100 – $250per vehicle | Losing the converter caps the top of the range rather than shifting the whole range down. |
| Stripped of the engine, transmission or wheels | $100 – $250per vehicle | What has already been pulled is the part of the value a recycler would otherwise have resold. |
Estimates only. Final price confirmed by the local operator before dispatch. Offers are subject to inspection and applicable state title requirements.
What moves this price
- Curb weight. Most of the payment is metal sold by the ton, so a full-size pickup clears a compact sedan on the scale.
- The scrap market that week. Shredded steel is traded and moves, so a number quoted last month is not one anyone can be held to.
- Whether the catalytic converter is still bolted to the car. It is normally the most valuable single part left on an end-of-life vehicle.
- Parts demand for your model. A common car that yards still pull doors, alternators and glass from beats one nobody needs parts for.
- The haul. The buyer pays for the tow, so a car well past the nearest recycler nets less than the same car in town.
Where these ranges come from
- Junk Car Medics scrap car pricing update, via BarchartChecked August 30, 2026
- Cash Auto Salvage — What Is the Going Rate for Junk Cars?Checked August 30, 2026
Selling it, parting it out, or donating it
| What matters | Sell to a junk car buyer | Part it out yourself | Donate it |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you end up with | One payment at pickup, agreed before the car is loaded. | More in total if the parts sell, spread over weeks and never certain. | A receipt from the program rather than money. |
| Who arranges the tow | The buyer, at their cost. | You, for whatever is left once the parts come off. | Set by the program. Ask before you agree. |
| What you still owe your state | Title, plates and a release of liability, on your own state rules. | Everything, and you stay the registered owner while the shell sits there. | The same title, plate and release obligations. The program does not inherit them. |
If the car is genuinely finished, a licensed buyer is the shortest route from driveway to payment. Part it out only if you have somewhere to keep a shell and the patience for it. Donate when the receipt matters to you more than the money does.
Where these statements come from
Anything numeric or regulatory on this page carries the document it was read from and the date it was checked against it. A claim with no source is left off the page.
A national buyer pricing update puts typical whole-vehicle payouts at $100 to $600, with the heaviest full-size pickups over 5,000 lbs at the top of that band and compacts near 2,500 lbs at the bottom.
Junk Car Medics scrap car pricing update, via BarchartChecked August 30, 2026
Recoverable parts are what lift an offer above bare scrap. Published buyer data values catalytic converters at $50 to $1,500, airbags at $200 to $800 and alloy wheels at $50 to $200 each, and reports that a vehicle that still runs fetches 30% to 50% above pure scrap value.
Cash Auto Salvage — What Is the Going Rate for Junk Cars?Checked August 30, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Why can nobody give me a firm price over the phone?
Because half the inputs are not visible from a phone call. A buyer can estimate weight from the model and look up what scrap is paying, but nobody can see whether the converter is still fitted, what has been pulled off, or how the car is parked until someone stands in front of it. You get an estimate from your description and the operator confirms it at the curb. If the car matches what you said, the number holds.
Is the pickup really free?
Nothing is billed to you at the curb: the buyer arranges and pays the tow. It is not free in the sense that it costs nobody anything, because the haul is one of the costs subtracted when your offer is worked out. That is why a car far from the nearest recycler nets less than the same car in town. If the collection needs more than a standard rollback, say so early.
How am I paid, and when?
At pickup, by the method you agreed when you accepted the offer, and never before the operator has seen the vehicle. Agree the method in writing along with the figure. Be wary of anyone who wants to pay after the car is taken away, or who asks you to sign the ownership documents over before the money is in your hand.
Do I have to be there when it is collected?
Normally yes, because you sign the ownership documents and take the payment. If you cannot, ask the buyer in advance what they accept: some work with a named representative and a signed authorization, and some will not. Do not leave signed paperwork and keys in the car for an unattended pickup.
Should I empty the car first, or take anything off it?
Empty it completely: glovebox, console, trunk, spare well and door pockets, because whatever stays in the car goes to the shredder with it. Leave the vehicle itself alone. Pulling the battery, wheels or converter before pickup lowers what you are paid, because those are the parts the buyer priced.
Last updated
Tell us what you need
Describe the job once. We match it to a vetted, licensed local operator and come back with an estimate. Nothing is dispatched until you agree the price.
Estimates only. The local operator confirms the final price before dispatch.