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BeaterBoss

CASH GUIDE

How to get the most cash for your junk car

Most of the price is settled before a buyer ever sees your car: by how well you describe it, how many buyers you let compete and whether you can wait a day or two. Here is what to do before you list, while the offers come in and on pickup day.

The short version

  • Find the title before you list, or learn your state's rules if it is lost.
  • Describe the car honestly, with photos, the mileage and the VIN.
  • Leave it in one piece unless you know a part is worth more on its own.
  • Get several buyers to offer at the same time, and let them raise.
  • Wait a day or two if you can, and compare more than the price.
  • At pickup, take the full price and never pay for the tow.

Wondering which buyers pay the most in the first place? Who pays the most for junk cars explains it.

Before you list

  1. Find the title

    Most buyers pay more for a car with a title, and some cannot take one without it, so look for it before anything else. If yours is lost, selling without a title shows what each state allows, and some let a licensed yard buy an older car without one.

  2. Write down the details

    Have the year, make, model and mileage ready, and find the VIN: it is on the dashboard where it meets the windshield on the driver's side, and on the sticker inside the driver's door frame. Say what is wrong with the car too, such as a blown engine, a missing key or flood damage, because buyers price around what they know.

  3. Take photos

    In daylight, shoot all four sides, the dashboard with the engine on, the VIN, under the hood, the wheels and any damage up close, and add them when you list. Why each of those shots raises the offer, and why an instant quote without them comes in low, is on how much is my junk car worth.

  4. Leave it in one piece

    Buyers price the whole car, and every missing part comes off the offer. Sell a part on its own only if you know it brings in more than the buyer will take off for it.

When you list

  1. Let several buyers compete

    One quote tells you nothing about the others. When buyers offer on the same car at the same time, each one prices it in its own way and the top offer climbs. On BeaterBoss, buyers near you send their offers to your own page, with the biggest at the top and the rest listed under it. Why that pays is on who pays the most for junk cars.

  2. Wait a day or two if you can

    We ask when the car has to go. If it has to go today, your offers page lists the buyers who can come soonest first, and you may trade a little cash for the speed. If you can wait, more buyers have time to see the car.

While the offers come in

  1. Let the offers climb

    Buyers can raise an offer but never lower it, and each one can see where their offer ranks against the others, though never the amounts. That gives every buyer a reason to raise while you wait. If an offer is too low for you or the buyer is not right for you, you can decline it on your offers page. That buyer can't make another offer on your car, and the rest stay open.

  2. Compare more than the price

    Look at when each buyer can come, how many cars they have bought through BeaterBoss and what sellers have said about them on their page here. The biggest number from a buyer who cannot come for a week may not suit you as well as a close second who can come tomorrow.

  3. Don't rush the pick

    Offers here can only go up, and they stay good for several days, so a little patience costs you nothing. When you are ready, you can choose any offer, whichever lane it sits in.

On pickup day

  1. Get the car ready

    Take out anything you want to keep, from the glovebox to the trunk. Check whether your state wants the plates off, and make sure the car is where you said it would be and a truck can get to it.

  2. Sign the title the right way

    Have the title and a photo ID ready. Some states want the seller's signature notarized, and for a 2011 or newer car the mileage goes on the title. Your state's page here lists exactly what it asks for.

  3. Get the full price

    The offer you picked is the price. If the driver tries to pay less, you can say no and tell us on your offers page, and we step in.

  4. Never pay for the tow

    Pickup is part of every offer here. Turn down anyone who adds a towing fee at your door.

After the sale

What happens to your plates, whether you report the sale and when you can cancel the insurance all depend on your state. Each state's page here lists what it asks of a seller, checked against its own official sources.

Find your state

Questions sellers ask

How do I get the most money for my junk car?

Describe it honestly with photos, the mileage and the VIN, have the title ready, leave the parts on it, and get several buyers to offer on it at the same time. Then ask the buyers you like for more, wait a day or two if you can, and take the full price at pickup.

Should I fix my junk car before I sell it?

Rarely. A repair usually costs more than it adds to a junk car's price. The exception is a cheap fix that gets it running, because buyers pay more for a car that starts and drives.

Is it better to sell the parts separately?

Only when you know a part brings in more than a buyer will take off the offer for it. Buyers price the whole car, so selling the catalytic converter, the battery or the wheels first usually lowers the offer, and selling parts takes time a junk car sale should not.

Can I negotiate a junk car offer?

Yes. On BeaterBoss you can ask any buyer for more from your offers page. Only that buyer sees the number you ask for, they can raise their offer to meet it, and you can still choose any offer as it stands.

Does the time of year matter?

The price of scrap metal moves with the market, so offers can shift from month to month, but nobody can tell you the best week in advance. Getting more buyers to compete for your car makes a bigger difference than waiting for the market.

Put the buyers to work

Describe your car once and let the buyers near you battle for it on your own offers page. Free, and your number stays private.

Get offers