If you have an old car that’s sitting in your driveway gathering dust (and rust!), you might not think that it’s worth very much money. Who in their right mind would want to buy a car that’s in such bad condition?
The truth is that you might have a hard time selling your old car by sticking a “For Sale” sign on it. But you should know that there are other options for those who are interested in selling old cars.
You can sell an old car and bring in more money than you might expect for it when you play your cards right. Here are the steps you’ll need to take in order to get your hands on cold, hard cash for your old car.
Find a Company That Specializes in Buying Old Cars
There is a huge demand for junk cars in almost every part of the country right now. The car recycling industry is responsible for contributing upwards of $25 billion to the national economy these days, which has turned it into a very competitive industry.
With this in mind, it shouldn’t take you very much time to track down a company that specializes in buying old cars and recycling them in your area. There are likely dozens of companies in your city or town that love hearing from those who are selling old cars.
If you live in, say, New Jersey, Googling the words “cash for junk cars NJ” should provide you with the kind of company you’re looking for. Try to find a reputable company that is experienced when it comes to purchasing old cars from people.
Obtain a Quote for Your Old Car From Them
Once you’ve found a great junk car buyer in your area, it’ll be time for you to get down to business. You should see how much money the company will offer you to the old car that you have sitting outside of your home.
It’s simple enough to obtain a quote for your old car from most junk car buyers. You can do it right online and have a quote emailed to you within a few minutes in most cases.
The average junk car buyer will ask you to provide them with some basic information about your car to get started. This info will include:
- The year your car was manufactured
- The make and model of your car
- The condition of your car and the various parts inside of it
Most junk car buyers will also ask you to tell them whether or not you have a title for your car. While it’s not impossible to sell an old car without a title, it can make the process more complicated.
At the end of all this, a junk car buyer will spit out an offer to you for your old car. You’ll then have the option to accept or deny it based on how strong you think it is.
See What Kind of Offers You Can Get From Other Junk Car Buyers
If you love the offer that a junk car buyer makes to you for your old car, you might be tempted to take it right away. But you should spend some more time entertaining other offers before you do this.
You might be surprised to learn that each individual junk car buyer will make you an offer that will often vary wildly from the next junk car buyer. One buyer might offer you $300, while another buyer will offer you $700.
This is why it’s important not to just jump at the first offer that a junk car buyer sends your way. Try to obtain at least five or even ten quotes for your old car to see how much money you could make by going with one buyer’s offer over all the rest.
After you’ve obtained as many offers as you can, pick the one that you feel best about. It should be one of the strongest offers from one of the best junk car buyers in your area. Let the buyer know you’re going to accept their offer.
Prepare to Sell Your Old Car to the Highest Bidder
At this point, you can arrange for a junk car buyer to come and pick up your old car from your home. But before they show up, there are a few things you should do to prepare your car to be sold.
You should:
- Remove any personal possessions from your car (look in your glove box, your trunk, and under your seats to make sure you don’t miss anything!)
- Take your license plates off your car and return them to the DMV
- Cancel your auto insurance policy
- Put your car in a place that’ll make it easy for the junk car buyer to get to it
- Get out the title for your car so you can sign it over to your junk car buyer
You don’t necessarily need to clean your car out or anything. If your junk car buyer has any intention of reselling your car, they’ll handle that.
But you should have your old car ready to go so that your junk car buyer doesn’t have to wait around for you to tinker with your car when they arrive. It’ll help the last part of the selling process to go as smoothly as it can.
Selling Old Cars for Cash Is Easier Than Ever
Selling old cars used to be a huge chore for vehicle owners. They had to scour local newspapers for junk car buyers, try to get in touch with them, and then hope they would make a strong offer.
But today, people don’t have to do any of these things. They can obtain a bunch of quotes for an old car in under 30 minutes and pick the best offer they can find for their car. Often times, they can then sell their car in a day or two and get cash for it.
Want to find out more about selling an old car? Browse through our blog for additional articles on getting rid of junk cars.
