So, the moment has finally come, you’ve managed to push your vehicle to its very last leg. Now, after a quick trip to your local car doctor has revealed a set of cascading failures that will ultimately be too expensive to justify spending your hard-earned cash on. Ultimately, the vehicle is totaled and now you have to figure out what to do with a vehicle that can’t move on its own.

 

Luckily you have options, there are several things you can do with your once beloved get up and go machine. Believe it or not it still has value even though not all of its systems are operational. The problem is you more than likely don’t have the time to put into parting out your car and refurbishing parts to make a profit.

 

Selling a car for scrap can be a quick and easy way to secure a down payment on your next vehicle, and depending on your vehicle you can get a hefty cash return for just the weight of the vehicle itself. Let’s take a look at your options.

Contact the Local Junkyards

Looking up the local junkyards is a quick way to figure out how much you can get for your vehicle. The problem is that just like mechanics or tattoo artists, finding a reputable junkyard is difficult and often time consuming. Most junkyards are only going to offer you the bottom dollar when you are selling a car for scrap or sell a car for parts, and honestly you may have a lot more worth in your vehicle than you know.

 

Driving around to all the junkyards to inspect your car or truck and give you a quote may very well end up eating into the profit that you would otherwise make. Fortunately, this is not the only option you have at your disposal.

Sell it to a Private Party

For instance, I once had a Chrysler Crossfire that was one sweet ride. Unfortunately, she broke down on me in a cross-country tour and at the time I didn’t have the funds to replace her, nor the space to work on her myself. So, my only option was to sell my car for scrap in order to buy a motorcycle so I could get back to moving on.

 

I ended up selling the Crossfire using Facebook’s Marketplace. I was new to the area and the networking of Facebook is bar none. So, I ended up selling the crossfire to a guy who wanted to fix it up as a project vehicle. I only managed to get $1,200 for it and later after doing some more research on the internals of the Crossfire I learned she was chock full of premium parts.

 

The stock amp itself was worth $1,200 brand new just by itself. Not to mention the forward window or Mercedes engine. If I had done the research beforehand and managed to find a more knowledgeable buyer, the odds are I would have walked away with a little bit more pocket money.

You Can Try CarMax

Rumor has it that CarMax will buy vehicles that have damage. After doing a little research this turns out to be true, they will actually buy vehicles that have a moderate amount of damage and in turn sell them at an auction. So, this is a somewhat viable option for you.

 

However, if your vehicle has too much damage or doesn’t run at all you will probably be out of luck with CarMax. They also have a large overhead so sometimes they can’t offer the best value for vehicles. Plus, if you have to take your vehicle to one of their pickup locations you will have to pay for the cost of towing yourself.

 

So, if you really must just get rid of your car and don’t have the time to deal with selling it to private buyers, CarMax is an option. However, if your car doesn’t run and you are strapped for cash in the first place, it’s going to be a tough sell for you.

Give Junk That Car a Call

Junkthatcar.com is an online service that offers some of the most reasonable prices for damaged cars and disabled vehicles out there. Their service is based on the premise of doing good business as best to their knowledge and ability to do so. After taking a look at their reviews I sorely wished I had been aware that this service existed before I sold my car to a private buyer I met on Facebook.

 

The people over at Junkthecar.com are highly knowledgeable about the value of vehicles and as a licensed dealer they have many options and tools at their disposal to make the process of purchasing your vehicle as easy and painless as possible. When selling cars for scrap to a private buyer is off the table, the folks over at junkthatcar.com will have your back.

 

One of the big pro’s of using their service is that they will come to you, that’s right, they will come to wherever you are and happily take the vehicle off of your hands free of charge. Talk about a painless process, no dealing with strangers coming and going, or having to answer a bunch of questions over and over that you yourself may not have the answer to. You get a quote and if you are satisfied, they will jump into their rig and head your way. Plus, they offer junk car removal for free. So, no surprise fees.

 

Now that’s service.

Have Fun With it

While going without a vehicle or having your vehicle breakdown on you is no fun. It’s nice to know that you have options available to you. Being able to get at least a little pocket cash for that train ticket out of dodge can turn a disaster into an adventure, talking from personal experience.

 

So, if you happen to find yourself in a bit of a pickle, take a look at the options listed above and gauge your choices well. Personally, I would have gone with Junkthatcar.com, because dealing with the uncertainties and liability that comes to selling a troubled vehicle to a personal buyer is a little stressful, and the junkyards generally just don’t cut it.