Get Cash for Your Totaled Vehicle Near You

How Much Is My Totaled Car Worth?

Junk car or not, your vehicle has value. It doesn’t matter if you drive the rattiest old Volvo from the eighties or a late-model Cadillac that’s been the victim of a major collision. Even if you can’t sell it through the classifieds, you can get money out of selling your junk car.

That’s a good thing because there’s a high chance you spent thousands of dollars on it initially. The problem with selling a non-running vehicle is this: how much is a scrap car worth?

What is the Value of My Totaled Car?

There’s no easy way to get the junk car value for your vehicle. It’s not like you can compare active listings you see on Craigslist. Nor will the Fair Market Value calculator on KBB.com help you see what you can sell for. As easy as it is to sell a salvage car, determining old car prices is certainly not as simple.

There are only two ways to determine whole car scrap prices. The value of a damaged car is based on a car’s merits such as year, make, model, mileage, and condition. However, scrap car prices are based on simply one factor: a car’s gross weight on the junkyard’s scale.

Neither method is right or wrong as long as you know what you’re getting into. But depending on your vehicle, you could be selling your car for much less than it’s worth.

How Do Buyers Price My Damaged Vehicle?

At a junkyard, the weigh scale can be cruel. The only thing it takes into consideration is how many pounds a scrap car weighs. That weight is then multiplied by current scrap car prices.

These prices fluctuate quite a bit. One day, it could be $150 per ton while the next it could be $185 or $200 per ton. And for a 2-ton vehicle, the difference could be $100 or more.

You can always count on selling your car to the junkyard this way. Unfortunately, it’s usually not the way to get the most money for it.

What You Need to Know About Selling A Wrecked Car

If you want to sell your car for as much as you can, then it’s better to sell to a junk car buyer. You’ll be able to command a better price because they take your vehicle’s details into account when you get a quote.

For example, a 2002 Lexus might weigh 4,000 pounds and be sold for $375 based on junk car prices. But, a junk car buyer might see that it has a leather interior, nice wheels, and a clean title. That can mean higher junk car value — maybe $1,000 or higher.

How Much Will I Get for My Totaled Car?

How do you determine how much to junk a car? You don’t want to leave any money on the table, so how do you know what a fair price is from a junk car buyer?

Since there’s no true car salvage value calculator that’s accurate, you’ll need to do a bit of homework. Don’t worry, it only takes a couple of minutes and it could help you pocket more cash.

Where Can I Sell A Crashed Car for Fair Market Value?

Pretend your damaged car isn’t junk, that it’s still in fair condition. Visit both KBB.com and NADAGuides.com to evaluate your car’s value before it became junk. Use the ‘Fair’ Trade-In Value or the ‘Rough’ value.

That’s your starting point for your calculation. Let’s pretend you have a 2002 Lexus ES with 150,000 miles. The average of the two is around $1,400.

Factor In the Damage

Your car isn’t just in ‘fair’ or ‘rough’ condition. It’s junk. Naturally, that means its value isn’t as high. Determine how much damage your car has. If your vehicle is a burned-out shell or has been decimated in a collision, take away 90 percent of that value.

If it has light damage but can’t be certified, or if it’s in good shape but doesn’t run, take away 30 to 50 percent. Even more if it has major mechanical issues such as a blown engine or broken car parts.

So, How Much Can I Get For My Totaled Car?

In the example of the 2002 Lexus ES, you could get about $375 from the junkyard or you could get between $140 and $980 from a junk car buyer. It makes sense to get a quote from buyers of junk cars near you.

Looking for the best price to sell your junk car, which just happens to be the easiest way too? That’s us – JunkCarMasters.

For the best junk car prices near you, just request an online offer with your vehicle details. We’ll give you the top quote for your car in as-is condition, and we guarantee that quote for seven days. Accept the offer when you decide it’s right for you – we’ll do the rest.

You’ll receive payment for your vehicle in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Then, only when you’ve been paid in full, we’ll tow it away at no charge to you. We’ll even take care of the title transfer costs!