How Much Can You Get For A Junk Car? A Guide

How Much Can You Get for a Junk Car

The current prices for junk cars in the United States of America range from between $50 and $20000, but the price will largely depend on many factors. You will be surprised that many junk cars will sell for between $100 and $1000. You may be asking yourself how much is my junk car worth. You can only know the answer to this question by reading about buyers’ factors when putting a price on your junk car.

How Your Junk Car Is Priced- A Guide

According to experts in automobile pricing, most salvaged cars will go for between 10 and 40% of the car’s used value. The total cash for junk cars in Los Angeles, CA, will depend on the location, Make and model of the car, Mileage, Age of car, condition of the car, the current value of scrap metals.

1. The Location of Your Junk Car

Where you currently live will play a huge role in determining how much you will get for your junk car. You may even get more if you reside near a salvage yard, plus the current value of the scrapyard and the popularity of the car in your local area may determine how much you get paid. Some junkyards will pay more for the more popular brands than the less popular ones.

2. The year, make, and model of the car

Perhaps the next important factor that determines how much you get for your junk car is the year and model. While older vehicles are on the road today, there is no consistency in demand for vehicle parts.

While many people, for instance, still drive Dodge Neon today, the demand for the car’s price remains low because manufacturers have phased them out. You need to also pay attention to how cars change from year to year. Ask yourself if the car is more fuel-efficient and more environmentally friendly to have a clue how much you may get for it.

3. The condition of the junk car

This factor is simple to understand. If, for instance, you drive a clean and smooth-running junk car, you will likely get paid for it. If, on the other hand, you drive a rusty car, then you will get cash for its junk value and not for the car parts. Many sellers do invest a little in rejuvenating some old car parts before selling the car as junk. To increase its value. Generally, the older the model and year of a junk car, the less amount you will likely get paid for its junk.

4. The current price of scrap

This is probably the most important factor that will determine how much you get paid for your junk car. The reason for the importance of this factor is that most salvage companies are buying junk cars for the metal value rather than for the value of the car parts.

5. Mileage

In addition to the value of the metal parts, the value of a junk car may also be influenced by its current mileage. If, for instance, your car has less than 4000 mileages on it, you should count yourself lucky because the final price will be much higher than you have thought. Vehicles with mileages over 15000 will likely sell much more minor. Cars that do have higher mileages are usually older models, and most buyers would want them for their parts; hence they offer much lower prices. Buyers wouldn’t probably take parts from cars that are older than 20,000 in mileage, and they will usually buy such cars as scraps.

Are There Other Factors That May Determine How Much Your Junk Car Is Worth?

There are several other factors that car owners may ignore, but such may determine the final value of the car; these include the following;

1. Interior and Exterior Conditions

The longer you keep a vehicle, the longer it may develop issues internally or externally. The value of the car may even reduce after you replace some of its parts. All potential buyers want to know the conditions of your car before they buy it; hence if one or several parts are missing in the internal or external parts, the final cash offer will reduce.

Buyers are vigilant; hence you must be honest with the condition of your car, especially if you have to fill an online form before selling the car as junk. You May want to examine your car for all hidden damages before you sell it.

2. Is the Car Still Running?

Besides asking for your car’s general internal and exterior conditions, potential buyers will ask if your car is still running so they can offer the right price for it.  

As expected, you will get more cash for a running junk car, but the amount you get on a non-running car will depend largely on the type of buyer. Some junkyard owners may not proceed with the purchase of a car once they find out it is not running. Other buyers may lower the price for a non-running car significantly even if all the car parts are complete. You just have to prove that your car is still running, or you may have to pay for the towing of the car to the junkyard.

Conclusion

You may want to wait for a little for prices of scrap metals to rise before selling your junk car. Similarly, it would be best if you kept in mind that certain factors wouldn’t affect the final price value of your junk car. For instance, buying new tires, filling up your gas tank, and replacing your brakes or gear may not affect the final cash value you get for your car. Even if you replace your brakes or tires in the last few days, your junk car will still be priced based on the worth of the body parts or metal scraps. You may want to leave a little gas and draw out as much as you can before selling the car.