How to Get Rid of an Old or Junk Car: 7 Options Compared

The best way to get rid of an old or junk car comes down to two questions: does it run, and how much of your time are you willing to spend? A car that runs and has some life left usually brings the most in a private sale, with a trade-in as the easy second choice. If it doesn't run, or you just want it gone this week, selling it to a junk car buyer who tows it for free is the quickest way out. Our cash for old cars page explains how that works through Cash For Junk Cars 500.

Donating, parting it out and state retirement programs make sense in narrower cases. Leaving it on the street isn't an option, and in some states it comes with a fine.

What can you do with an old car?

You have seven realistic options. The table compares them on payout, effort and speed.

Option	What you get	Effort	Speed	Best for
Sell privately	Usually the most, if it runs	High: listing, calls, test drives, paperwork	Slow	Running cars with some life left
Trade it in	Credit toward your next car	Low	Same visit as your purchase	Running cars when you're buying from a dealer
Sell to an instant-offer buyer	A firm offer online	Low	Fast	Newer cars you can still drive
Junk it through a request service or junkyard	Metal value plus any parts value	Low	Fast	Cars that don't run, wrecks, very old cars
Donate it	A tax deduction, only if you itemize	Low	Fairly fast	Cars a charity will use, or when you'd rather give
Part it out	Can beat scrap value for popular parts	Very high	Slowest	Common models, if you have tools and space
State retirement program	$1,350 to $2,000 in California, if you qualify	Moderate	Slow	Drivable cars that meet the program rules

Should you sell an old car privately?

A private sale usually pays the most for a car that runs, but it also takes the most work. You'll write the listing, answer messages, meet strangers for test drives and handle the paperwork yourself.

It's worth the effort when the car runs well enough to pass a test drive and is worth noticeably more than scrap. For a car that doesn't start, there are usually far fewer private buyers, and the ones who call tend to offer about what a junkyard would.

If you do sell privately, take payment you can verify before you sign the title, and file your state's notice of sale right away. In California, for example, the DMV's Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability is due within 5 calendar days of the sale. Our guide to release of liability after selling a car lists what other states require.

Is trading in an old car worth it?

A trade-in is the easiest option when you're buying another car from a dealer, but the credit for an old car is often small. A dealer can put an old trade-in on its lot, send it to a wholesale auction or sell it for scrap, and the credit you're offered reflects which of those it expects to do.

The Federal Trade Commission's advice is to "wait to discuss the possibility of a trade-in until after you've negotiated the best possible price for your new car," so the dealer can't raise the price to cover a generous trade-in offer (FTC). Get a separate cash offer for your old car first so you know what the trade-in credit is really worth.

Will an instant cash offer site take an old car?

Online used car buyers give you an offer in minutes, but some only take cars they can drive. Carvana, for example, accepts vehicles "newer than 1992" only if the odometer works and Carvana can safely drive the car.

These buyers check the car at pickup or drop-off, so describe it accurately. For an older car that still runs, an instant offer is worth getting alongside a junk car quote. For one that doesn't run, it usually isn't an option.

How do you get rid of a junk car that doesn't run?

The fastest way to get rid of a junk car is to sell it to a buyer that tows it away for free. Junkyards and online junk car buyers pay mostly for the car's weight, plus more if it has parts they can resell. At about $186 a ton for complete cars in November 2026, a midsize sedan is worth roughly $310 in metal, and a pickup about $450. Our guide to how much junkyards pay for cars explains what raises or lowers that figure.

A local junkyard works if you can get the car there, or if its towing fee doesn't eat the price. If you'd rather not call around, send one request through us instead: you describe the car once, our buyer partner makes the offer, and towing is free with every offer. For the step-by-step process from title to pickup, see how to junk a car.

You'll usually need the title and a photo ID. If the title is lost, read how to sell a junk car without a title before you give up on selling it.

Should you donate an old car instead?

Donating is easy, but the tax benefit for an old car is usually small and only counts if you itemize. When a charity sells a donated car for $500 or less, you can deduct the smaller of $500 or the car's fair market value, and above $500 you're generally limited to the sale price (IRS Publication 526).

The deduction saves your tax rate times that amount, so a car worth a few hundred dollars might save you less in tax than it would bring in cash. Our guide to whether you should donate or sell a junk car walks through the math and how to check the charity.

Is it worth parting out an old car?

Parting out pays only when the car has parts people want and you have the tools, space and time to pull and sell them. Engines, transmissions, catalytic converters, wheels and body panels from popular models can sell well, while parts with less demand can take a long time to move.

When you're done, the stripped shell still has to go somewhere, and yards often pay less for incomplete cars. Check your city's and homeowners association's rules before you keep a car on blocks in the driveway. For a side-by-side look at the trade-offs, see whether to sell your car for parts or junk it.

Will the state pay you to retire an old car?

California will, if the car and the owner qualify. The Bureau of Automotive Repair's Consumer Assistance Program says: "If you meet the income requirements, you may receive $1,500 or $2,000 to retire your vehicle. If you don't meet the income requirements, you may receive $1,350 to retire your vehicle."

The rules are strict:

1. The car must be drivable. You drive it under its own power to a BAR-contracted dismantler, which checks that it starts normally and has parts like all its doors, the hood, the windshield and a driver's seat.
2. You must be the registered owner, with the title in your name.
3. The $1,350 and $2,000 options require that the car failed its most recent Smog Check. The $1,500 option requires a Smog Check, pass or fail, within 180 days before you apply.
4. The $1,500 and $2,000 options require a gross household income at or below 225% of the federal poverty level.
5. Generally, the registration has to be current, or expired no more than 120 days with all fees paid.

Payments depend on the program's funding each fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). The program's main page also lists regional options, including scrap programs in the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Los Angeles area. If you live elsewhere, ask your state's air quality or environmental agency whether it runs a similar program.

What shouldn't you do with an old car?

Don't abandon it. In California, "No person shall abandon a vehicle upon any highway," and leaving it on public or private property without the owner's consent is also banned. A conviction carries a fine of at least $100, plus proof that the towing and disposal costs were paid (Vehicle Code 22523).

New York treats a car as abandoned when, among other cases, it's left for more than six hours on a public road with no plates, or more than 96 hours on someone else's property without permission. The law presumes the owner abandoned it, and the fine runs from $250 to $1,000 (VTL 1224).

A few other mistakes cause trouble long after the car is gone:

• Leaving the buyer's name blank on the title, or handing over a signed title before you're paid
• Skipping the notice of sale, which can leave you on the hook for tickets and tolls
• Leaving your plates on the car in a state where they stay with the owner
• Letting an unregistered car sit on the street until the city tows it and bills you

Ready to get rid of it?

If the car doesn't run or you'd rather skip the listings and test drives, request a free offer. Cash For Junk Cars 500 sends it to our buyer partner, who makes the offer and tows the car for free.