Who Gives the Most Cash for Junk Cars? How to Compare Buyers

No single company always pays the most. What a buyer can do with your car decides what they can pay for it, so the best buyer for a 2019 car with hail damage is rarely the best buyer for a 1998 sedan that hasn't moved in five years.

Buyer	What they pay for	Towing	Best for
Scrapyard or shredder	Weight	Usually you deliver	Stripped or very old cars you can tow yourself
Salvage or parts yard	Weight plus popular parts	Sometimes, often for a fee	Common models with good parts
Online junk car buyer	Weight plus resale parts	Often free	Cars that don't move, newer non-runners
Salvage auction	What bidders will pay	Arranged by the auction	Newer wrecked cars, through a broker
Private buyer	The car as a project	Buyer picks up	Cars that run and need modest repairs

Who buys junk cars?

The yards and auctions below answer to a federal rule. Under federal law, junk and salvage yards include scrap shredders and salvage auctions, and those businesses must report every vehicle they take in to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System at least once a month, including the VIN and who they got it from (NMVTIS). Expect any of them to write down the VIN and your name.

Scrapyards and shredders

They mostly pay by weight. Their price is usually the floor for any car, and they can be the best option if you can deliver the car yourself and it has nothing worth reselling.

Salvage yards

Self-service and full-service yards sell used parts. They may pay above scrap for cars whose parts are popular in their area.

Online junk car buyers

They quote over the web or phone and send a tow truck. Big used-car retailers set their own limits. Depending on its condition, the car may then be repaired, parted out or recycled. These buyers tend to win on convenience and on cars that don't move.

Salvage auctions

Auctions can reach rebuilders and exporters, which can help with newer wrecked cars. Selling through one may mean going through a broker and paying fees, so ask about both before you commit.

Private buyers

They can pay well for cars that run and need modest repairs, and little or nothing for true junk.

How do you compare junk car offers?

Make every quote answer the same questions:

1. Is this the amount I'm paid, after towing and any fees?
2. When and how am I paid?
3. What would change the price at pickup?
4. Do you need the title, and what if I don't have it?

Then compare the bottom line. A $350 offer with free towing beats a $400 offer that subtracts a $75 tow.

When do offers differ the most?

Quotes tend to spread out when the car has value beyond its weight: it runs, it's less than about ten years old, or it's a model with parts in demand. For a car like that, get two or three quotes. For a complete car that's purely scrap, quotes tend to land closer together, because they all start from the same metal market. Scrap prices do move, though. The Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index for iron and steel scrap changes from month to month, so compare quotes you get in the same week.

What is a bait quote?

A quote far above everyone else's, given without questions about the car's condition, is often cut at pickup. Pick the buyer whose offer survives the driver's walk-around.

Where does Cash For Junk Cars 500 fit?

We don't buy cars ourselves. Cash For Junk Cars 500 sends your request to our buyer partner, who makes the offer, tows the car and pays you. From your side it works like the online buyers above, and the tow is free with every offer. For a rough number first, the value calculator works without a phone number. The offer form does ask for contact details, because our buyer partner contacts you with the offer, and you can say no to any offer you get.