Prep Steps Before You Scrap Your Car
Your car is on its last legs — or rather, last wheels. The cost to maintain it is getting too high, it breaks down often, or maybe it just isn’t reliable. While a newer (or, at the very least, working) car is something that you can easily sell, a vehicle that’s barely able to move simply isn’t.
If selling your car isn’t an option, how can you turn your nearly ancient auto into quick cash? Keep in mind that selling doesn’t always have to mean that someone else gets your car to drive. You can sell your car to a company that uses it for scrap.
Depending on where you live and the current market, selling your car to a scrap company may get you more money than trading it in to a dealer or trying to sell it privately. A vehicle that isn’t drivable, or isn’t worth the cost of repairs, may present problems during the sales process. A major fix, such as rebuilding the transmission, could run the new owner upwards of $3,000. Repair-related costs can quickly turn off potential buyers, making an easy sale improbable.
Luckily, scrap companies don’t care if your car runs well or runs at all. Selling your car for scrap is an option that often has fewer hassles, risks, and headaches when it comes to junk vehicles. And, bonus — by recycling the metal, you’re helping out the environment. Before you rush to hand your car off to the scrap yard, take a look at what you need to know about preparing for the transaction.
Clean the Car
Even though you’re not selling your car to someone who will drive it, the scrap company doesn’t want to spend time and effort cleaning fast food wrappers, old clothes, and everything else that builds up inside of cars out of the vehicle.
Along with making it easier for the scrap company, cleaning out your car has benefits for you too. You may think that there’s nothing of value in the car, only to remember that you left your work ID badge, a checkbook, or something else important in the glove compartment. If the car has already gone to scrap, it’s too late for you to retrieve anything that you’ve left behind.
As you clean out your car, make sure to inspect each area. This includes under the seats, in the trunk, and inside of center console or door storage compartments. You may find anything from a few dollars’ worth of change to something that you thought was lost for good.
Remove Parts to Resell
The scrap yard is paying for the metal, not for everything that’s in your car. Some parts of a car are easy to dismantle and resell. Anything that doesn’t affect the overall quote that the scrap yard has given you doesn’t need to stay with your car.
What can you remove from the car before scrapping it? If you don’t need to drive your car to the scrap yard, meaning you’re having it towed, you can remove newer tires. While five-year-old tires or those with worn treads can go with the rest of the car, you can resell ones that are in good working order.
Other car parts that fall under the remove-and-resell category include newer stereo systems, GPS devices, and other auto electronics.
Bring the Title
The scrap company won’t take your car without the legal title. This means you can’t bring the car that your aunt gave to you, without changing the name on the title, to sell for scrap. You’ll need to have a title that has your name on it, as well as state-issued identification that proves you are the person listed on the title.
Do you need to sell your junk vehicle? Contact Sikora Metals for more information about the scrap process.