Have a junk vehicle that you know is only good for the scrap heap?

Normally when you are done with a vehicle you sell it to the next person at a fair price based on the current market value.

But selling scrap cars is a little more challenging as few people want to buy a vehicle with issues.

So, what can you do with your scrap car to make the most money from it? In this article, we will discuss exactly that.

How To Sell A Scrap Car

The first thing you need to decide on is how you will sell your junk vehicle. Essentially you have 3 options as follows:

1. Selling as is to a scrapyard

2. Privately selling it

3. Stripping it and selling its parts

While all three of these options will allow you to sell your scrap car for cash, we are really interested in which option will make you the most money.

However, the answer to that all depends on your specific vehicle and how much time you are willing to invest in the selling process.

So with that in mind, read on to learn more about each option to see what will be best for you.

Sell It To A Junkyard

The easiest option for selling your scrap car is to simply call your local junkyard and sell it as is.

This method of finding a scrap car buyer is also the fastest option, as you won't have to do any additional work to prepare the car for sale. You simply call, they purchase and that’s it.

However, it's important to keep in mind that this convenience may come at a cost of the overall amount you will get for it.

The reason for this is the junkyard will likely give you an offer based on the weight of the metal in your car, and they will then sell the metal for scrap.

They may also remove some of the more valuable parts and sell them from their wrecking yard. This allows them to recover more value from the vehicles they purchase.

Privately Selling It

Another option is to sell your car privately using an online website or traditional advertising such as newspapers or noticeboards.

This option will take a little bit more work on your part, as you'll need to take photos of the car and write up a listing description.

To help make the vehicle more attractive to buyers, you may also choose to perform simple repairs and maintenance to fix minor issues.

You'll also need to answer enquiries plus arrange inspections and test drives. Finally, you will need to organise payment and pick-up with the final buyer.

Before you jump into this option you should know, there are two ways selling privately can go for you.

First, you may find success and net a higher value than selling it to a wrecker. On the other hand, you may also struggle to find a buyer and waste months trying.

The success of selling a scrap car privately will all depend on the type of vehicle you are selling and where you advertise. For example, if you have a rare or vintage vehicle and you advertise directly to collectors, you will have no problem selling it.

Just make sure to find forums or groups for the vehicle you are privately selling. This will allow you better success than just randomly putting an ad on Craigslist or eBay and hoping for the best.

Sell It For Parts Yourself

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you could try selling your scrap car for parts. As we said, any wrecker you sell it to will likely do the same thing.

This option obviously requires more work than simply taking it to a junkyard, but it also has the potential to net you more money.

To do this, you'll need to advertise each part of the car individually and make arrangements with buyers for payment and pick-up.

You may also need to invest in some tools so that you can remove the parts from the car yourself. This may also require jacking up the car or using other heavy-duty equipment.

The other issue with this option is the fact you may start off great by selling the most in-demand parts quickly, but eventually, you could be left with the less attractive parts.

Plus, you will need a large work area that may be littered with all the removed parts that are waiting to be sold.

Summary

When it comes time to get rid of an old scrap car, there are a few different options available to you.

You can take it to a junkyard and sell it as is, sell it privately by advertising directly to those who are interested in it, or remove the parts yourself and sell them individually.

The best option for you depends on how much time and effort you're willing to put into preparing the car for sale. Also, how much money you need to make from the sale should be considered.

It is important to note that while there are ways to make more money than simply taking it to a junkyard, choosing one of those options requires a lot more time and effort.