Every year, more than 17 million people make the decision to buy a new car. Are you thinking about becoming one of them?
If so, you’re likely excited about the idea of pulling a new car into your driveway. But you might not be excited about the idea of trying to sell your old car, especially if it’s turned into a hunk of junk in recent years.
The good news is that there’s a very easy way to sell an old car, no matter what kind of condition it’s in. Google “junking my car” and you’ll find plenty of places that would be more than happy to take your old car off your hands.
The first thing you should do is find a junk car buyer that’ll make you a great offer on your car. Then, you should do these things before junking your car for good.
Find the Title for Your Old Car
Technically, you can sell an old car even if you don’t have a title for it. But there are laws regarding selling a car without a title, and you’re going to have to make sure you abide by them at all times.
It’s much easier to find the title for your old car so that you can sell it with ease. To transfer ownership of your car over to someone who specializes in buying junk cars for money, you’ll need to sign the back of your title and hand it over to the buyer.
If, for whatever reason, you don’t happen to have the title for your old car handy, let the buyer know ahead of time when you’re first thinking, “How can I go about junking my car?” They’ll let you know what your options are as far as selling your scrap car goes.
Clean Your Old Car Out
When you sell an old car to a junk car buyer, you don’t need for the inside and outside of the car to be spotless. Most junk car buyers know that the cars they’re buying aren’t going to be very aesthetically pleasing.
But you should take any personal possessions that you kept in your old car out of it. This includes:
- Clothing and shoes
- Paperwork and important documents
- Cassette tapes and CDs
You’re probably not going to be able to get back into your car later once you sell it. So try not to leave anything that you might want to keep behind in it.
Take the License Plates Off Your Old Car
Do you still have license plates on your old car? You’re going to want to take them off in advance of a junk car buyer coming to collect your car from you.
In most states, car owners are required to return their old license plates to the DMV once they’re done using them. But it’s a good idea to see how your specific state handles old license plates once you have them off your old car.
Try not to leave this job until the last minute since it can be tricky to get some older license plates off. They tend to rust over time and could present some problems when you go to remove them.
Cancel the Auto Insurance Policy for Your Old Car
Depending on where you live, you could be paying a small fortune to keep your old car insured even though it’s not worth all that much money. The average car owner pays about $200 per month for their auto insurance policy.
Hopefully, you’re not paying anywhere close to that to keep your car insured. But no matter what you’re paying, you shouldn’t pay it for a single second more.
As soon as you decide to sell your old car to a junk car buyer, call your auto insurance company and cancel the policy on your car. You’ll be glad to see that expense go flying out the window.
Move Your Old Car So a Junk Car Buyer Can Pick It Up
When a junk car buyer arrives at your home to pick your old car up, you want them to be able to get in and out in no time. To that end, you should have your old car all ready to go for them so that they can throw it on a tow truck and drive away.
If your old car is situated inside a garage, behind your home, or even just all the way at the top of your driveway, you should take the time to move it out front so it’s easy to pick up.
You’ll save your junk car buyer some time and help move the sale of your old car along once they show up at your house.
Collect Cash for Your Old Car
The best part about selling an old car to a junk car buyer is that they’ll pay you for it on the spot. They may have only agreed to buy your car a few hours ago, but they’ll fork over the money they offered to you in exchange for the keys to your old clunker.
You can use that money as part of a downpayment for a new car. Or you can use it for whatever else you might want to use it for.
Often times, junk car buyers will pay at least a few hundred dollars for a junk car, if not more. It’s a nice little windfall for someone who may not have thought that their old car was worth anything at all.
Stop Asking “What Should I Do Before Junking My Car?” and Get These Things Done
If you’re wondering, “What should I do before junking my car?”, right now, keep everything we talked about here in mind. There is a lot that you’ll need to do, but it shouldn’t take you much time at all to do it.
You can sell your car in just a day or two when you work with the right junk car buyer. They’ll make the process simple for you and leave you with the cash you were hoping to get for your old car.
Interested in getting additional information on selling an old car? Read our blog to get more tips on doing it.
