The term is thrown around quite often, you hear it all the time in conversations or in anger for times when a car is not performing as well as it should, but what is actually considered a junk car? Many people picture an orange rusty old little car sitting on a lawn or in the driveway, I mean that was the first thing that used to come to my mind before I became so fondly familiar with this field. It never occurred to me that anything beyond that mental picture could be called, and let alone considered a junk car. Just some old parted out “thing” that had no purpose for anyone whatsoever, see I still can’t get that image out of my head, but in many peoples eyes sell my car considered junk because of numerous different reasons or conditions.
Besides the image ingrained in my mind from way, way back when, a car that simply doesn’t run anymore is considered junk by many as well. You could probably just imagine a person kicking the tire of their car because it just stopped working in the middle of a highway. It’s the car on the side of the road because the transmission started grinding and just broke down, or the radiator just blew because something caused the car to overheat, or the car in the driveway for some odd reason that just doesn’t seem to want to start. Also cars that have been in accidents can be considered junk cars too, especially when they appear to be beyond repair.
Generally, any car that has little or no value to its owner is considered a junk car. Whether the car won’t run, got wrecked in an accident, or the cost to fix a broken down car exceeds the owners perceived value of the car, it is considered to be a junk or salvage car. Besides peoples perceptions, many states have the power the declare a car junk, salvaged, rebuilt, etc as well. Normally this happens after a car has been in an accident and was sold by an insurance company to a dealer because the total amount of damage and cost for repairs exceeded 75% of the current value of the vehicle. Most people don’t know this, but when a car is bought from insurance companies it is considered totaled, and most if not all states will be declared junk and be branded with a junked, salvage, or rebuilt title, and to get a car with this type of title registered in many states requires a separate anti-theft inspection on top of all other state requirements which is not a fun task at all.
I hope you found this article useful and have discovered how many people, businesses, and even states can perceive a vehicle as being junk, salvaged, or rebuilt.
There are particular things you want to look for when you call these companies. Ask them about their towing policy. Do they tow salvaged cars for free? Most scrap car buyers should offer free tows for scrap cars they are buying. It may be a bad sign if the company charges a fee to pick up your vehicle. Also, check for licenses, certifications, references, websites, and online reviews. This can also help determine which company can offer the best deal and who can be trusted the most.
Last, you must find the car title to your car. If you are not the title holder, then you may not be in position to sell the car at all. If you do not have the title but you are the owner of the vehicle, you must contact the local BMV for information on filing for a new car title. Most junk car removal companies and “cash for cars” services prefer to purchase salvaged cars with the title. In some cases, scrap car buyers don’t mind purchasing cars without titles.
Sell Your Wrecked Car
Once the title is located, you are ready to sell your old car. From here, simply choose one of the companies you contacted earlier and schedule a pick up time for your car. Upon arrival, the driver will have you sign over the title to the car and then hand you the money. They should be able to give you cash on the spot, but some companies hand out checks. Once they leave with the signed title, you are no longer the legal owner of the vehicle.
