How selling your junk car works

Answer a few questions

The questions are about the car as it sits today, not as it was when it last ran. Expect these:

• The year, make and model, and roughly how many miles are on it
• Whether it starts, and whether it can be driven at all
• What is wrong with it, as far as you know: engine, transmission, a wreck, water, rust
• Whether any parts are missing, like the battery, the wheels or the catalytic converter
• Where the car is parked, so the pickup can be planned
• Whether you have the title, and whose name is on it

Describe the car the way it really is. The offer is built from your answers. If you aren't sure what failed, say so. "It died on the highway and won't crank" is a useful answer.

You can also do all of this by phone at (877) 421-6008.

Get your offer

The offer comes back once the questions are done. Nothing is booked until you accept it. If you turn it down, the car stays where it is and you owe nothing.

The car sells whole. You don't pull the battery, the catalytic converter or the good tires to sell them on the side first. A car with parts missing can still sell, but say what's gone. Our guide to missing parts explains why it matters.

Book the pickup

Once you accept, you choose where the truck meets the car. It can be your driveway, the street out front, a garage at your office, or a mechanic who ran out of ideas. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.

A car that won't roll is fine, and so are flat tires, a dead battery or lost keys. Mention any of these when you book.

Before the truck arrives, go through the car one last time:

• The glove box, the console, the trunk and under the seats
• A toll tag on the windshield, which can keep billing you after the car is gone
• The garage door opener clipped to the visor
• Phone mounts, chargers and child seats

Have the title ready

The title is what proves the car is yours to sell. Find it before pickup day and check three things on it:

1. The name. It should be yours. If the car belonged to a parent or a spouse, or came to you through an estate, read car not in your name.
2. The lienholder. If a bank or lender is listed and the loan is paid off, you'll need the lien release too.
3. Where to sign. Leave it blank until the pickup, and don't cross anything out. A mistake on a title can mean a trip to the title office for a new one.

Lost the title? Each state has its own rules for selling without one. Start with selling with no title, then your state's page from the list of cities and towns.

Once the car is gone

Three jobs are left, and the order matters in some states.

• Plates. Depending on the state, they either come off and stay with you or go with the car. Check your state's page before the truck leaves.
• The state notice. Many states have a form that tells them you sold the car. It protects you if the car gets a ticket or a tow bill later.
• Insurance and registration. Cancel them only after the plates and the state notice are handled, so the car is never listed as yours and uninsured.

After you sell has the state-by-state details.