Part it out yourself or sell it whole?

That's the honest answer. Here's how to tell which side you're on.

What parting out really involves

• Space for weeks or months. The car sits while parts sell one at a time. Some towns treat that as a nuisance. Illinois law, for example, lets cities call a car an "inoperable motor vehicle" once its engine, wheels or other parts have been off for 7 days or more, and have it removed after notice, unless it's kept inside a building (65 ILCS 5/11-40-3).
• Tools and lifting gear. Engines, transmissions and seats are heavy. Doing it safely takes the right equipment.
• Selling, one buyer at a time. Photos, listings, messages, no-shows, haggling.
• Packing and shipping. Heavy parts are costly to ship, and some parts come with rules. Federal regulators say used airbags, airbag inflators and seat-belt pretensioners are generally classed as hazardous materials for transport (UN3268), and the shipper is responsible for following those rules (PHMSA interpretation 24-0083).
• Parts that don't sell. Whatever is left over still has to go somewhere.

Parts demand varies a lot from model to model. A popular model with a working engine or transmission is a better part-out than a rare one nobody is searching for.

The rules that come with taking a car apart

• Used oil. By EPA's count, the oil from a single oil change can foul a million gallons of fresh water. Take used oil to a collection center, and drain and recycle the oil filter too; EPA notes filters are usually taken at the same places (EPA).
• Antifreeze. It contains ethylene glycol and may carry lead. Washington's Department of Ecology says never pour it down sewers, storm drains, septic tanks or dry wells, or onto the ground (Ecology). Check your local household hazardous waste program for drop-off.
• A/C refrigerant. EPA says car A/C refrigerant can't be intentionally vented; the ban comes from Section 608 of the Clean Air Act. Anyone paid to work on a car's A/C must be certified under Section 609 and use approved equipment (EPA). Pulling a compressor or cutting lines without recovering the refrigerant first isn't an option.
• The catalytic converter. Selling one on its own is restricted. By 2023, every state except Wyoming had rules on buying a used, detached converter, according to the recycling industry's own compilation (ISRI), and NCSL counted at least 20 states passing new bills in 2022 alone. Selling a car that's missing parts has state examples.
• Airbags. PHMSA notes these devices contain pyrotechnic or other hazardous material, which is why shipping them is regulated. If you're not set up to handle them, leave them in the car.

The shell problem

When the good parts are gone, you still own a car body, and it still needs to leave legally.

• You still need the title. Licensed junk and salvage yards must report every vehicle they take in to the federal NMVTIS database each month, with its VIN and who it came from (NMVTIS). Some states also want paperwork before you start. In California the owner has to record the car as junk with the DMV before taking it apart, or pay an investigative fee (DMV).
• It's harder to move. A shell with no wheels can't roll onto a truck. If the wheels came off, the shell may need different equipment to haul away.
• It's worth less as a whole. The parts you sold are exactly what made the rest worth more. What's left is mostly metal.

Part it out or sell it whole?

Go down the list. The more rows land on the left, the better parting out looks.

If most of your answers fall on the right, sell it whole. You'll trade some possible upside for a lot less work and none of the cleanup.

A middle path

You can also sell the whole car to a business set up to take cars apart. They have the space, tools and licenses. Texas, for example, licenses as a salvage dealer anyone trading in over five salvage or nonrepairable vehicles in a year, and the business can't be run from a home (TxDMV). Where to sell a car for parts compares the kinds of buyers, and junkyard, salvage yard or scrap yard explains how each one prices a car.

Or sell it to us. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the United States, so nothing has to come off first. Tell us what's still on it, since the offer is built on that list. To see what drives the number, read what a junk car is worth.