Where can I sell my car for parts near me?

Your choices are a pickup junk-car buyer, a full-service recycler or salvage yard, a self-service pull-apart yard, a scrap metal processor, a private buyer, or parting it out yourself. Check that a yard is licensed with your state's official lookup, such as the California DMV's Occupational License Lookup or the New York DMV's business search.

Is it better to sell to a junkyard or part the car out myself?

Parting it out can pay more when you've got time, tools, space and a popular model. Selling it whole takes far less of your time and leaves no shell behind. A stripped shell still needs a title to scrap.

Will a salvage yard pick up my car?

Some will and some won't, so ask, and ask whether the tow is included in the price. A car that doesn't run needs a tow either way. Our pickup is free whether or not the car runs.

How do I know a junkyard is legitimate?

Look it up in your state's license search, ask whether it reports the cars it buys to NMVTIS as federal law requires, and never sign the title until the buyer's name is on it.

Can I sell a car for parts without a title?

Usually you need the title or a replacement. Some states allow older cars to go to licensed scrap buyers without one, under narrow rules. See our state-by-state guide to selling without a title.

Selling and value

Where to sell a car for parts

The right buyer depends on the car. A complete car with good parts is worth the most to a recycler or a pickup buyer, a stripped shell is mostly metal for a scrap processor, and a collectible or a car that still drives may bring more from a private buyer. If you have the time, tools and space, parting it out yourself can pay more than any of them.

Updated October 10, 2026 · 9 sources

The short answer

Options compared: 6, from pickup buyers to parting it out
Official license lookups: California, Texas, Florida, New York
Yards report to NMVTIS: Every month
No. 1 heavy-melting scrap, 2025: About $319 a metric ton, mill price
Checks: Never accept one for more than the price (FTC)

The short answer, by car

Complete, fairly recent, doesn't run: get offers from a full-service recycler and a pickup buyer. Demand for that model's parts can swing the offers a lot.
Stripped shell, nothing left worth pulling: a scrap processor or a pickup buyer. You're selling metal.
Collectible or rare: a private buyer or a specialist may pay for what it is, not what it weighs.
Still drives, but you're done with it: a private sale often makes sense. This site is about cars that don't run or aren't worth fixing.

Six ways to sell it, side by side

Option	What they're paying for	Getting the car there	Paperwork	Best for
Pickup junk-car buyer	The whole car, as described and checked at pickup	They come to you	Title, ID; plates off	A car that doesn't run and can't be delivered
Full-service recycler or salvage yard	Parts they can resell, then the metal	Ask; a car that doesn't run needs a tow either way	Title, ID; the yard reports it to NMVTIS	A complete car with parts in demand
Self-service pull-apart yard	A car to set out for customers to strip	Ask	Title, ID	A common model with lots of parts people want
Scrap metal processor	The metal	Ask	Title, ID; some states allow older cars without a title	A stripped shell
Private buyer or mechanic	A car worth fixing, or one part they need	You arrange it with them	Title signed to them, bill of sale, your state's notice	A car someone can fix, or a collectible
Parting it out yourself	Each part, one buyer at a time	You ship or meet buyers; the shell still has to go	Title for the shell; parts sales have their own rules	You have time, tools, space and a popular model

A few notes on the rows:

Recyclers and yards are the businesses federal law calls junk and salvage yards. They report each junk or salvage car to NMVTIS every month (U.S. Department of Justice). EPA describes the usual path: dismantlers strip the parts worth selling, flatten what remains and send it to a scrap recycler for shredding (EPA).
Scrap prices move with the steel market. USGS estimates mills paid an average of $319 per metric ton, delivered, for No. 1 heavy-melting scrap in 2025, down from $417.66 in 2021 (USGS). That's what a mill pays a processor, not what a yard pays you. The yard's costs come out first. More on junkyards and scrap yards.
Parting out can pay more, but it's real work, and you're left with a shell that still needs a title to scrap. The honest comparison is on part it out or sell it whole.

How to find a licensed buyer near you

Searching "places that buy cars for parts near me" turns up plenty of names. These official tools tell you which ones the state licenses:

California: the DMV's Occupational License Lookup includes a Dismantler category, searchable by business name, city or ZIP (CA DMV).
Texas: a salvage dealer license is needed once you deal in over five salvage or nonrepairable cars a year (TxDMV). TxDMV links a dealer license lookup (TxDMV dealer license lookup).
Florida: FLHSMV publishes its list of licensed salvage dealers, sorted by business name (FLHSMV).
New York: the DMV's Find a DMV-Regulated Business search covers dismantlers and other businesses that process cars for scrap or parts, by ZIP code or county (NY DMV).
Any state: the Justice Department links a search for checking whether a business reports to NMVTIS (U.S. Department of Justice).

In other states, search your motor vehicle agency's site for "salvage dealer," "dismantler" or "auto recycler" license.

What to ask before you pick one

Is the price you quoted what you'll pay at pickup? If it can change, ask what would change it.
Is the tow included? For a car that doesn't run, this can decide the whole thing.
What paperwork do you need from me? The title and your ID, almost everywhere. If the title is lost, see selling without a title.
How do you pay? Turn down a check for more than the price.
Are you licensed, and do you report to NMVTIS? The full checklist is on who buys cars for parts.

Where we fit

We buy whole non-running and junk cars, anywhere in the United States. You sell the entire car, with nothing to dismantle and no parts to sell one by one. Pickup is free, running or not, from your home, your job or the garage that has it.

We price the car from your description and check it against that description at pickup. Asking costs nothing, so get our number and compare it with the others. For what drives any of these offers, see what a junk car is worth.

Questions people ask

Where can I sell my car for parts near me?: Your choices are a pickup junk-car buyer, a full-service recycler or salvage yard, a self-service pull-apart yard, a scrap metal processor, a private buyer, or parting it out yourself. Check that a yard is licensed with your state's official lookup, such as the California DMV's Occupational License Lookup or the New York DMV's business search.
Is it better to sell to a junkyard or part the car out myself?: Parting it out can pay more when you've got time, tools, space and a popular model. Selling it whole takes far less of your time and leaves no shell behind. A stripped shell still needs a title to scrap.
Will a salvage yard pick up my car?: Some will and some won't, so ask, and ask whether the tow is included in the price. A car that doesn't run needs a tow either way. Our pickup is free whether or not the car runs.
How do I know a junkyard is legitimate?: Look it up in your state's license search, ask whether it reports the cars it buys to NMVTIS as federal law requires, and never sign the title until the buyer's name is on it.
Can I sell a car for parts without a title?: Usually you need the title or a replacement. Some states allow older cars to go to licensed scrap buyers without one, under narrow rules. See our state-by-state guide to selling without a title.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 10, 2026.

U.S. Department of Justice, NMVTIS: reporting rules for auto recyclers, junk and salvage yards vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov
U.S. EPA: The National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (fact sheet, August 2006) archive.epa.gov
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Iron and Steel Scrap pubs.usgs.gov
California DMV: Occupational License Lookup dmv.ca.gov
Texas DMV: Salvage dealer license txdmv.gov
Texas DMV: Dealer license lookup texasdmv.my.salesforce-sites.com
Florida HSMV: List of licensed independent, wholesale, auction and salvage dealers flhsmv.gov
New York DMV: Find a DMV-regulated business dmv.ny.gov
U.S. Department of Justice, NMVTIS: Who reports to NMVTIS (reporting status check) vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov