The Silicon Valley pickup mix
San Jose's pickup mix is unusual. The fleet skews newer than most major metros (lease cycles are short, household incomes are high), so the long-tail of 12+ year-old vehicles is smaller than in other cities our size. What we do see a lot of: family minivans whose 8-year cycle ends with a major repair quote, project cars that didn't get finished, and cars from estates or recently relocated tech workers who can't take the vehicle to the next assignment.
Tesla and other EVs are common in our valuation requests but we generally don't buy EVs as junk — the battery economics are different and the recycling chain isn't yet competitive with our gas-vehicle pipeline. For ICE vehicles in any condition, we're buying.
California cat law applies, with a Bay Area twist
California's cat-sale rules — strictest in the country — apply in San Jose the same as anywhere in the state. The Bay Area saw a cat-theft wave 2021-2023; San Jose was hit hard, especially in East San Jose and along the freeway corridors (101, 880, 280).
Practically: the cat is priced into our offer for the whole car. Hybrids — common in Silicon Valley — pay above the national average because the cat is worth $700-$1,200 by itself. Cars at pickup with cut cats land $400-$700 below the equivalent intact vehicle.