Should I Sell My Broken Car for Cash?

Marc Skirvin
Marc Skirvin

What's in this Article

Have you wondered, “Should I sell my broken car for cash?” The answer is a definitive yes! When your car isn’t running or looks rusty and old, you don’t have to be stuck with it.

Junk cars take up space and become a burden over time. Don’t wait around with a vehicle that’s not even working. Read on to learn about the benefits of selling your car for cash, even if it needs major repairs!

Get an Instant Payment

One of the best reasons to seek cash for a car is the potential for a quick payment. With a traditional approach to selling a car, you may have to wait longer for an actual sale — you could be waiting weeks, months, or even years.

If you finally sell your car, you might have to wait longer for the payment. Some individuals may want to wire money from their bank, or you might receive a check that you’ll need to cash.

Or you may request cash and have to wait for another meeting to receive it. These potential scenarios take time you might not have to spare.

By contrast, selling your car for cash to a junk buyer is an efficient process. If you’re on a tight budget, instant cash can provide a welcome increase to your bank account quickly. You won’t have to delay getting groceries or making monthly payments with an influx of money.

A reputable cash company will make the process of securing a quote and transaction easy, too. You can fill out a simple form on their website to share details about the car condition. You may add details about make, model, and mileage, as well.

Some sites will let you upload pictures to provide a fuller sense of the car’s status. These details will help the cash buyer pull together a fair and informed offer.

Then, the company will send you that offer, often with a turnaround time of minutes. Rather than enduring a long wait time where the buyer could back out at the last minute, you’ll get a firm offer right away.

Accepting the offer may be as simple as clicking a button to receive payment. Then, you can set up a time for your car to be removed from your property. In other words, you can sell your car and avoid a time-intensive process that may not go anywhere!

Stop Making Expensive Repairs

If your car has been making frequent trips to the repair shop, it’s worth doing the math to add up what you’re spending. For most people, car repairs cost about $500 per year. But if your car is older or has over 100,000 miles, that number can be expected to go up.

It’s one thing to need a new tire or brake pad, but quite another to need new engine parts or other significant parts replacements in your vehicle. These costs will gouge your budget quickly unless you take action. 

Fixing a camshaft, car transmission, or suspension in your car can set you back thousands of dollars. When you need engine replacement, cylinder repair, or steering rack repair, you may want to pause and consider options aside from moving forward with the repair.

You don’t want to be unloading hundreds or even thousands of dollars each time you visit the mechanic. Plus, it’s also easy to be talked into more repairs that you don’t even need. Instead, you could unload your car for a fair price and move on to a more reliable vehicle. 

When you finally sell a car for cash, you won’t be pouring money into repairs. Some of those repairs may only provide a temporary fix, anyway. And don’t think that repairs only pertain to issues under the hood.

If you’re hoping to make cosmetic upgrades, new paint jobs and dent or scratch repairs aren’t exactly cheap. If you’ve hit a railing or another car, an unsightly gash detracts from the driving experience. But it can be a costly headache to try to replace the damaged parts.

Sometimes, you’re better off cutting your losses and moving on to a new vehicle. You should consider your vehicle’s age and performance, too, as you make this decision. Regardless of how steep the repair needs are, a cash buyer will take them off your hands. 

Simplify the Selling Process

Selling a car entails lots of different steps. You’ll need to make your vehicle look as appealing as possible so it can stand a chance of selling. This can translate to using a weekend afternoon cleaning and waxing it when you’d rather be relaxing. 

Additionally, you’ll need to market your car to attract interest. You can pay to post ads in local papers to reach a smaller audience in your immediate area. Or you can turn to online listings to stretch the radius.

Doing this requires writing descriptions that are accurate and detailed. You’ll also need to take pictures of your car from different angles to show damage.

You’ll also need to meet with prospective buyers if you get any bites on your listing. From waiting for no-shows to going on long test drives, the selling process can chew up a lot of time. You’ll need to rearrange your schedule, too, to accommodate anyone with interest. 

Buyers might request time to consider the transaction, too. They could weigh options from several different sellers. And they might hold your time hostage before finally backing out of a deal. 

Further, if your car doesn’t run or has other significant repairs, it will be a big red flag for most buyers. They may not want to take on expensive and extensive repairs. And they might be wary of other problems hidden beneath the hood. 

Red flags can lead to a longer selling process. When you can’t get any bites despite your best marketing efforts, you’ll be stuck with a junk car sitting on your property.

Working with a cash buyer simplifies things. Within hours or even minutes of starting the process of obtaining a quote, you could have a deal. 

Once you sign on the dotted line with a cash buyer, you can physically remove your car quickly. Get your vehicle towed, or drop it off yourself. Then, you’ll be able to cross a big item off your to-do list!

Avoiding Junk Car Removal Fees

If you can’t sell a car yourself, it will become an eyesore on your property. If the rest of your landscaping looks great, a rusted old car won’t exactly contribute to strong curb appeal.

And the longer it sits in your driveway, the harder it will be to muster the energy to do something about it. 

On top of that, you’ll be hosting a potential target for thieves casing your property. Even if an old, battered car is visible on your property, thieves could be eyeing it for parts and scrap metal. You’re better off removing an old car as soon as possible to avoid becoming a target.

But what if your car doesn’t run? You’re either stuck with it on the property. Or you’ll need to hire a towing company to take it to an auto salvage lot.

The thought of paying for towing costs can seem daunting if you’re already strapped for cash. Worse yet, you might be at the mercy of a towing company’s availability. And that might not align with your work schedule.

It’s easy to think you’ll have to pay the bill yourself if you want to send an eyesore to the junkyard. In fact, depending on where you live, you could hit $100. That doesn’t have to be the case, however.

When you want the car removed as quickly as possible, turn to a cash junk buyer. When you pursue a cash sale for your car, you’ll get free towing and money in your pockets. That’s because a reputable junk car removal company will do the towing for you. 

In many cases, they’ll be able to tow the car the same day you receive your money. Once the car is gone, you’ll boost the appearance of your home or driveway.

And you’ll clear out more space. This is particularly helpful if you’ve been storing an old junker in your garage, where space is at a premium.

Make an Eco-Friendly Choice

Are you driving an old, gas-guzzling vehicle? Older cars aren’t exactly known for being friendly to the environment. The gases they emit and the fluids they leak can cause damage to plants, contaminate water, and make humans sick. 

For example, an older car requires more frequent gas tank filling, which contributes to more carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other gasoline byproducts are pollutants.

Newer cars, especially electric ones, won’t contribute to this environmental problem. They consume less gas, meaning you’ll be contributing fewer greenhouse gases.

New cars also won’t leak fluids that can harm the environment. Engine oil, for instance, contains arsenic and lead. If it starts leaking from your car, you’ll deposit it on miles of roadways.

The environmental benefits don’t end there, either. Junk car buyers maintain strong relationships with salvage yards in your area. When your old car is delivered to one, it could see new life as a source of reusable parts.

Car mechanics often visit salvage yards to look for usable parts. Skilled technicians can spot parts that still work well when installed in newer vehicles. This process helps cut down on waste, allowing individuals to recycle and reuse parts.

You can feel good about your decision to work with a junk car buyer. And you can use your cash from the car sale to help finance a new, more efficient vehicle. 

Build Your Budget for a New Car

Finally, selling a junk car means you’ll be on your way to purchasing a new one. Even if you’re not able to pull the trigger financially right away, you’ll gain a strong foundation for your savings. 

With an experienced junk car buyer, you’ll get a better deal that reflects the hidden benefits of your broken car. That’s because junk car buyers know the value of a catalytic converter, hose, or alternator. Anyone else would look at your car and assume it has no value simply because of its cosmetics. 

A dealership or person you meet through an ad posting will try to lowball you to get the best price. Moreover, they won’t have the experience to offer a proper pricing assessment of your vehicle if it’s damaged. They might try to hassle you, too, if you push back.

With a cash junk car buyer, you’ll get a more accurate appraisal since they look at lots of broken cars each day. These buyers have less overhead, too, which enables them to offer better quotes. You can score anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand when you work with a cash buyer.

Know that broken cars always will have value. Scrap metal can be converted into aluminum alloy or steel, for instance, that can be sold.

Junk car buyers know this, and they will be able to find monetary benefits in even the most damaged car. As a result, you’ll get an honest offer that accounts for these hidden sources of value.

Ultimately, selling a junk car can help boost your nest egg for a new car. As you start investigating new options, you’ll have a recent point of reference for what qualities to look for in a new car, too. 

Should I Sell My Broken Car for Cash?

When you search online for the answers to the question, “Should I sell my broken car for cash?” you’ll see plenty of reasons to do so. You’ll get a faster offer on your vehicle and can have it towed right away. You’ll get cash in your pockets and save time, too.

At Cash Auto Salvage, we aim to make junk car removal easy and profitable for you. We’ll give you an offer on your vehicle in under 90 seconds when you fill out our offer form online.

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About the Author

Marc
Marc

Marc is the Co-Founder of Cash Auto Salvage and Director of daily operations. He retired from a leading Internet Marketing company in 2013 and has been involved in the automotive industry ever since.

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