The Expert's Guide to Junking a Car
Sell a Junker's Mission Statement
"To remain the Most Professional and Fastest Auto Recycling Service Available - always paying maximum $$$ with a smile!"
How does the process work?
Depends on your vehicle and what kind of company you call. Some companies want to fix up and resell your car as a daily driver. These companies will have strict document standards and high standards when it comes to the condition of the cars they purchase. CarMax, for example, states in their FAQ, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE MY OFFER?
"We review current market conditions as well as your car’s specific year, make, model, mileage, and vehicle history report. We examine your car’s condition inside and out for major defects like frame or flood damage. We also test drive your car and check to see if the brakes and turn signals are working (among other things). If repairs are needed, we may adjust our offer accordingly. In regards to cleanliness, the long-term maintenance and care of your car is what’s most important in determining our appraisal offer."
CarMax also requires:
- Your car’s title or payoff information. All titleholders should be present.
- Valid and current registrations
- Valid state-issued photo ID for all title holders.
- All keys and remotes
Now, not every company is that strict, but the more you want for your car, the more will be required of you and your car. Do not expect to receive big money for a car who's title you can't find, keys you can't locate, and that has 2 flat tires. Just saying.
So what can you expect?
Sell a Junker is Minnesota's Largest Auto Recycler.
What does that mean? We do not contract out our services. We have our own fleet of trucks, our car buyers are paid company employees (not contractors) and we process the vehicles on-site.
How does this benefit you?
We can provide same day services, usually providing pickup appointments in less than 3 hours from the time you call! Our friendly buyers are in trucks all over the Twin Cities, ready to be dispatched to your location in 3 hours or less!
We pick up your car, and every car! We come to you! Tow away is a part of our service - even if your car is broken down on the side of the highway!
We can provide emergency road side assistance junk car buys! Don't pay to tow that junk car home - we'll buy it right there on the road and tow it away too!
We can pay $$$ on the spot (or digital payments like Venmo) so you don't have to worry about cashing a check.
We show up - every time - because we are in charge of our fleet! We are not contracting out to people we can't control!
Other car buying websites (we call them "lead farms") refer to their buyers as "carriers" or "contractors" because they do nothing more than pass along your information like a brokerage.
From the Clunker Junker website - "The Clunker Junker is not directly involved with scheduling or pickup, and so we can never guarantee any specific day, time, or window of time for pickup. Our carriers and local junk car buyers manage all of their own scheduling...Most vehicles are picked up within 1 to 3 business days from the time everything is finalized."
At Sell a Junker, however, we have professional, expert sales staff answering the phone who will set up a same day appointment for you with an expert company employee appraiser - one who will come with $$$, ready to buy your car on the spot and the authority to do so. We are not a brokerage farm, we put our money where our mouth is.
What do you need to book an appointment?
You will need some documentation for the vehicle to establish ownership. What kinds of documents will depend on the car's age and how long you have owned it. We do not always require a title as we use the vehicle for parts and do not resell it to someone else as a daily driver. Call us now if you've lost the title or have other paperwork issues and we can quickly walk you through your options. It will be easy and painless! We want to buy your car and have lots of helpful options.
You will also need some form of identification as the seller.
We'll need an address where the car is located and a contact number for you so we can schedule the appointment.
How do I get a guaranteed offer online?
You don't and you can't. Not here not there not anywhere. If you think you can or you have, you didn't read the fine print or the FAQs. I can write a big list of websites one may consider "competitors" of ours (we really have no actual competitors) that claim to promise things like an instant quote or a guaranteed online offer, but a 5 minute investigation of their website's FAQ section reveals the truth about such offers and claims. One of our "competitors" that promises an instant online offer has the FAQ "Why has my offer changed?" -
Our offers are subject to change until accepted because our buyers have the ability to change or retract their offers at any time...
Remember most other companies are just "lead farms" that sell your information to other companies and they aren't actually offering you any money themselves. Their "buyers," the people they are selling your information to, will decide the actual price of your vehicle at some future date. Your offer is really BAIT (and switch).
What if I don't like my guaranteed on the spot offer?
I would really like one million dollars for my car. Wouldn't you? That would be awesome. It would be amazing. I would not turn down such an offer! It's never going to happen though. If you desperately need $1,000 for your 20 year old car that has rust and dents and that you feel the need to describe in glowing terms of "I just replaced the fuel pump and it has lots of great parts!" - you will need time to become delighted with your $$$ offer. I'm just being real. How do I know this? Well, if it was easily worth 1K you'd have that bad boy on FaceBook Marketplace right now (or Craigslist for the brave at heart) and $$$ in your pocket tomorrow. No one would resist your sales pitch (and you wouldn't be calling a scrap yard to get rid of it).
So a dose of reality - if you have adult children who are younger than your car you can drop your Kelly Blue Book expectations. Don't think in terms of using this car to buy a new car - think of using this car to buy a week's worth of groceries (yes even for a really big family!).
If this is where you are at in the process, you will be delighted, DELIGHTED!! with your offer. Why? Because it's not all about the $$$. It's about keeping the Craigslist creepers off your property, making sure the paperwork is done professionally (we are a licensed dealer and register all vehicles as junked), we pick up all cars, we buy every kind of car, and we can do it right now, we pay more than any other auto recycler (because we are the largest), and more.
It is our goal to make your day!
We are going to do that with fantastic customer service, transparent pricing, immediate service, expert advice, professional services in all areas including documents, and a smile! Call us now - we want to make you happy!