There is no better time than now to take your old and wrecked car to a junkyard and exchange it for cash. In the past, people preferred to leave their junk cars to rot in their yards and garages, some even buried old cars in landfills to free up space for new vehicles.
With the arrival of junkyards, however, there is no need to keep hold of your junk vehicles. To be honest, the services rendered by these cash-for-cars businesses is so beneficial to car owners, they should not be offering cash incentives.
After all, they are taking away a vehicle that no longer has much in the way of tangible value; some of the vehicles have even become an inconvenience to the owners, and many are happy to be rid of them.
Luckily, however, junkyards offer cash as an encouragement, and it appears to be working. As at 2013, it was estimated that 15 million vehicles in the United States reached the end of their life span, and out of these, 13 million were sent to junkyards for recycling. This shows that more and more people are taking advantage of the unique opportunity presented by junkyards and auto wreckers, and are getting paid for giving out their junk vehicles.
If you are looking to join the millions and benefit from the junkyards close to you, there are some things you need to do in preparation, and in this post, you will find the most important ones:
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Sort Out Your Paperwork
Yes, some junkyards are in states that allow people bring in their old cars that have no titles nor registration papers, but the rule doesn’t apply to all of them. Before going to the junkyard, ensure that you have all the documents that will allow you transfer ownership of your car to the junkyard.
If you go to the junkyard without the required paperwork, the junkyard may take your car after hours of haggling, but it is likely that your payment will be reduced because of the whole episode. If you can’t find the paperwork, there is no need to panic. You can get fresh papers from your state’s DMV, and in many states, the process doesn’t require much time or effort.
After getting your papers in order, remove the license plates on the vehicle. Here is why: when a car goes out of commission, the license plates do not become useless too. As a matter of fact, some states legally require that you remove your plates before transferring ownership of a vehicle.
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Cancel The Insurance on the Car
There are many reasons why it is important that you cancel the insurance coverage on your car before you take it to the junkyard. For a start, once the insurance is cancelled, you no longer need to make payments on the car. Furthermore, if you subscribed for full coverage from the beginning, you are eligible for a refund after the car is junked.
If the car is so old, your coverage is about to expire, making it unnecessary to cancel the insurance, do so anyway.
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Ensure The Junkyard You’re Dealing with is Licensed
Junkyards with no licenses are generally frowned upon. In fact, in some states, it is a criminal offence to run a junkyard without the necessary documentations. Before agreeing to deal with a junkyard, make sure that they have an active license.
Don’t let the temptation of a good offer cloud your judgement, there may be grave consequences in the future if you transact with junkyards that are not licensed by the appropriate bodies. You could end up being charged with illegal transfer of a vehicle, and believe it or not, that offense carries with it serious fines and the likelihood of a jail term.
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Take Out Non-Metal Parts
This is not compulsory, and it only applies to people dealing with junkyards that only buy stripped-down vehicles. If this is the case, remove all parts of your vehicle that isn’t metallic, that means all the seats, most of the interior, plastic parts etc. If you have the required expertise to do this on your own, go ahead and enjoy yourself; if you don’t, contact a mechanic or any professional and they will help you strip your vehicle for a fee.
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Look Around for the Best Deal
Before you commit to a junkyard, look around and see which of them are offering the highest rates. Scrap metal is bought by the ton, meaning: the junkyard will weigh your vehicle and pay you according to the scrap metal rates at the time of the exchange.
Apart from looking for the yard that offer the best rates, inspect their weight scale and ensure that it hasn’t been tampered with. That is one of the most common ways unscrupulous junkyards use to rip off customers.
