---
title: "Sell a Junk Car: Who Buys It and How the Price Is Set"
description: "Pick-n-Pull, Pick Your Part, Peddle or Wheelzy: what each junk-car buyer’s terms say on price, towing and title, and what a junk car’s steel is worth."
url: "https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/sell-a-junk-car/"
type: "article"
published: "2026-10-06"
modified: "2026-10-06"
site: "Baron Auto"
disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership."
---

# Sell a Junk Car: Who Buys It and How the Price Is Set

> Pick-n-Pull, Pick Your Part, Peddle or Wheelzy: what each junk-car buyer’s terms say on price, towing and title, and what a junk car’s steel is worth.

*Selling & Trade-In · 22 min read · 4,981 words*

## The short version

- Junk cars go to national online buyers that send a tow truck (Peddle, Wheelzy), to self-service yards that sell the parts and crush the rest (Pick-n-Pull, Pick Your Part), or to local yards. KBB’s instant offer excludes cars older than 24 model years, over 300,000 miles, or worth under $1,000.
- No buyer we read publishes a price list. Pick-n-Pull says its junk prices “are based on scrap metal prices” and can change until you accept. Pick Your Part’s Terms call its online quote “a non-binding estimate.”
- Our arithmetic, not an offer: the iron and steel in an average model-year 2000 car, about 2,331 pounds, was worth about $337 at the USGS 2025 average of $319 a metric ton for scrap delivered to a steel mill.
- Buyers pay less because towing, draining, crushing and shredding sit between your driveway and the mill, and LKQ says its vehicle costs lag metal prices.
- Every offer depends on your description. A missing catalytic converter can lower it at Pick Your Part, Wheelzy and Peddle, and Peddle’s driver checks 13 conditions at pickup.
- “LKQ Pick Your Part” is now just Pick Your Part: LKQ sold the business on 30 September 2025, and lkqpickyourpart.com forwards to pyp.com.

To sell a junk car, get written offers from a national online buyer and from the self-service yards that serve your area, describe the car exactly, and expect the price to start from what its steel is worth, minus the cost of getting it to a mill. On 6 October 2026 we read the sell pages, FAQs and terms of [Pick-n-Pull](https://www.picknpull.com/cash-for-junk-cars/), [Pick Your Part](https://pyp.com/sellacar/) and [Wheelzy](https://wheelzy.com/faq), LKQ Corporation’s annual reports, and the federal scrap-price, vehicle-weight and materials data behind our worked example. Peddle, KBB and Carvana terms come from this site’s 5 October 2026 readings. We entered no car into any quote form, so this page contains no offer for any car, and this site has no commercial relationship with any buyer.

**Figure: From the steel price to your offer**

A two-column table following a junk car from the federal scrap price to a buyer’s offer: the USGS 2025 average of $319 a metric ton for delivered No. 1 heavy melting scrap; about 2,331 lb of iron and steel in an average model-year 2000 car, about $337 at that price by our arithmetic; towing, which Pick-n-Pull includes free only inside its local zone; draining and stripping; crushing and shredding, where LKQ says its vehicle costs lag metal prices; a missing catalytic converter, which can lower the offer at Pick Your Part, Wheelzy and Peddle; and parts demand, which can lift a yard’s price above the steel.

Federal data: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, EPA Automotive Trends Report 2025 (Table 3.1), ORNL Transportation Energy Data Book Edition 40 (Table 4.20) and NIST SP 811. Buyer terms read 6 October 2026 (Peddle 5 October 2026) and LKQ’s 10-K filings for 2024 and 2025. Our arithmetic, not an offer; no VIN was entered.

## Who buys junk cars

Federal rules have a definition. Under the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System regulations, a [junk automobile](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B/section-25.52) is one that “is incapable of operating on public streets, roads, and highways” and “has no value except as a source of parts or scrap.” The same section counts “pull- or pick-apart yards,” scrap metal processors and shredders as junk or salvage yards. Buyers use the word more loosely, and what each does with the car explains how it prices it.

**Who buys a junk car and what each says happens to it, read 5 and 6 October 2026**

| Buyer | What it is, in its own words | How it says you are paid | What happens to the car |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Peddle | “Peddle does not always directly buy or sell cars”; a buyer in its network may bid instead | Usually a company check from the tow driver | The buyer “may resell it, break it down for parts, or send it to be scrapped” |
| Wheelzy | Its Terms: a platform “connecting sellers” with buyers and towers | Cash or check at pickup; Terms also list mailed checks | Repaired where it can be; otherwise recycled or parted out |
| Pick-n-Pull | Self-service parts yards owned by Radius Recycling | “A check on the spot” | Drained, set out for parts customers, then crushed and sent to shredders |
| Pick Your Part | Self-service yards, formerly LKQ Pick Your Part | “Pay you on the spot” | Fluids drained; parts, fluids and metals recycled |
| KBB Instant Cash Offer, Carvana | Instant offers on used cars | A participating dealer’s check (KBB); at the appointment (Carvana) | Resale; their rules exclude many junk cars |

The instant-offer services built for used cars set cut-offs that many junk cars miss. Kelley Blue Book’s Terms of Service (last updated 1 September 2026) say the Instant Cash Offer program may not be used for “vehicles older than 24 model years,” “vehicles that have over 300,000 miles on the odometer,” “reconstructed or salvage vehicles,” or “vehicles that we would value at less than $1,000.” Carvana says it accepts a car “if it is newer than 1992, the odometer is in working condition and we are able to safely drive the vehicle.” Both were read for this site on 5 October 2026.

So a car that does not run, has a salvage brand, or is worth little will often get no offer there. If yours still drives and is inside those limits, compare the routes on our [where to sell a car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/where-to-sell-a-car/) hub, our [KBB Instant Cash Offer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/kbb-instant-cash-offer/) page and our [AutoNation](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/autonation-sell-my-car/) page before you junk it. A car with a [salvage title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) narrows the field further.

Local yards fill the map results for “junk car buyers” near you. Each sets its own terms, so we name none; the checklist below works for any of them. If the title is missing, read our page on [junking a car without a title](https://baronauto1.com/guides/junk-car-without-title/) first.

## National online buyers: Peddle and Wheelzy

Peddle says it makes “offers on vehicles in all conditions” and buys cars “in all 50 states.” It began as Junk My Car, “a website that offered to haul away clunkers for free.” Its Terms (last updated 12 August 2026) say that if the car differs at pickup, or “any major vehicle component is missing or removed,” Peddle may “recalculate the Offer or refuse pick up.” The tow driver checks 13 listed conditions, from wheels and keys to water or fire damage. Towing is free, but Peddle says it does not pay “impound, storage, or towing yard fees” or notary fees. It will not buy a car with an unpaid loan: “all liens and loans must be paid in full.” Our [Peddle review](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/peddle-review/) covers payment and complaints in detail.

Wheelzy says it buys “junk cars,” “wrecked cars” and “old cars that are year 1981 and newer,” with missing parts “as long as they have the engine and transmission attached.” It buys no parts: “we only purchase whole vehicles.” Its FAQ promises a lot: “Our offers are guaranteed, meaning they won’t change,” and “We do not arrive to pick up the vehicle and examine the car.” Its Terms and Conditions (last updated 23 June 2026) say otherwise. Guaranteed offers “are subject to vehicle inspection,” and if original parts are missing, “such as the catalytic converter,” the offer “may be subject to recalculation.” You can then accept or decline. The Terms also say Wheelzy “does not guarantee payment by third-party Buyers.” Our [Wheelzy review](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/wheelzy-review/) reads its terms in full.

Wheelzy is the only buyer we read that shows sale prices. Its junk-car page displayed ten “Recently Sold Cars” on 6 October 2026, from model years 2004 to 2017, at $285 to $700; six were marked “Doesn’t start.” That is Wheelzy’s own selection, and it changes; it is not a price list.

## Self-service yards: why they want your car

A self-service yard makes money from your car twice. First, customers pay to walk the rows and pull parts themselves. Pick Your Part says it charges “a modest fee to cover the basic maintenance of running a salvage yard”; LKQ’s 2024 annual report called it “a nominal admission fee.” Then the stripped shell is sold for its metal.

Pick-n-Pull’s recycling-process page walks through the sequence. A receiving specialist evaluates the car and the owner “is paid by check on the spot.” The yard removes “fluids and hazardous materials,” tests the battery, takes out “any mercury switches,” and drains gasoline, oil and antifreeze on drain racks. The car goes onto the sales floor, raised on stands. After customers have “pulled most or all of the usable parts,” the yard de-cores it for parts with recycling value, such as engines and alternators. “The final step in the process is to crush the remaining vehicle hulk,” which goes to metal shredders.

Pick Your Part describes the same cycle: fluids and hazardous materials are drained first, and “All of the metals are sorted and recycled.” So a yard prices two things at once: the parts its customers will pull from your model, and the steel left at the end.

## LKQ Pick Your Part is now Pick Your Part

Searchers still type “LKQ sell my car,” but LKQ no longer owns the yards. LKQ’s annual report for 2024 said its Self Service segment’s retail operations, “most of which operate under the name ‘LKQ Pick Your Part,’” bought cars from sources including “the general public,” and that vehicles “are delivered to our locations by the seller, or we arrange for transportation.” Its report for 2025 says: “On September 30, 2025, we completed the sale of our Self Service segment to an affiliate of Pacific Avenue Capital Partners, LLC.” LKQ gave its reason as “exiting an asset-intensive business heavily affected by changes in commodity prices.” When we requested the old lkqpickyourpart.com address on 6 October 2026, it answered with a permanent redirect (HTTP 301) to pyp.com, where the yards now trade as Pick Your Part.

Pick Your Part’s sell page offers an instant online quote, then “We’ll pick up the vehicle, inspect it, and pay you on the spot!” It buys “junk, scrap, or non-running” cars, with two warnings: for accident damage “there may be deductions based upon the size and nature of the damage,” and a car that does not run may get “a deduction depending on what is causing your vehicle to not run.” It “can’t buy vehicles with an outstanding loan or lease.” Its quote page names “three main criteria”: “market value, vehicle condition, and documentation (like title status),” with market value set “in your local area.”

**A Pick Your Part quote is not a promise to pay.** The sell page invites you to “see instantly how much we will pay you,” but section 11 of its Terms of Use (effective 17 July 2017) says any quotation is “a non-binding estimate” and “not an offer or a promise.” Pick Your Part “may, in its sole discretion, decline to purchase any vehicle or offer an alternative amount at any time.” Treat the number as a starting point, and confirm the price before the tow truck takes the car.

Its pages also disagree about its history: “for over 50 years” on the home page, “over 30 years” on the sell page. Read the terms, not the banners.

## Pick-n-Pull: two programs with different rules

Pick-n-Pull, a Radius Recycling subsidiary, runs two buying programs on one website, and they set different terms. Its what-we-buy page sends cars “just a few years old” to “Sell My Car,” branded Radius Auto powered by Pick-n-Pull, which says it has “partners at 600 locations nationwide.” Cars “at the end of their life” go to “Cash For Junk Cars,” the yard program.

On the junk side, the FAQ says the price rests on “the year, demand for parts for that make or model, and the overall condition,” and in the next answer that “Our prices are based on scrap metal prices.” For a yard, both can be true at once. The offer is not fixed until you accept: “Due to the fluctuations in scrap metal prices, our cash offers for junk cars can change at any time until they are accepted.” Towing is free only “if it’s within our local towing zone,” and pickups happen “usually within 48 to 72 hours.” The owner named on the title “will need to be present.” You can also drive or tow the car to a store with “your title/registration, photo ID and car keys.”

**The yard programs side by side, from each company’s own pages and terms, read 6 October 2026**

| Term | Pick-n-Pull Cash For Junk Cars | Radius Auto Sell My Car | Pick Your Part |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What sets the price | Year, parts demand, condition; “scrap metal prices” | Make, model, year, mileage, condition and “current market conditions” | Market value, condition and documentation |
| Can the price change? | Until accepted, with scrap prices | Not if the car “matches the description” | Quote is “a non-binding estimate” |
| Towing | Free inside the local towing zone; usually 48 to 72 hours | Free pickup, “same or next day” in most cases | Free pickup, “as early as today” |
| Loan on the car | Not stated on the junk page | Must be paid off first | Cannot buy with a loan or lease |
| Title not in your name | “In most cases” still possible | Your name must be on the title | “Proof of ownership document, such as the vehicle title” |
| Damage | Asks “yes” or “no” condition questions | Pays more with “no front-end or major damage” | “There may be deductions” |
| Payment | “A check on the spot” | “A check when we come to pick up your title and vehicle” | “Payment on the spot” |

The title rules are the difference to watch. The junk program says it can “in most cases” buy a car “if the title was not issued in your name,” though some states may require a new title first. The Sell My Car program says “Your name must also be listed as the owner on the car’s title” and any loan must be paid off. Pick-n-Pull’s pages also give its age four ways, from “Since 1984” to “Established in 1987,” and its store count as 50 on one page and 44 U.S. plus 4 Canadian on another.

## What sets a junk car’s price

Every buyer we read claims to pay well. Pick Your Part says it “pays the most for your vehicle”; Wheelzy says its connections let it offer “the most money for cars”; Peddle says its offer is “always our highest and most competitive amount.” None publishes a price list, so the claims cannot be checked. What they do publish is what moves the number.

**What junk-car buyers say moves the price, in their own documents (Peddle read 5 October 2026, the rest 6 October 2026)**

| Factor | What the buyers say |
| --- | --- |
| Scrap metal prices | Pick-n-Pull: junk prices “are based on scrap metal prices” and can change until accepted. LKQ: metal prices “affect the amount that we pay for our inventory.” |
| Year, make, model and parts demand | Pick-n-Pull prices on “demand for parts for that make or model.” Pick Your Part: value “depends on the year, make, model and condition.” |
| Where the car is | Pick Your Part sets market value “in your local area.” Peddle cites “regional Buyer demand.” Pick-n-Pull tows free only inside its zone. |
| Whether it starts and drives | Pick Your Part: “Starts and Drives,” “Starts But Does Not Drive,” “Does Not Start.” Wheelzy counts a car as drivable only if it is safe “at highway speeds.” |
| Missing parts | Pick Your Part asks about the hood, doors, fenders, headlights, taillights and catalytic converters. Wheelzy’s Terms name the catalytic converter. |
| Title and loan | Pick Your Part: “The type of title a vehicle has affects the value of the car.” Peddle recalculates if you answer that you cannot find the title. |
| Upgrades and new parts | No effect. Pick-n-Pull: new radios or tires “won’t affect the cash offer.” Peddle: “newer parts won’t increase your offer amount.” |

The definitions of “runs” differ, and that matters when you fill in a form. Pick Your Part counts a car as starting and driving if it “can be put into gear and can move forward on its own power.” Wheelzy’s bar is higher: a car that can be “safely driven on a highway, at highway speeds.” To Wheelzy, a car that needs a jump start is not a starting car. Answer each buyer by its own definition: in Radius Auto’s, Wheelzy’s and Peddle’s terms, a description that does not match the car is what lets the price change at pickup.

## Our arithmetic: what the steel in a junk car is worth

The floor under every junk price is public. This worked example uses only federal data, and it is our arithmetic, not an offer.

**Step 1, the weight.** EPA’s 2025 Automotive Trends Report (EPA-420-R-26-001, February 2026), Table 3.1, gives the average new vehicle of model year 2000 a weight of 3,821 pounds. EPA explains that its weights are inertia weights, “vehicle curb weights plus 300 pounds,” and that curb weight is “the weight of an empty, unloaded vehicle.” Taking off 300 pounds leaves a curb weight of 3,521 pounds.

**Step 2, the iron and steel.** The Transportation Energy Data Book (Edition 40, Table 4.20), published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Department of Energy, breaks down the materials in an average model-year 2000 light vehicle built in North America. Its steels and iron castings add up to 2,583 of 3,902 pounds, or 66.2%. Applied to EPA’s 3,521 pounds, that is about 2,331 pounds of iron and steel. At NIST’s factor of 0.4535924 kilograms per pound, it is 1,057 kilograms, or about 1.06 metric tons.

**Step 3, the price.** The US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 gives the average delivered price of No. 1 heavy melting steel scrap, a composite USGS takes from Fastmarkets AMM. It estimates $319 a metric ton for 2025, up from $314.85 in 2024, with monthly averages in the first 11 months of 2025 from $366.26 in March down to $303.46 in November.

**Our arithmetic, not an offer: about 1.06 metric tons of iron and steel (an average model-year 2000 vehicle) at each year’s USGS delivered No. 1 heavy melting scrap price**

| Year | USGS average price, per metric ton | Value of the iron and steel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | $417.66 | About $442 |
| 2022 | $381.72 | About $404 |
| 2023 | $333.28 | About $352 |
| 2024 | $314.85 | About $333 |
| 2025 (USGS estimate) | $319 | About $337 |
| March 2025 (monthly high) | $366.26 | About $387 |
| November 2025 (monthly low) | $303.46 | About $321 |

Two things stand out. The same car’s steel was worth about $105 more at 2021’s average than at 2025’s, a 23.6% fall in the price, and about $66 more in March 2025 than in November. Timing alone moves the floor. And the share matters: if every one of the 3,521 pounds were steel, the car would be worth about $509 at $319 a ton, which no car is.

USGS’s own totals give a rougher cross-check. It says “more than 13 million tons per year of steel was recycled from automobiles, the equivalent of approximately 17 million cars.” Dividing one by the other gives about 0.76 metric tons, or 1,686 pounds, of steel per recycled car, worth about $244 at the 2025 average. The totals are rounded, so treat this as a rough check. Either way, the steel in a junk car is worth a few hundred dollars at a mill, before anyone pays to get it there.

**Figure: Annotated photograph**

Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the gauges, the steering wheel and the windscreen, with the steel in an average old car, what Pick-n-Pull says sets its price, and its towing zone.

By our arithmetic from EPA and ORNL data, an average model-year 2000 car holds about 2,331 lb of iron and steel (callout 1). Pick-n-Pull, read on 6 October 2026, says its prices depend on the year, the demand for parts for that make or model and the car’s condition, not a Kelley Blue Book value (callout 2), and that it tows free inside its local towing zone, usually within 48 to 72 hours (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative.

## Why a buyer pays less than the steel price

The USGS figure is the price of one scrap grade, delivered. Its label reads “Price, average, delivered, No. 1 heavy melting composite price,” and USGS lists “Shredded steel” as a separate grade. A car in a driveway is neither a delivered load nor a graded one. The buyers’ own documents describe what has to happen first.

**Collection.** Pick-n-Pull tows free only “within our local towing zone.” LKQ said cars arrived “by the seller, or we arrange for transportation.” Peddle and Wheelzy include towing.

**Draining and stripping.** LKQ said that once a car arrives, “minimal labor is required to process the vehicle other than removing the battery, fluids, refrigerants, catalytic converters and hazardous materials.” Pick-n-Pull lists Freon, power steering and brake fluid, and mercury switches. It charges its parts buyers an environmental fee that “helps offset some of the costs of handling and legally disposing hazardous materials,” a cost Pick-n-Pull itself names.

**Crushing and shredding.** LKQ says dismantled cars “are typically crushed using equipment on site,” or by hired mobile crushers, “before they are transported to shredders and scrap metal processors.” USGS counts “more than 280 car shredders in North America.” Each step is work someone is paid for before the steel reaches a mill.

**Price risk.** LKQ told investors that metal prices “affect the amount that we pay for our inventory,” but “there is typically a lag” and “no guarantee that the vehicle costs will decrease or increase at the same rate as the metals prices.” A yard buys your car today and sells its steel later, which is also why Pick-n-Pull’s offers can change until you accept.

**Middlemen.** Pick Your Part puts it this way: “By bypassing middlemen and working directly with an auto recycler, we are able to likewise bypass costs associated with getting your vehicle and pass them on to you!” It is one yard’s claim, not a measurement, but on the online platforms a buyer bids on the car and a separate carrier or tower collects it, as Peddle’s and Wheelzy’s Terms describe.

The pull can go the other way: a yard prices “demand for parts for that make or model,” so a popular model can fetch more than its steel, and Wheelzy’s displayed sales run up to $700. Two sources also disagree on direction: LKQ says the average scrap metal price it tracks fell 9% in 2025, while USGS estimates the No. 1 heavy melting composite rose 1.3%. LKQ does not name its series, so we use only the USGS one.

## Selling it for parts instead

Searchers ask how to “sell my car for parts.” Two routes exist, and they do not mix well. A self-service yard buys the whole car precisely because its customers will pull the parts; selling it to a yard is, in effect, selling it for parts. Stripping the parts yourself and selling the shell is the other route, and the whole-car buyers’ terms push against it.

Wheelzy says “we only purchase whole vehicles” and requires “the engine and transmission attached.” Peddle’s Terms say “Items that Peddle cannot service include parts, scrap metal, and liquids,” and let it recalculate or refuse if “any major vehicle component is missing or removed, even if not specifically mentioned or asked about.” Pick Your Part’s quote asks about a missing hood, doors, fenders, headlights, taillights and catalytic converters, and says “Verifying the catalytic converters ensures you get the most money for your vehicle.” LKQ says it sells “the precious metals recovered from certain recycled parts, such as catalytic converters,” which is why that one part moves the offer.

Upgrades do not help either way: Pick-n-Pull says new radios or tires “won’t affect the cash offer,” and Peddle says the same about newer parts. If you do pull parts, tell every buyer exactly what is gone before you take a quote. Selling a catalytic converter on its own has its own rules in many states; our [notes on stripping parts first](https://baronauto1.com/guides/junk-car-without-title/#parts-first) and on [converter theft](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost/#theft) cover them.

## The paperwork

**The title.** Pick-n-Pull says it will “in most cases” need only “the vehicle’s Certificate of Title,” and that some states also require a [bill of sale](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/). Pick Your Part asks for “a proof of ownership document, such as the vehicle title.” Radius Auto says to have the title notarized before pickup if your state requires it, and Peddle says notary fees are yours. Sign where your state’s title says to sign, as our [title transfer guide](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#signing) explains. If the title is lost, see [replacing a lost title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/replace-lost-car-title/), and our [no-title guide](https://baronauto1.com/guides/junk-car-without-title/) for selling without one.

**The loan.** Peddle, Pick Your Part and Radius Auto all say a loan must be paid off before they buy. Get a [payoff quote](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/trading-in-a-financed-car/#payoff-quote), and if a paid-off loan still shows, [check the lien record](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) and get the lien release.

**Being there.** Pick-n-Pull says the owner named on the title must be present at pickup. Peddle says the titled owner must complete the title paperwork before pickup.

**Your name goes on a federal record.** Under [28 CFR 25.56](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B/section-25.56), a junk or salvage yard must report its junk cars to NMVTIS “on a monthly basis,” including the VIN, the date it got the car, and “the name of the individual or entity from whom the automobile was obtained.” That is one reason to sell to a licensed business and keep its receipt. Our no-title guide explains the [yard’s checks before a car is crushed](https://baronauto1.com/guides/junk-car-without-title/#checkpoint), and our [certificate of destruction](https://baronauto1.com/guides/certificate-of-destruction/) page explains what happens to the title afterward.

**After the truck leaves.** Wheelzy says “there is nothing that you will have to do after the sale”; Peddle says to file a release form if your state requires one, “after pickup.” File your state’s [release of liability](https://baronauto1.com/guides/release-of-liability/#how-to-file) either way, and handle the [license plates](https://baronauto1.com/guides/release-of-liability/#plates) by your state’s rule; Peddle says plates come off when the carrier arrives. Keep the receipt.

## How to get the most for a junk car

In California, check one program before you call any buyer. The Bureau of Automotive Repair’s [Consumer Assistance Program](https://www.bar.ca.gov/cap/retirement) pays $1,350 to retire a car that failed its most recent Smog Check, or $1,500 or $2,000 if your household meets an income test. The $1,500 tier takes a Smog Check, pass or fail, within 180 days before you apply. The car must be drivable: you must drive it “under its own power” to a BAR-contracted dismantler. The title must be in your name, and “Your vehicle must not be junked.” Pick-n-Pull says most of its California stores take part. A car that still drives may earn more this way than its steel is worth.

Everywhere else, this checklist follows the buyers’ own terms and targets the gap between a quote and a payment.

- **Get at least three offers on the same day,** from an online buyer and the yards near you. Scrap prices move, and Pick-n-Pull’s offers can change until accepted.
- **Use each buyer’s own definitions** for “starts” and “drives” when you answer its condition questions.
- **Say what is missing,** above all the catalytic converter. Pick Your Part, Wheelzy and Peddle each say a missing part can lower the price.
- **Leave the car whole** unless you have priced the parts and the shell separately; new tires and radios add nothing.
- **Ask whether towing is free at your address.** Pick-n-Pull’s free pickup covers only its local zone; delivering the car yourself to a store is the other option.
- **Clear the loan first and have the title ready,** in your name, notarized if your state requires it.
- **Get the price in writing before the truck comes,** and ask what happens if the driver disagrees with your description. Pick Your Part’s quote is not binding; Wheelzy and Peddle let you decline a recalculated offer.
- **Do not hand over the title before you are paid,** and keep a receipt with the buyer’s name and the VIN.
- **File your release of liability and handle the plates** the same day.

## Common questions

### Who pays the highest price for a junk car?

Whoever makes the highest firm offer for your car, on the day you sell it. Pick Your Part, Wheelzy, Peddle and Pick-n-Pull each claim to pay well, and none publishes a price list, so the only test is comparing written offers. Yards price parts demand for your model, so it pays to ask both kinds of buyer.

### How much do junk car buyers usually pay?

No buyer we read publishes typical prices. Wheelzy’s junk-car page showed ten recent sales at $285 to $700 on 6 October 2026, its own selection. By our arithmetic, the iron and steel in an average model-year 2000 car was worth about $337 at the 2025 delivered scrap price, before towing and processing. That is a floor for comparison, not an offer.

### How do I get the most money from a junk car?

Get several same-day offers, describe the car by each buyer’s definitions, keep the catalytic converter and major parts on it, and have the title ready with any loan cleared. In California, a drivable car that fails its Smog Check may qualify for $1,350 or more through the state’s retirement program.

### How much is my junk car worth?

Start with its steel: our worked example puts an average model-year 2000 car at about 1.06 metric tons of iron and steel, worth $321 to $387 across 2025’s monthly scrap prices. Then adjust for what buyers say they price: parts demand, location, whether it runs, missing parts and title status.

### Can I still sell my car to LKQ Pick Your Part?

The yards still buy cars, but not as LKQ. LKQ sold its Self Service segment on 30 September 2025, and the lkqpickyourpart.com address now forwards to pyp.com, where the yards trade as Pick Your Part. It offers an online quote and pickup, cannot buy cars with a loan or lease, and its Terms say the quote is “a non-binding estimate.”

### Does Pick-n-Pull buy cars that do not run?

Yes. Its Cash For Junk Cars program buys cars “running or not,” tows free inside its local zone, usually within 48 to 72 hours, and pays by check on the spot. The owner named on the title must be there at pickup. Its separate Sell My Car program, Radius Auto, requires the loan paid off and your name on the title.

## Sources and further reading

- [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B)
- [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/)
- [California DMV, notice of transfer and release of liability](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/notice-of-transfer-and-release-of-liability/)
- [TxDMV, buying or selling a vehicle](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle)

Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it.

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*This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.*

Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/sell-a-junk-car/