If your vehicle is no longer fully operational, or even if it's nothing more than dead weight, it still has something to offer: cash! While the exact state of your car or truck has a great deal to do with the amount that you get, every old vehicle is worth some quick cash. Below, you can learn more about how car recycling works and how it can benefit you.

What You Need to Sell Your Vehicle

You will need to have a couple of things on hand if you plan to sell your vehicle to a car recycling facility. These are:

  • Your Driver's License: This is the proof of your identity
  • The Title to the Vehicle: The title must be in your name and must indicate that you own the vehicle free and clear.

A car recycling facility will only purchase your car if you can prove that you are the sole owner of the vehicle. You will be signing the title over to the buyer when they pay you for it, at which time it will no longer legally be in your name.

How Value Is Determined

There are two main categories for auto recycling. Certain vehicles are worth considerably more than others, and this depends on the type of vehicle it is and on how many useful working parts the vehicle still has.

  • Late Model Vehicles That Still Run: If your car has been through some damage but still runs, it holds quite a bit of value to an auto recycler. The individual parts, for example the engine or even the bumpers, can be reused on other vehicles. Nearly all parts of a car or truck can be recycled if they are still in decent shape. The more intact your vehicle is, the more it's worth. An auto recycling facility will typically sell parts individually to people or repair shops.
  • Old Vehicles That Don't Run: If your vehicle is old, especially if it's several decades old, and it has few working parts, it may be sold by the pound at an auto recycler. The metal on your vehicle is valuable, even if the parts aren't intact. While the cash amount won't be as high as it would if your vehicle is still working, you'll still get a nice cash return for the metal.

When you are ready to sell your car to a car recycling facility, be sure to call around to get prices from a couple of different buyers. While the prices will usually remain fairly consistent among buyers, you should always try to get the most you can from your vehicle before it "drives" into the sunset without you.

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