If your car is basically little more than junk, then it can be tempting to just get it removed and be done with it. But how does this process actually work, and what kind of steps do you need to take to make it possible? More importantly, what should you expect if you have never done it before?
There are countless junk car removal services all across the US that can help you dispose of your car quickly and easily, getting rid of it before you have to worry too much about it causing any more problems. Here is how you should handle the basics of removing your scrap car from your property.
Why Remove Your Car?
Discarded cars are a huge pain to deal with. They are too large to move easily, they are too heavy to lift, they often do not function enough to drive them anywhere, and many are even missing their wheels or suspension. The more damage a car has taken, the less you will be able to move it.
However, that does not make them a worthless unwanted lawn accessory. Whether your car broke down due to neglect or from an accident that left it completely destroyed, you will be able to sell it for scrap and make some of your money back – perhaps more if the car was left on a property that you bought.
Cars can be removed for a lot of reasons. Maybe they are non-functional, even if they are still physically holding together. Maybe they would be worth more as scrap than a collector’s item, or there are no buyers interested in getting them. Whatever the reason, scrapping them is always an option.
Finding a Junkyard
The first thing you need to do is see if there is a junkyard nearby. The closer the junkyard, the less scrapping it is going to cost since the car will not need to be taken as far. While it might be tempting to just push it there, this is not a safe idea, especially not on proper roads.
Junkyards are not hard to find. An online search can easily bring up a list of all local scrapyards, and there are very few junkyards in the US that will not accept cars. This makes them a prime place to throw away your car and make some money in the process, but it has to be done through official channels.
Talk with the junk dealer and make sure that they are okay with taking your car. There is no point arranging for it to be delivered to them if they are not actually open to accepting it, and it will just cost you money for nothing. Instead, contact them first and arrange the ideal delivery date.
Figure Out Cost
It is easy to think that scrap cars are not going to be worth much since they are relatively useless to most people and do not really seem all that practical. However, the right car can easily go for at least $20,000 depending on its condition, as well as the exact make and model of the car involved.
You will need to talk with the dealer to get an idea of how much they would be willing to pay for your scrap car. Remember that you can always try to haggle with them a bit if you want more, but do not push things too far – it is sometimes best to just go with the initial amount to be safe.
Figure Out Delivery
One of the most important steps in scrapping your car is to arrange the delivery. If you do not have a delivery set up and ready to go, then it can be hard to actually get your car to the junk car buyer that you have sold it to, especially if you were planning to somehow do it yourself.
Always think ahead and get a professional delivery service or team involved. Even if it costs more than you would have liked, the money you will earn from selling your car is easily going to cover it. Make sure that you choose a company that is fully equipped to handle vehicle removals – from them having properly-sized trucks to the exact methods that they use.
It is also important to clarify the current state of your car when you are arranging a delivery. If your car is mostly intact, they will want to use a larger truck. However, if your car is already broken down into a lot of parts, then they may prefer to use a different transport method instead.
Why Not a Body Shop?
A body shop can be a possible alternative to a junkyard, but it can also be a lot more time-consuming. Body shops are basically an indirect way to sell the car to a scrap dealer through a middleman, and that often means that you need to keep the car on your property while they arrange a deal of their own with a junkyard.
Because of this, it can take longer and be far less practical – or possibly even annoying. A body shop is a good last resort, but you should not use this as the only method of selling your car, especially if you could get higher prices and a faster sale elsewhere.
Is That All It Takes?
In general, scrap car removal services are easy to arrange and do not require much extra effort to get started with. All you need to do is arrange to sell your scrap car, arrange for the delivery, and then make sure that everything lines up so that your car is able to be sold to the scrap dealer directly.
There are a lot of ways to go about doing all of this, but you just need to get the basics right. Once you can sell off your scrap car, you can wipe your hands clean of the hard work and allow the delivery company to transport it instead, meaning that you just need to be there to collect the money.
If you are interested in removing a scrap car or want to be prepared so that you know how to do it in the future, then it is best to get a head start and see which junkyards are available near you. It is also a good idea to look at local delivery services for future reference.