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How to Sell A Totaled Car for Cash? A Step by Step Guide 

How to Sell A Totaled Car for Cash

Have you been in an accident and your vehicle got totaled? Did the insurance company decide to deem your vehicle as totaled? Well, you are at a point where you need to get rid of this vehicle and make some money out of it.

⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️


If you've tried to sell a totaled car to a dealership or a private buyer, it might be a little challenging. On the other hand, selling your vehicle to a junk car buyer or a salvage yard might make more sense because they can make good use of the different parts.

This article serves as a step-by-step guide to help you answer how to sell a totaled car for cash. 

Is your vehicle totaled? 

 

Before we go into the details about getting cash from a totaled car, you need to make sure that your vehicle is really totaled and considered a final loss.


Many people think that a totaled car indicates a vehicle that is not drivable. However, the decision goes back to the insurance company, where it considered a vehicle as totaled whenever repair costs are higher than the car's value.

Even if your car doesn't show significant damages and repair shops indicated that repair costs are getting more than 75% of the car's value, your insurance company will not be able to pay for it, and it will consider it as totaled. 

For example, if your vehicle costs $10,000 and the repair shop mentioned that you need about $75,000, your insurance company will not pay for it, and it will most likely be considered totaled.  

That being said, you don't want to start digging into how to get rid of a totaled car if your vehicle is still drivable, and there are other ways to make some money out of it that could be higher than selling a totaled car.

Many ways could get your car ending up as a total loss. For example, if your car got involved in a major car accident or got damaged by a flood or hail, it can be easily turned into a total loss. 

Try selling your vehicle to the insurance company 

 

The first step to getting cash from your total car is to check with your insurance company. The insurance company will do a quick evaluation to decide on your final offer.

The insurance company evaluates your vehicle to five similar other vehicles and considers the middle three's average price.

 The tip for you to get the most cash for your totaled vehicle from insurance companies is to make sure that they compare your car to the right vehicle type.

You can work with them and check that their selected vehicles are of the same type as your car. Look at their make, model, and year. The other thing you need to check is the vehicle's mileage. You don't want them to compare your car to a different mileage because the comparison would be biased.

Lastly, there is a little risk when selling your vehicle to an insurance company because they sometimes select the base model to compare your vehicle from a higher term. In that case, your vehicle will be significantly undervalued. 

Try obtaining a salvage title 

 

If you didn't want to go with insurance companies and you decided to take care of the vehicle yourself, you have an option to salvage the vehicle yourself.

In other words, insurance companies would buy your car and get a salvage title for them first before they sell it. Instead of having the insurance company pay you less money, you can go through the process and obtain a self-certificate.

To obtain a salvage certificate, you need to go to the Department of motor vehicles and request a salvage certificate. You must contact them first and get information about what are the requirements to obtain a salvage title. You are most likely will do a vehicle inspection and prepare AVIN verification. Once you follow all the instructions from the Department of motor vehicles requirements, you can get the salvage title.

Having a salvage title by itself is better than having a total vehicle bot; the car's history will also show that the vehicle was totaled before.

Once your car has a salvage title, you can select different tool locations, including: 

  • Sell or salvage car to a dealership 

 

The most common way to sell a salvage car is still a company or dealership used to deal with salvage vehicles.

These companies usually take advantage of the car by selling it to an auction or reselling it, or using the different parts as replacements. 

Did you know that some dealerships are only focused on selling and buying salvage vehicles from the public?

The only one drawback about dealerships is that they are very good at negotiations. In other words, when you decide to go to a dealership and sell your salvage car, don't expect to receive the highest offer. All other options will get you more cash than selling a car to a dealership. 

Therefore, it's recommended that you do your homework and check with all the listed approaches below before you make a final decision and sell your car to a dealership. 

  • Find a private buyer 

 

Most private buyers will be interested in drivable vehicles. Therefore, it's very rare to find the right private buyer who would risk purchasing a salvage vehicle. They will think that the car has major problems and a high risk of being unsafe when using it.

However, some interested private buyers might use the vehicle for different purposes than their primary commuting method. They might be interested in doing some projects or other training on car repairs.

Keep in mind that a private buyer might be your last option, and it takes a lot of time and effort to find him. 

  • Please get rid of your vehicle by selling it to a scrap yard 

 

If you're not lucky enough to find a dealership or a private buyer who could take your salvage car, one option would be to select two a scrapyard.

Scrap yards will not pay you as much cash as you would expect. It's the least amount of cash that you could expect from selling your salvaged car.

However, by making some cash from junkyards, you're at least getting something. 

Most junkyards are usually interested in the metal parts of your vehicle. Therefore, the heavier your car, the more cash you would expect. For example, if you're trying to sell a large SUV, your offer will be much higher than selling a small to midsize vehicle. 

  • Consider donating your cards 

 

While you will not get any cash when donating your vehicle, you can still get some benefits. Did you know that by donating your vehicle, you can receive tax credits? Yes! You can then claim this tax at the end of the year.

Keep in mind that you need to select a legitimate charity to donate your car to so they can help you provide and prove to the IRS that you donated your car officially. This way, you can't simply claim it to your tax. 

The fastest way to sell your totaled vehicle! 

As you noticed before, selling a total vehicle can be a pain. Did you know that our company buys your car despite its title type?

Cash Cars Buyer provides you with an instant offer and is willing to remove your totaled vehicle within one to three days from a quick phone call?

Yes! We don't care about the vehicle situation because we see value in every vehicle.

All you need to do is get in touch with our team, receive your instant offer, accept, have your vehicle removed, and receive your cash payment right on the spot! 

Conclusion

 

Selling a used car is a little challenging, and things get more complicated when you're selling a totaled vehicle.

If your insurance company decided not to purchase your car, you can work for yourself and obtain a salvage title.

Your chances of selling this car can get higher by having a salvage title as you can sell it to interested dealerships, private buyers, or junkyards.

Selling a totaled or salvage vehicle can be challenging, and the amount of cash that you will receive will always be limited.

We recommend that you try all listed approaches to selling your salvage car and make an informed decision by selecting the safest approach that will get you the most cash. 

Your best approach to getting rid of your totaled vehicle is to sell it to a junk car buyer like our company.

To receive more information and get started with the process, you can visit our main home page and choose “Get Instant Offer” or give us a call at 8446637286. Get in touch with our team today! 

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