Sell My Car for Cash: Can “Wrecks” be Too Damaged to Sell?

A vehicle usually ends up in the junkyard of an Austin, Texas, car buyer for one of two reasons: The vehicle has a mechanical problem that would cost more to fix than the vehicle is worth, or the vehicle is wrecked and undrivable. If you wrecked a vehicle that you’d like to sell to an Austin, Texas, car buyer, does the automobile’s wrecked state make it unsalable?

Possibly, but maybe not. The value of a wrecked car to a junkyard ultimately depends on the state of the wreckage. Below are three characteristics of wrecked junk cars that make them impossible to sell, or at least much harder than usual.

1. The Vehicle was Engulfed in Fire

If the vehicle was engulfed in a fire that destroyed everything but the metal frame, the vehicle has no value to junkyard customers, as there are no reusable parts on the automobile. Therefore, the vehicle holds no value to a junkyard. On the bright side, a recycler may be interested in buying the charred frame, which can be reprocessed to make other products.

2. The Automobile Sank in Water

When an automobile is submerged in water, it may appear to have no parts damage after it’s pulled from the body of water. However, there’s a strong possibility that the vehicle’s electrical systems are compromised.

When electronic parts in a car are inoperable due to water damage, it reduces the number of parts a junkyard can sell from the vehicle. If water damage to a wrecked vehicle is pervasive enough, a junkyard may refuse to buy the car in favor of automobiles with less damage.

3. The Engine is Totally Destroyed

A head-on collision is the most common type of wreck that destroys engines. Because a car engine contains hundreds of parts that could possibly be resold, an Austin, Texas, car buyer that operates as a junkyard evaluates the state of the engine very carefully.

However, just because your car’s engine is gone doesn’t mean a junkyard won’t bite on your sale offer. If components on the body of the vehicle and inside the cabin are in fine condition, they may provide enough incentive for a junkyard to make an attractive price offer.

Contact Us Today

“Can I sell my car for cash to a junkyard?” The answer is yes. However, if the vehicle was wrecked, and the wreck engulfed the vehicle in fire, submerged in water, or destroyed the engine, you may have more luck selling the vehicle to an auto recycler.

To find out if your wrecked junker is has value to a junkyard, contact Wrench-A-Part. We stock many types of vehicles in our junkyard — old and new, foreign and domestic. To see if we need your automobile in our inventory, call our Austin location today at 877-886-5739, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to learning about your vehicle!

Wrench-A-Part
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