The age of a car doesn't necessarily mean it is more or less useful to drive; many very old cars are still on the road and doing well. However, sometimes a car just reaches the end of its life span, and there's nothing more you can do to fix it. At that point, you have the option to sell the car for its junk value. The commercials make it seem easy, and technically it is; however, you have to do more than just call the place and watch them magically transport the car away while someone hands you cash.

Verification of Ownership

You'll have to verify that the car is yours. The title is the gold standard because that is the form that states who the owner of the car is. The junk car company wants to be sure you aren't trying to get rid of a car that's owned by someone else, and they'll need that title to be sure that you're the rightful owner. If you don't have a title, you'll need to get one; you can usually get a duplicate title from whichever department handles motor vehicle registration in your state.

If someone else owns the car, you need to go through the legal process of changing the title to your name. If the car's owner is deceased, for example, your motor vehicle department should have a process for you to transfer the car into a survivor's name. You'll need the owner's death certificate, so the whole paper trail can take a while.

If the bank owns that car — for example, you have to junk a car that you're still paying off — then you need to pay off the car and get the official title from the lender.

Sometimes you can't get a title, such as on very old cars in some states. In that case, you have to go the bill-of-sale route, which entails you writing up an extremely detailed receipt for the junk company. You'll need to speak with your state's motor vehicle department to find out exactly what your state requires on these forms.

Canceling Insurance and Notifying Authorities

The deal isn't done once you receive cash for the car. Both you and the junk car company need to fill out forms for the state that acknowledge the transaction from both sides. In other words, you can't just tell the state you sold the car to X company and leave it at that if X company hasn't confirmed that they actually have the car. Both of you need to submit this paperwork.

If the car was still listed on your insurance, remember to remove it and mark the date that you contacted the insurance company and asked them to cancel coverage. All of this information serves to protect you if something happens later that involves the car (e.g., it falls off the tow truck bed and damages something that belongs to a person who likes to sue others).

The process isn't that complicated; it just has a number of required steps. Start off by contacting a junk car company and finding out what they would need to take your car and pay you cash; then, contact your state's motor vehicle department and your insurance agent. Arrange all the steps in order so that you ensure you don't miss anything.

To get money for your junk car, contact an auto salvage yard near you.