Sooner or later, there comes a moment when any car owner thinks about where to put an old or broken car. It would seem that this is a private problem, but given the size of the US car market, it turns out to be a global issue. It will depend on his decision how exactly the car owner will pass between his own benefit and the current legislation. Roughly speaking, which ads are better to pay attention to — “trade-in a car in New York” or “we buy junk cars in Houston“?

Parts can still be used

A high standard of living and careful attitude to money and things has led the American car market to the fact that the end of a car’s life does not mean that it is not needed at all. High-quality roads, reliable components and parts, as well as the high cost of maintenance (which also implies quality) means that operation in such conditions prolongs the life of parts. In addition, there are not many cases when a person of average income immediately buys a new car at full cost. The usual duty cycle of an American car looks like this:

1. Long-term rental with a limited annual mileage — the owner uses the car within the specified limits, the lessor takes care of the maintenance costs
2. After a couple of years, the car returns to the salon, losing up to half of its value and is sold for the second time — like a used car, but with a guarantee
3. The next psychological mark is the mileage to the overhaul (70,000 miles or more), having reached it, the owner can again send the car to the salon, and there it will again be sold as used, but already without guarantees
4. If there is another willing person in this living chain, he will use the car until the first serious breakdown or the time for an engine overhaul

A high standard of living implies a high cost of services, which all official American car services have. If the cost of repairs approaches half of the real cost of the car, they part with it completely. The end of this story is the beginning of our story, the main characters of which are guys like Junk Cars US.

Trade-in or junkyard?

Even if you carefully monitor the car, drive it according to the rules and avoid natural disasters, 15 years after the release of the car, this question will still arise. To get at least some financial compensation for a junk car, you can go one of two ways — take it to the salon using the trade-in system or to a landfill for disassembly for spare parts.

What’s good about trade-in?

The system involves the delivery of an old car and the purchase of a new one, minus the cost of the returned car. For this procedure, you need a vehicle ID and a certificate of registration. Naturally, the dealer will try to underestimate the cost, so look for a meeting point of supply and demand. Each salon has its own acceptance conditions, but there are general trends that may interfere with the delivery of a car through the trade-in system:

• the vehicle is older than the specified number of years
• the machine must be running and in an acceptable technical condition
• make and model, along with condition, should be of potential interest to buyers

The first point is always concrete, the other two are quite abstract. Therefore, dealers always have a level of freedom that allows them to set an unfair price. Contact other salons, and if you don’t find an acceptable price there, go to the next paragraph.

How to dump a car

It happens that in a landfill they offer more for junk car than in a salon. Because they don’t need to resell the car itself, they will dismantle it for parts — themselves or with the help of visitors. The whole car may no longer drive, but the parts are still like. Demand is quite high, so the owner of the car dump sets a fairer price. True, there are cases when the seller pays for landfilling — in case express disposal is needed.

Dismantling for parts is an effective way to get the most out of a junk car. But the procedure for such an action in private landfills is strictly regulated. Disassembly can be in two ways:

• self-guided — without power tools, admission is provided for a day for a few dollars, carts and tools are rented with a deposit, photography inside the dump is prohibited
• with the help of staff — more expensive, but easier: they know where and what is located, use tools and can advise a part that is more suitable by quality or level of wear

These parts are often sold through auctions because the resource of American parts is much higher than analogues, especially for Eastern Europe.

You can also donate your car to a charity. They will auction the car too, but your annual tax bill will be a lot easier.

There are still opportunities to get into the landfill

If the car is seriously damaged in an accident, vandal or natural disaster, it is issued a Junk Title. This means that the insurance company has processed the results of the damage and thus sells the car. In some states, such a certificate is also issued if the car is stolen.

It is quite possible to restore such cars to a pre-sale state, which is what the craftsmen do. In the same way, you can disassemble the car and sell it for parts.

There is something to do for scammers in this scheme. It happens that they restore old cars, and when re-registering in another state or in Europe, they “forget” to indicate the Junk Title. But this is the problem of the next buyer, not the seller.

In order not to get into a delicate situation, use the services of specialized firms for receiving junk cars (for example, Jan Cars US) or at least use their advice.