Should I part it out myself first?

Almost never worth it unless you already have the tools, space and time. What is left is worth much less because the valuable pieces are gone. The math only works if your labor is free.

Why does the offer change if parts are missing?

A large share of a junk car's value is the drivetrain and the catalytic converter. When those are gone, what remains is much closer to scrap weight alone. Telling us upfront gets you an accurate number the first time.

Straight Answer

How Much Is My Junk Car Worth?

Q: Is a car that runs worth more than one that does not?

Less than you would think. A running engine is worth more as a part, but the vehicle is still being processed either way. If your car runs and drives safely and has a clean title, a private sale will usually beat any junk buyer.

Anyone who gives you a number before asking what you have is guessing — or setting up a lower number later. Here is what actually determines the offer, so you can tell a real quote from a bad one.

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Why nobody can quote you online

A junk car is worth the sum of two things: what its metal weighs at the current scrap price, and what the parts still on it are worth to somebody rebuilding a similar vehicle. Both of those move.

Scrap metal is a commodity. It is priced by the ton and it changes week to week with demand, fuel costs, and what the mills are paying. A car that was worth one number in March can be worth a different number in August without anything about the car changing. Any site showing you a fixed price per year and model is showing you a number they made up.

The parts side moves too, and it moves by model. A common car with a strong local parts demand is worth more than a rare one nobody is fixing, even if they weigh the same. That is why our form asks for the trim — it tells us what came in the car from the factory, which decides what is worth pulling before the shell is crushed.

So what should you do?

Get a real quote from a real buyer, which takes about a minute, and get a second one if you want to compare. The number should be firm and it should not change when the truck shows up. That is the only test that matters.

The Part You Can Check Yourself

What the metal in your car is worth

Nobody can quote your car online. But the scrap floor underneath it is simple arithmetic, and you can do it in about thirty seconds.

Scrap yards buy cars by weight. The grade that applies to a car still carrying its engine, transmission, catalytic converter, battery, radiator, wheels and tyres is called a complete car, and it is priced per ton.

Through September 2026, published complete-car scrap rates across the Southeast have run roughly $150 to $180 per ton. So the metal value of any vehicle is its curb weight, divided by 2,000, multiplied by that rate.

Worked example — a full-size sedan

A typical full-size sedan has a curb weight of about 3,950 lb. That is 1.98 tons.

1.98 tons × $150–$180 per ton = roughly $295 to $355 of metal

That is the floor. It is what the car is worth if every part on it turned out to be worthless and the whole thing went straight to the shredder.

Find your vehicle's class below, take the tonnage, and multiply. Your car's exact curb weight is on the driver's door jamb sticker or in the owner's manual if you want to be precise — it varies by engine and trim, sometimes by 300 lb within the same model.

Typical curb weights by vehicle class. Class midpoints — individual vehicles vary.
Vehicle class	Typical curb weight	Tons
Compact car	2,850 lb	1.43
Mid-size sedan	3,400 lb	1.70
Full-size sedan	3,950 lb	1.98
Compact SUV / crossover	3,550 lb	1.78
Mid-size SUV	4,550 lb	2.28
Full-size SUV	5,800 lb	2.90
Minivan	4,500 lb	2.25
Half-ton pickup	4,950 lb	2.48
Heavy-duty pickup	6,500 lb	3.25
Cargo van	5,300 lb	2.65

Scrap rates are published commodity prices and they move week to week. The $150–$180 range above reflects complete-car and ferrous scrap rates reported for the Southeast and for Miami in August and September 2026. It is a published market rate, not an offer from us, and it will be out of date eventually — check a current source before you rely on it.

Why an offer is not the same as that number

The figures above are what the metal is worth at the yard. They are not what anyone will hand you, and the difference is worth understanding — it is the single biggest reason people come away from this business feeling lied to.

Getting the car to the yard costs money. A truck, a driver, fuel, and the trip. That comes out of the metal value, which is the honest answer to why a free tow is free: it is paid for out of the value of the car, the same as it is everywhere else. A buyer who tells you towing costs nothing is taking it from the same place and not mentioning it.

It moves the other way too. If your car runs, or it is recent enough that people are still fixing that model, it is worth more than its metal — sometimes considerably more. In that case the table above is the floor and not the answer, which is exactly why the form asks for the year, make, model and trim.

The two things that move it most

Whether the catalytic converter is still on the car, and whether the wheels and tyres are still on it. A complete car is worth meaningfully more than one that has been picked over, and those two items are most of the gap. That is why we ask what condition it is in rather than just the model — and why a number quoted before anyone asks should make you suspicious.

What Moves The Number

Six things that decide your offer

Weight

The floor under every offer. A full-size truck or SUV has considerably more metal in it than a compact sedan, and that difference shows up before anything else is considered.

Whether it is complete

The single biggest swing. A car with its engine, transmission and catalytic converter still on it is worth substantially more than the same car with those gone. If someone has already stripped it, say so — it changes the number, and finding out on arrival wastes everyone's day.

Year, make, model and trim

This decides parts demand. A model that is common on South Florida roads has buyers looking for its doors, seats, wheels and electronics. A rare or discontinued model may be worth little more than its metal.

What is wrong with it

A car with a blown engine but a clean body is a different proposition from a clean-running car with front-end collision damage. Both have value; they have it in different places.

Where it is and how it comes out

Most pickups are routine. A car three levels down in a parking garage, behind a locked gate, or sunk into dirt after eight years takes different equipment. We still tow it free — but it is honest to say access is a real factor in this business.

Title status

A clean title in your name is simplest. Salvage and rebuilt titles are normal here and rarely change much. No title at all is often workable under Florida's 10-year rule — we cover that in detail here.

Before you call anyone

A few minutes of preparation genuinely changes what you get paid.

Helps your offer

✓ Knowing the trim, not just the model
✓ Having the title or the registration in hand
✓ Being accurate about what is missing
✓ Having the keys, even if it does not start
✓ Clear access for a truck
✓ Getting a second written quote to compare

Costs you money

× Accepting a phone number that is not confirmed in writing
× Letting anyone tow it before the price is agreed
× Not asking whether towing is deducted afterward
× Leaving the plate on the car
× Forgetting the glovebox and trunk
× Letting it sit another year while it corrodes

The one that catches people

Ask directly: “Is towing deducted from that number?” A strong quote on the phone that quietly becomes a smaller number when the driver arrives is the most common complaint in this business. Ours never is — the amount you agree to is the amount you are handed.

Common questions about junk car value

To us, less than you would think — a running engine is worth more as a part, but the vehicle is still being processed either way. If your car runs and drives safely and has a clean title, a private sale will usually beat any junk buyer including us, and we will tell you that on the phone rather than take it cheap.

Far less than it does to a private buyer. We are valuing metal and parts, and a 250,000-mile car has the same doors, glass, wheels and body panels as a 90,000-mile one. Mileage matters mainly for whether the engine is worth reselling as a unit.

Almost never worth it unless you already have the tools, the space and the time. You will spend weekends listing and shipping parts, and what is left is worth much less to us because the valuable pieces are gone. The math only works if your labor is free and you enjoy it.

Because a large share of a junk car's value is the drivetrain and the catalytic converter. When those are already gone, what remains is much closer to scrap weight alone. Telling us upfront gets you an accurate number the first time.

We will beat any written quote you have from another junk car buyer in South Florida. Get the other number in writing first — that protects you whichever of us you sell to.

Find out what yours is actually worth

About a minute to describe the car, one call to hear a firm number. No obligation, and free towing if you take it.

✓ A firm number, not a range
✓ Towing never deducted afterward
✓ We beat any written quote

(786) 492-0595