A How-to Guide on Selling a Totaled Car: Get the Best Deal

After experiencing an accident that damaged your vehicle, you find yourself left with a car that has been totaled. If you decide to sell it, remember that it is perfectly legal to do so, but it requires extra work on your part. The process involved can be more complicated since there are rules to comply with before making a sale. To get your totaled car sold as fast as possible, here are some tips to follow:

Talk to Your Insurance Company 

A representative from the insurance company will look for vehicles that are similar to yours to get the average price. To get the most for your totaled car, make sure they choose those that are the same year, make, and model. They must also have the same mileage. Most importantly, they should be in the same condition as yours. Unfortunately, you run the risk of having your car seriously undervalued if it has limited edition features. 

Check If the Car Has Been Legitimately Totaled 

Totaled cars can mean differently to everyone. Just because a car is no longer drivable does not mean it is already totaled. Insurance companies, for instance, consider a vehicle as totaled when it will cost them to repair it more than what it is worth. For this reason, it’s important to determine the damage level of the vehicle before considering it a loss.

Salvage the Vehicle 

Salvaging the vehicle can be done on your own, but the insurance company will do it for you if you sell your car to them. After completing the process, you have to acquire a new title called a salvage certificate. This is important because no matter how new-like your car looks, it will be considered salvaged once it has been totaled.

Sell to a Dealership or a Private Party

Reaching out to a dealership is the easiest and fastest way to sell a salvaged car. They specialize in offering cash for unwanted cars. The vehicles they buy are sold at auctions, resold to a different buyer, or salvaged for parts. 

If selling your car to a dealership is not the best option, opt to privately sell it to another buyer. However, expect this to be more challenging to pull off since most buyers are wary of salvage titles, fearing that the car is unsafe. Additionally, increased insurance costs are involved with salvage titles. 

Head to a Junkyard

If you have run out of options, consider heading to a junkyard and scrap the totaled car. While you won’t make as much money compared to selling your vehicle to a dealership or another buyer, you are at least going to get some spare change in exchange for your car. Many junkyards will even be willing to tow your vehicle away for you for free.

Conclusion

Besides a house, a vehicle is one of the most expensive things anyone can buy. This is why if you have a totaled car, it’s advisable to sell it and get as much money as you can out of a vehicle you can no longer use. Thankfully, you now know how to make a sale and get the best price possible for your vehicle. 

Get a top-dollar offer by getting in touch with Cash for Cars. We buy vehicles in different conditions, including totaled, flooded, non-running, and damaged. Contact us for a free quote!

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