Did you know that each year the world produces more than forty million new cars? Sadly, for every new car that gets put on the road, another one becomes inoperable junk.
If your old car recently gave out on you, you might be wondering if you can get any money out of it. The good news is that you can get scrap car value out of your junk vehicle.
But, what’s the average price of scrap in 2022? And what factors influence this price? If you want to learn the answers to these questions and more, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll provide you with everything you need to know about your junk car worth. Let’s get started!
Average Scrap Car Value 2022
If none of the parts in your car are worth salvaging, you can always sell it for scrap. Scrap is just the raw metal components that come with a car. The price of scrap can vary depending on where you live and the demand for metal material.
For 2022, the average price of scrap from a junk car is a little under $500. But, what if your car has parts that are still operational? Some scrap yards might offer to pay a little more for cars that have functional parts, or newer vehicles.
For example, we pay up to $20,000 for certain cars. However, typically only cars that are still operational tend to fetch this much.
You can find out what your specific junk car is worth by plugging your information into this page. We’ll give you an offer in under ninety seconds.
What Factors Affect the Price You Get From a Junk Car?
The price difference between $500 and $20,000 is pretty significant. So, what factors account for this gap in junk cars? Auto scrap yards will take a lot of things into consideration when determining what price to offer you.
In this section, we’ll go over the main things that they look at before they give you an offer as a cash car buyer.
1. The Condition of the Vehicle
Most of the time the cars that come into are well beyond repair. But, that doesn’t mean that the entire car is worthless. For example, let’s say you have a car that’s only a few years old.
Someone rear-ends you and the back of the car is completely totaled. But, the engine of the car is still fine and relatively unused. You can make a lot of money on a new engine.
The same goes for other types of used cars. If your car is still driveable, you might want to consider taking it to a used car dealer first. If it’s good enough for them, you’ll likely get a better price for it than you would at a junkyard.
If the scrape car condition is completely inoperable, you can still sell it for scrap. You won’t get a high price for it, but at the end of the day, it’s better than nothing.
2. Market Demand for the Parts
Some parts have more value than others. Junkyards are typically always looking for things like alternators, batteries, starters, and motors. Part of this is due to their ubiquity.
You can often use these parts across different years and even models. However, these parts also deteriorate fast when left out in the rain. So, the quicker you sell them the better.
If you have the technical know-how, you might want to consider scrapping the car for parts yourself.
This will require a lot of equipment and detailed knowledge of automotive parts tariff codes in case you want to sell them to other countries. But, you can usually make more money off of parts this way.
3. The Car’s Year, Make, and Model
The type of car you have also mattered. It should go without saying that the newer your car is the more demand there will be for it. The same goes for the parts in these high-end cars. But, what about older vehicles?
Sadly, they’re not usually worth much. This is true even if you have functioning parts in it, like a good starter, tires, motor, or suspension. There’s just no demand for it.
The one exception is if your older car is a classic vintage model. In that case, you might be able to find a car enthusiast that will pay for your parts specifically because they’re hard to find.
4. Miles on the Odometer
A lot of miles on your odometer isn’t a good sign if you want to get a lot of money out of your junk car. This is because a high mileage level is usually a clear sign that most if not all of the parts will be failing.
So, many junkyards won’t even bother with it and just scrap it for metal. So, how high is too high for an odometer?
Anything over 250,000 miles just isn’t going to be worth it. So, if you fall in this category, you should curb your expectations on how much money you’ll get from parts.
5. Weight of the Vehicle
If you’re scraping your car for metal, then the weight of the vehicle will determine how much you get for it. The heavier your car, the more usable metal the junkyard can extract.
The average compact car will typically contain 300 pounds of aluminum and 2,400 pounds of steel. Tiny smart cars usually weigh 2,000 pounds or under. And, huge SUVs can weigh over 5,000 pounds (almost three tons!).
You can find out how much your car weighs by putting it on a car scale. If the vehicle is inoperable, you’ll just have to wait for the junkyard to weigh it.
6. Current Price of Scrap
The price of metal scrap from cars doesn’t stay the same. It can vary month to month depending on the demand for it. You can find plenty of websites that give you a rough estimate of the current price of scrap.
But, this can sometimes be a little inaccurate. Remember that the price of scrap is also influenced by location. So, if you scrap a car in New York, you’ll get a different price than if you do it in California.
7. Where You’re Located
As we just mentioned, your location can affect the price of scrap in your area. But it can also affect you if you live far out in rural areas. Any junkyard worth their salt will offer to pick up your junk car for free.
But, if you live far out in rural areas, you might need to pay extra for them to come to pick it up.
Ideally, you’ll go with us here Cash Auto Salvage. We have locations all around the country which makes it a lot easier for us to drive out to you.
Benefits of Junking a Car
Still not convinced that junking your car is the right decision for you? It’s important to consider all of the benefits before you make a final decision. The clearest benefit is the money.
Many people think that the second their cars become inoperable they’re valueless. But, the reality is that you can still make a lot of money off the parts.
This is especially true if you bring it into a scrap yard right away before the environment deteriorates the parts. What if all your parts are in bad condition? Then, you can still make a quick buck of the metal scrap.
There are also environmental factors to consider. The average passenger car contributes 4.6 metric tons of CO2 into the air each year. The older the car, the worse these greenhouse gas emissions are.
So, by taking your junk car off the roads you’re not polluting the air. What’s more, you also avoid polluting the water supply. When you leave a junk car in your yard it’s easy for the toxic oil, gas, coolant, and other fluid to leak into the ground.
Watershed can then bring this to water. So, you’re not only making a quick buck but you’re also helping save the planet. Finally, there’s the appearance factor.
No one’s ever looked at a junk car in a driveway, alleyway, or yard and thought, That looks great!
So, improve the appearance of your neighborhood, both for yourself and your neighbors, by getting rid of the junk.
Ready to Sell? Contact LA Junk Car Buyers
We hope this article helped you learn more about scrap car value in 2022. As you can see, it’s difficult determining the value of the car on your own.
Instead, contact a qualified scrap yard, like the kind you can find at LA Junk Car Buyers. When you provide us with your VIN we can give you an immediate cash offer.
If you accept our junk car prices, we’ll pick up the vehicle for free. So, what are you waiting for? Contact us today to get the most out of your scrap car.