The common failure in this market is not a low offer. It is a high offer that becomes a low offer once the tow truck is already outside. Here is how to avoid that.
Junk car buying attracts operators who quote high on the phone and revise on the driveway, because by then you have cleared your schedule, taken the plates off and emotionally sold the car.
The structure invites it. You are usually in a hurry, the car is usually an annoyance, there is rarely a second quote to compare against, and the amounts are small enough that nobody sues. The specific move to watch for is the driveway renegotiation: a confident number over the phone, then a tow driver who discovers a problem and offers you less, knowing you will probably take it rather than start again.
None of that means every buyer is dishonest. Most are not. But the checks below cost you ten minutes and they sort one group from the other.
This comes up constantly, because converters are valuable and heavily stolen in California, and because people wonder whether to remove and sell theirs separately before junking the car.
Short answer: leave it on the car. California tightened the law considerably in 2022. Under SB 1087 and AB 1740, core recyclers are restricted in who they may buy a used converter from — broadly, commercial enterprises such as dismantlers and repair dealers, or someone who can document lawful ownership of the part and the vehicle it came from. Recyclers must also keep records including the VIN and the year, make and model of the donor vehicle, with documentation of the vehicle.
That regime exists to make stolen converters hard to move, and it works by making all loose converters hard to move. As a private individual you will find few legitimate buyers, you will need paperwork proving the car was yours, and you will have reduced the value of the car you are about to sell, because a vehicle missing its converter is worth less.
Tell your buyer whether the converter is present. If it has been stolen — which happens to a lot of people in California — say so up front. It changes the offer, and it is far better to have that conversation before the truck arrives than during.
Our reading of SB 1087 and AB 1740 as enacted in 2022, summarised 11 October 2026. Not legal advice; check the current statute if you are relying on it.
There is no fixed price per car, and any site publishing one is either quoting the worst case or planning to revise it. What you can judge is the shape of the offer:
| Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| A written figure after seeing photos | A confident number before seeing anything |
| Towing explicitly included | Towing "handled" but unpriced |
| Asks whether it runs, and whether the converter is there | Asks only for your address and phone number |
| Explains what would change the number | "We'll sort it out when we get there" |
| Tells you when your car is worth more than scrap | Treats every car as scrap |
| Reminds you to file the REG 138 | Says the paperwork does not matter |
That last row is the one people underrate. A buyer who tells you the paperwork is unimportant is telling you they do not intend to transfer the vehicle properly, and the consequences of that land on you, not them.
Before you accept any junk price, it is worth five minutes on whether your car is actually junk. A running car is worth a multiple of scrap value, and plenty of cars that feel finished to their owner are nowhere near the floor.
Photos in, one figure out within 24 hours, free collection anywhere in California and nothing deducted. If your car is worth more than scrap we will say so, and if someone else should buy it we will say that too.
Get My Offer →Get the offer in writing with towing explicitly included, ask whether the company quoting is the company paying or a lead broker passing you on, confirm you are paid at collection, and get a second quote. A competing number is the single most effective protection against being renegotiated in your own driveway.
Reputable ones pay at collection, by whatever method you agreed in advance. Treat any request to take the car now and pay later as a reason to stop. Also establish beforehand what happens if their driver disagrees with your description — a straight answer to that question tells you most of what you need to know.
No. California restricted used converter sales in 2022 under SB 1087 and AB 1740. Core recyclers generally may only buy from commercial enterprises such as dismantlers and repair dealers, or from someone who can document lawful ownership, and they must record the donor vehicle's VIN and year, make and model. You would struggle to find a legitimate buyer and you would reduce what the car itself is worth. Leave it fitted.
Tell the buyer up front. It is extremely common in California and it does reduce the offer, but disclosing it costs you far less than having it discovered at collection, which is exactly the moment a weaker buyer will use to reprice the whole deal.
It is much better to have one, and a duplicate is usually obtainable with form REG 227. A licensed dismantler can sometimes work without a conventional title if you can demonstrate ownership, but you will be paid less. Our guide to selling without a title covers the duplicate process and the surety bond route.
The Release of Liability, form REG 138, filed within five days. Until it is in, the DMV still associates the vehicle with you, which means tickets and tolls incurred by whoever has it next come to you. It is free and takes two minutes online.
Partly. We buy across a wide range of condition, including high-mileage and damaged vehicles. For true scrap, non-runners and branded titles there are dismantler networks that compete specifically on those and consistently pay more than we could, so we route those to a buy partner and tell you plainly that it is an independent company.