Questions sellers ask us
Short answers about selling a junk car to Cash for Junk Cars Northwest Indiana: what we buy, the paperwork, pickup and payment, and where we cover. Free towing, paid at pickup, and help if the title is missing.
Selling
- How do I sell my junk car to you?
- Send the year, make, model and title situation through the form, then your name, phone and pickup address. We call with an offer, and if you take it we set a pickup time.
- What kinds of cars do you buy?
- Any vehicle in any condition: cars, pickups, vans and SUVs that are wrecked, burned, flooded, stripped or won't start.
- Can I sell several cars at once?
- Yes. One pickup can take more than one car. Each still gets its own offer, so you can sell one or all of them.
- Does the offer expire?
- No. The number we give you has no deadline, so take the time you need.
- Is there any cost to get an offer?
- No. Asking for an offer is free, and you're not committed until you agree to a pickup.
Titles and paperwork
- Do I need a title?
- No title? We can still help. In Indiana a junk car changes hands with one of two documents: the title, or a certificate of authority from the BMV. A replacement title from the BMV is $15. The certificate is $4, and you apply for it by showing the car is yours, for example with its current registration. If the car is less than 15 model years old, the law requires one of the two. Let us know which papers you've got, whether that's a bill of sale, the registration or an insurance card, and on the call we'll point you to the route that fits.
- What do I sign at pickup?
- If you have the Indiana title, you sign it over to the buyer and list any liens. Without a title, Indiana needs a BMV certificate of authority instead, and we'll go over it on the call.
- What happens to my license plate?
- It stays with you. In Indiana the seller removes the plate and registration at the sale. You can move the plate to another car you own, keep it or destroy it.
- When should I cancel my insurance?
- After the car has left, not before. Then call your insurer to remove it from your policy.
Pickup and payment
- Is towing free?
- Yes. There's no towing charge, and nothing for the tow is taken out of your offer.
- When do I get paid?
- At pickup, when the car is collected, by cash or a phone transfer through Zelle, Cash App or a similar app.
- When are you working?
- From 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central, seven days a week. A form sent overnight gets its call once the day starts.
- How fast can you come?
- Often the same day. We confirm a time when we call.
- Can you pick up a car that won't roll or has no keys?
- Yes. Tell us about flat tires, locked wheels or missing keys so the right truck comes.
Where we buy
- Which towns do you cover?
- Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago, Munster, Highland, Griffith, Gary, Merrillville, Hobart, Lake Station and New Chicago.
- Do you cover Porter County or south Lake County?
- No. Our Indiana coverage stops at Gary and the towns touching it. We don't go east past Lake Station and Hobart or south past Merrillville.
- Does it matter if the car is parked at a shop or a complex?
- Yes. Shop lots, apartment complexes and HOA parking are all on the route. Just arrange access with whoever runs the lot.
- Can you pick up from the highway shoulder?
- No. Once the car is towed off the road to a home, shop or lot you control, we can buy it from there.
- Are you a junkyard?
- No. We buy cars and pick them up. There's no yard to visit and no parts counter.
Still wondering? The offer call answers the rest.
Get offer