Being stuck with a badly damaged car is no fun. We know that. There’s never a good time for this kind of situation to happen. Sometimes, they’re unavoidable (like a tree falling on your car).
Fortunately, we are your damaged-car buyers. Since our inception in 2007, we’ve been dealing with damaged vehicles in almost any scenario you could think of. We’re the experts that are going to help YOU find the best and easiest way to get cash for damaged cars.
We have put together this resource page to provide tips, tricks, and relevant information to help you navigate your situation. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 866.443.8530 and talk to us. We will be happy to give you our fair-market evaluation of your damaged car.
Your car has been the victim of an unfortunate accident. Now you find yourself in a situation where you are unsure of what your next steps should be.
Evaluate the damage on your vehicle in order to get the best estimate of what your next steps should be. Not all damage will prevent your car from running, so determining the extent of the damage will help you choose your options moving forward.
On our website, we provide written resources dealing with specific types of damage:
Once you’ve got a good grasp on the type of damage to your car, contact your insurance company. They’ll help you determine if the vehicle is totaled or not and exactly how much your payout is.
Your equity can either be positive or negative. The latter happens when the cost of fixing your car is more than what you still owe on your auto loan.
At first, this might seem like a negative situation, but we may be able to help you in these types of scenarios. If our offer exceeds the amount that you owe on the car, we will buy it. Picture this scenario:
Your Equity: -$1,000 (Negative/Underwater)
CarBrain’s Offer: $1,200
Your Total Profit: $200 (After paying off the money you still owed)
Note: Our offers may not always exceed what is still owed on the vehicle. In this instance, we aren’t able to purchase the vehicle from you. However, in order for you to understand where your vehicle falls in this equation, you need to know the value of your car as-is.
To find the value of your vehicle as-is (in its current condition), go to our pricing tool and enter your information.
If your car has a few dings and dents or a part of its body is damaged, it is absolutely okay to sell. If the repairs are minor, it’s typically best to get them done before listing your vehicle for sale. That way, you can get the best return on your vehicle when it is finally purchased.
Before you decide to sell your car with body damage, take the time to evaluate its condition. Document the mileage, check the engine, get the tires rotated or even replaced. There are plenty of things you can do to ensure your damaged car can be sold easily.
The impact body damage has on your vehicle’s value is dependent on how severe damage is. Minor body damage can lower your car’s value between 10%-15%, while more severe damage can cause a 75%-80% loss of value.
The most common ways to sell a car with damage and get a cash offer are junkyards, dealerships, and private buyers. Each of these options are interested in buying a damaged car and have their pros and cons depending upon how quickly you’re trying to sell your car, how much money you’re trying to make, and how much hassle you’re willing to put up with.
Junkyards — When looking for places that buy dented cars near you, selling a damaged car to junkyards is a common option. They will accept vehicles in virtually any condition. They purchase them quickly, but they make their profit by buying low and reselling the usable parts.
Dealerships — Any dealership that accepts cars “as is” will purchase your junk car. However, dealerships usually won’t trade junk cars for cash. The money offered is likely credit to be applied to buying another vehicle from them. Additionally, they specialize in roadworthy cars, so a junk car that can’t run is likely to get lowballed.
Private Buyers — Private buyers aren’t restricted by pricing or any condition constraints. If your model is popular and in demand, someone will want it. Finding that person, however, can be a massive hassle; vetting serious candidates and haggling being chief amongst the most annoying portions of the process.
If your vehicle has mechanical problems (resulting from something like frame damage), it might not be safe to continue driving or using it. In some cases, you might have the ability to repair or replace the damaged parts. Whether you should do so will depend on some factors.
Total Loss Declaration - If the costs of repairing your vehicle exceed the value of your car, it might not make sense to fix it. In this case, your car might end up being declared totaled loss.
In some cases, your insurance company will be willing to cover the cost of repairing your vehicle with damage. But ask yourself: would it be a good idea to keep your vehicle?
If it’s a new car and it’s manufactured by a brand known for reliability, then sure, it’d be fine to keep it. What caused your vehicle to be damaged might’ve been a one-time occurrence. But if it’s an older car and it’s been having issues repeatedly; it might be better to let go of it.
To Repair Or Not To Repair - Departures are never a good thing, but sometimes it’s just time to say goodbye. Hanging on to a vehicle that’s been giving you mechanical problems repeatedly isn’t the best idea. Even if you fix it, more often than not, the issues will come back later.
If your insurance company has declared your vehicle total loss, you have the option to retain the car in most states. By keeping your vehicle, you’d have another way of getting money for it: selling it to us!
That’s right. If you keep your totaled vehicle, you would receive payment from both your insurance company and another buyer.
Alternatively, you may be in a situation where the insurance won’t cover the costs of repairs. The best option you’d have in this scenario is to sell the vehicle. Paying for repairs out of pocket now only to do it again in six months wouldn’t make sense.
But you may be asking yourself — “who buys totaled cars near me? Are there people who specialize in dealing with these types of vehicles?” If you already know that fixing your vehicle is simply not worth it, you can simply cut to the chase and get started selling your vehicle here.
Dealerships are always one of the first options that come to mind. They are generally a fine option if your car is used or has light problems.
However, dealerships and other such places don’t specialize in the evaluation of damaged vehicles. It’s simply not their business model. This means that if you go to one of these places, you might not get the best possible offer that you could.
Their people and systems are not built for buying vehicles in these types of situations. What dealerships offer is a sense of familiarity and professionalism. People know that these are legitimate companies and they have a sense of trust in them.
However, they shouldn’t be your go-to choice in this type of situation.
There are also private buyers and people who run their own shops that may have their reasons for wanting to be less-than-perfect cars. For example:
They want to repair it and sell it.
They’re looking to extract parts out of the car for specific uses.
They want to profit off of price discrepancies (if you’re selling for way below market value).
Whatever their reasons may be, these private buyers will generally give you better offers than dealerships. However, selling a damaged car privately is going to be time-consuming.
Because these types of individuals are looking for cars in specific conditions, you may not be able to find your offer right away. You can find these buyers online on sites like the Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist.
Another one of your options is going to be local yards or recycling companies close by. They’re generally well-known and straightforward. However, junkyards are not in the business of dealing with damaged cars and trucks specifically.
Most of the time, you’re going to get an offer that’s most likely lower than what you would have hoped. That’s especially true if they primarily focus on the scrap metal market. In these cases, you might get an offer for just the scrap metal value of your vehicle.
Lastly, you can sell your damaged vehicle to people who specialize in these types of cars. CarBrain.com has been in the market for damaged vehicles since 2007. Throughout this time, we’ve seen over a million cars come through our system.
We are highly skilled experts who specialize in buying and evaluating vehicles in any condition. When you deal with us, you are dealing with people who understand how to properly value your car.
We offer you the ease and convenience of completing the entire process online. From getting your offer to scheduling a pick-up, you can sell your damaged vehicle without ever leaving your couch.
Our offers are based on the fair market value of your vehicle. This includes factors such as:
Year, Make, and Model
Mileage
Areas Damaged
Local Market Demands
Car history
And much more! To put it shortly: our offer is tailored specifically to your vehicle.
CarBrain is the ideal “final home” for vehicles near the end of their road-life. Our top-tier customer service representatives make the entire process as easy as 1-2-3:
Get your free quote! Simply enter some basic information about your car on our website and you’ll receive a free and guaranteed quote within 90 seconds.
Towing is complementary, so you’ll never have to worry about hidden or additional fees taking away from the profits you take home.
Schedule your pickup within 24-48 hours! If you’re happy with your quote, you’ll be able to schedule your vehicle retrieval with one of our partners within your area. They’re trusted to come to you at a time that works best for you.
Complete your sale! After a quick inspection and transferring of your title, you’ll receive the amount you were quoted, no haggling or fuss. Your vehicle is taken off your hands and money is put in them!
The first thing we’re going to need for you to sell your vehicle is what kind of car it is. This includes the year, make, model, trim, and other such information about your car.
You could also provide us with your VIN and we’d be able to quickly identify your vehicle.
Once you’ve described your vehicle’s condition and details — you will receive your offer. If the information you entered on our website is accurate and verifiable, your offer will remain guaranteed for seven days.
This means that it will not change, as long as we can verify that the information you entered is correct. You have this time to evaluate your offer and choose whether or not you’d like to move forward with us.
If you do choose to sell your vehicle with CarBrain, the only thing that would be left is to accept your offer. To do so, speak with your dedicated account manager and they will be able to set up a time and date for pickup.
Your driver will contact you an hour before arrival. Once there, all you have to do is hand over the keys & title. The driver will hand over the check and drive off with the car. That’s all that you have to do!
Once the transfer of ownership has been completed, you will be notified and receive a bill of sale.
We launched as “DamagedCars” in 2007. We’ve been in this business for over a decade. We have trained our eyes and computers to be able to accurately value any vehicle with any type of damage.
We help thousands of people just like you every single month deal with their less-than-perfect vehicles. We’re specialized and highly skilled at this art.
CarBrain is a company you can trust. We’ve accumulated thousands of positive reviews all over the web and an A+ BBB Rating. You can see some of these over in our Reviews section.
We’ll come to you — ALWAYS. No need to take your car anywhere. Leave it as-is, where-is.
Our offers are guaranteed for 7 days. Take your time to make sure you’re making the right decision. There will be no last-minute changes or uncomfortable negotiations.
We’re a professional company that believes in excellent customer service. When you deal with us, we put YOU first.
Simply put, we buy damaged cars and offer the best prices for them.