How to Part Out a Car for Quick Cash

pile of car parts

Need to get your hands on some quick cash?

There are dozens of things you can do to try and get it. You can sell any unused gift cards you might have sitting around your house, pawn some valuable jewelry, or even list your cell phone for sale on an online marketplace.

But one of the quickest ways to make cash without parting ways with anything that you actually want is by learning how to part out a car and doing it to an old junker that you have sitting in your driveway or garage.

From the outside, your old car might look like a piece of crap. But there could be all kinds of parts inside of it than could be worth hundreds of dollars collectively.

If you’ve tried to sell the car without any luck, check out how to part out a car below.

Make Sure Your Old Car Still Has Parts in It

Before you begin trying to learn how to part out a car, it’s a good idea to pop the hood on your car and slide underneath of it to make sure it’s still filled with parts.

If your car used to belong to a family member, there is a chance that it may have already been parted out at some point. If this turns out to be the case, you’re not going to be able to part it out for a profit.

It shouldn’t take you too long to see whether or not your old car still has parts in it. But it’s well worth taking a few extra minutes to do it. It will prevent you from spending a ton of time preparing to part out your car only to realize that it doesn’t have enough parts in it.

While you’re inspecting your car, you might also want to see what kind of conditions its parts are in. This could affect their resale value down the line.

Determine Which Parts in Your Car Are Worth Something

Once you’ve looked inside your car and found that it does, in fact, have all of its parts in it, it’ll be time to determine which parts are worth something. Believe it or not, there are a lot of parts in old cars that you can use to make money.

Here are just some of the car parts that can be pulled from your car and parted out one by one:

  • Battery
  • Catalytic converter
  • Fuel pump
  • Alternator
  • Windshield wiper arms
  • Airbags
  • Tires
  • Floor mats

The age of your car and the make and model of it will help determine how many usable parts it has in it. But generally speaking, it’s not uncommon for old cars to have well over a dozen parts that can be parted out for a decent price.

Figure Out How to Pull the Parts You Need From Your Car

After you’ve made a list of the different car parts that you’re going to pull from your old vehicle, get yourself ready to go in and pull them. Most people prefer to pull parts before listing them for sale so that they can include photos of them.

Some of the parts that we just mentioned will be relatively easy to remove from your car. For instance, it’ll take next to no time to replace floor mats, a battery, or even tires.

Other parts will consume more of your time. Something like a catalytic converter might take some time to remove since it’ll be more challenging to do it. You should rely on internet articles and videos to remove parts safely if you’re not sure as to what you’re doing.

You might also want to hire a local mechanic to lend a hand with this part of the process. For a small fee, they might be willing to help you remove whichever parts you want from your car quickly.

List Your Car Parts on an Online Marketplace

Selling parts from a used car was a huge hassle just 20 years ago or so. You either had to list the parts in your local newspaper to drum up interest in them or find someone who specialized in buying used car parts to take them off your hands.

Today, you don’t have to do either of these things anymore if you don’t want to. It’s super simple to put up an ad for your car parts on an online marketplace like Craigslist or Facebook so that you can start fetching offers for them.

In your listings for your parts, you should include:

  • The type of car part you’re selling
  • The make and model of the car that the part came from
  • The approximate age of the part
  • The wear and tear that has been put on the part
  • The price that you want to get for the part

You should also include as many photos of the parts that you’re selling as you can. The last thing you want to do is agree to an offer from a buyer only to have them back out after seeing something on a part that they don’t like.

Make sure you’re ready to answer questions that buyers might have once your listings go up. Most sellers will usually start getting dozens of questions about their car parts right away.

Field Offers for Your Car Parts

Do you know how much the parts from your old car might be worth? You should look into it before you start fielding offers from those interested in buying your car parts from you.

By doing this, you can figure out whether or not you’re getting fair offers from buyers. You can also feel more confident when you accept an offer from a buyer.

There are many buyers who will try to lowball you when you’re parting a car. Their only goal will be to buy your parts for the cheapest price possible.

If you’re in a real bind and need cash quickly no matter what, this might not be a huge concern for you. But by allowing your car parts to sit on an online marketplace site for a week or two, you can ensure you get a bunch of great offers for them.

Start accepting offers for your car parts from buyers once you feel comfortable doing it. Arrange for them to pay you for the parts in cash.

Meet Car Part Buyers in a Safe Place

If you’re selling parts from a car parked in your driveway, you might be tempted to invite buyers to your home to pick up the parts they’re buying. Who knows—they might want to buy more parts when they get there, right?

Maybe. But it’s probably not worth the risk of welcoming someone to your home. You should make every effort to meet buyers in a safe place that’s not right outside your house.

Many cities and towns all across the country have set up safe meeting places for people to buy items sold online. You should try to coordinate meetings with buyers in these places so that both you and your buyers stay safe during your transactions.

Consider Selling the Rest of Your Car “As Is”

You can sell quite a few of the parts inside of an old car individually. But you’re not going to be able to sell every last one.

And even if you were able to do it, you would still have a hulking car frame sitting outside your home. It’s not something that you would want to keep around for very long.

If you’re thinking, “How can I sell my junk car?”, once you’re done parting it out, it’s easy. There are thousands of junk car buyers all across the country that are in the market for old cars today.

To sell yours to one of them, find the best junk car buyers in your area. Fill out the forms included on their websites and provide them with all of the information about your car. Be sure to let them know if you’ve removed any major parts from it.

From there, the junk car buyers will extend cash offers to you for your car. And if you accept their offer, they’ll come to your home and tow away your car for you after handing you a stack of cash.

You might even want to consider saving yourself a bunch of time by selling your junk car before parting it out. It’s the easiest way to make some quick cash without lifting a finger.

Learning How to Part Out a Car Can Earn You Some Quick Cash

If you have an old car sitting somewhere on your property, parting it out will always be an option if you ever need some quick cash. You can bring in hundreds of dollars in a hurry by selling individual parts from it.

Learn how to part out a car and do it the next time you need money. You’ll love how easy it is to turn something that looks so unsightly into a payday.

Read our blog to find out more about selling a junk car.