How to Sell a Junk Car in Minnesota

To sell a junk car in Minnesota, find your title, get an offer based on an accurate description, prepare the car and schedule pickup, sign the title over with the odometer reading where required, get paid, then report the sale to Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) within 10 days and cancel your insurance. Most of the work is paperwork, and most problems come from skipping a step. This guide walks through each one in order.

Key takeaways

• A Minnesota title is normally needed. If it’s lost, you can order a duplicate from DVS.
• Describe the car accurately, including missing parts like the catalytic converter, so the offer holds at pickup.
• Sign the title and fill in the seller section at pickup, not before.
• Report the sale to DVS within 10 days. It can be done online.
• Cancel insurance only after the vehicle has been picked up.

Step 1: Decide whether it’s time to junk the car

A car is usually ready to junk when repairs cost more than it’s worth, or when it isn’t safe to drive. In Minnesota, that moment often arrives after a hard winter: a rusted-through frame, a seized brake caliper, or a transmission that finally gives out on an icy morning.

Ask yourself a few questions:

• Is the repair estimate higher than the car’s value?
• Has it failed an inspection, or would it fail one?
• Has it been sitting for months with no plan to fix it?
• Would you be uncomfortable driving it on I-94 or I-35 in January?

If the answer to any of these is yes, selling it as a junk car is often the practical choice. A running used car can also be sold this way if you’d rather not handle a private sale. See sell my car for that option.

Step 2: Find your title and check for liens

Find the title first, because a Minnesota title is normally needed to sell. Look in the places titles usually end up: a fireproof box, a file cabinet, the glove box or with other important papers.

When you find it, check three things:

• Whose name is on it. The person or people listed as owners will need to sign.
• Whether a lienholder is listed. If you had a car loan, the lender may still be listed. A paid-off loan usually needs a lien release from the lender.
• Whether the VIN matches the car. The VIN is usually visible through the windshield on the driver’s side and on the driver’s door jamb.

If the title is lost

If you can’t find the title, you can order a duplicate through Minnesota DVS. Start early, because a duplicate takes time to arrive. Some cases can still be worked out without a title, so call and ask before assuming you can’t sell. Our page on selling a car without a title explains more, and the Minnesota title transfer guide covers duplicates, liens and deceased owners in detail.

Step 3: Gather the details for an accurate offer

The more accurate your description, the more reliable your offer. Before you call, note the following:

• Year, make, model and trim
• Approximate mileage
• Whether it runs, starts with a jump or doesn’t start at all
• Major damage: collision, rust, flood, hail or fire
• Missing parts, especially the catalytic converter, engine, transmission, wheels or battery
• Where the vehicle is parked and whether a tow truck can reach it

If you’re not sure whether the catalytic converter is still there, look under the car between the engine and the muffler, or tell us you don’t know. Guessing wrong is the most common reason an offer changes at pickup.

Step 4: Get an offer

Call (763) 226-3586 or request a quote online. We usually come back with a free, no-obligation offer within minutes.

The offer reflects the vehicle’s weight and current scrap metal prices, its year, make and model, whether it runs, damage, missing parts and pickup location. Our guide to how much your junk car is worth explains each factor.

Comparing offers

If you compare offers, compare them on the same terms. Ask whether towing is free or deducted, whether there are any fees, when you’ll be paid and whether the offer can change at pickup. An offer that looks higher can shrink once towing charges come out of it.

Step 5: Schedule pickup

Once you accept, set a pickup time that works for you. Towing is free. In the Twin Cities metro, same-day pickup is often available. In Greater Minnesota, it’s usually within a day or two depending on location.

Mention anything that affects the tow when you book:

• The car won’t roll, has flat tires or is missing wheels
• It’s in a tight garage, a narrow alley or a back field
• It’s buried in snow or frozen to the ground
• It’s parked on a street with winter parking restrictions

Step 6: Prepare the car

Prepare the car the day before pickup so nothing is left behind. Once the car is gone, getting items back is difficult.

1. Remove personal items. Check the glove box, center console, door pockets, sun visors, under and between the seats, the trunk and the spare tire well.
2. Remove toll and parking tags. Take out your toll transponder and any parking permits, and unlink the vehicle from your toll account.
3. Clear stored data. If the car has a built-in navigation or phone system, unpair your phone and clear saved addresses if you can.
4. Ask about your license plates. We’ll tell you whether to leave them on or take them off.
5. Leave the parts on. Don’t pull the battery, catalytic converter or wheels unless you discussed it when you got your offer. Removing parts lowers the price.
6. Clear access. Move vehicles blocking it and shovel enough snow for the tow truck to get close.

Step 7: Sign the title at pickup

Sign the title when the driver arrives, not before. Filling it out together helps avoid mistakes, and a title signed in advance can be a problem if it’s lost.

On the title, you’ll typically:

• Sign and print your name as it appears on the title. If more than one owner is listed, the other owners may need to sign too.
• Fill in the seller section, including the date of sale and the buyer’s information.
• Write the odometer reading where required, without tenths of a mile.

Use a pen, write clearly and don’t cross anything out. Corrections can cause trouble at DVS. If you make a mistake, stop and ask before going further.

Step 8: Get paid

You’re paid on the spot at pickup, before the vehicle leaves. When the car matches the description you gave, you receive the offer you accepted. There are no hidden fees and no towing deductions.

If something major doesn’t match, such as an engine or catalytic converter that turns out to be missing, the driver will explain the difference and the offer may change. You can decline at that point.

Step 9: Report the sale to DVS

After the sale, report it to Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services. Minnesota asks sellers to report a sale within 10 days, and it can be done online through DVS. Reporting the sale records that you no longer own the vehicle.

Have the vehicle’s details, the date of sale and the buyer’s information handy when you file. Save the confirmation or take a screenshot for your records.

Step 10: Cancel your insurance

Cancel insurance only after the vehicle has been picked up. Until then, it’s still your vehicle. Once it’s gone and you’ve reported the sale, call your insurer to end coverage on that car. If it was your only vehicle, ask your agent about how a gap in coverage might affect you later.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Signing the title too early. Wait until pickup.
• Leaving out missing parts. It’s the top reason offers change.
• Stripping parts to sell separately. It usually lowers the offer by more than the parts are worth to you.
• Forgetting the report of sale. File it with DVS within 10 days.
• Canceling insurance early. Wait until the car is gone.
• Leaving the toll transponder in the car. Remove it and update your account.

Minnesota-specific tips

Minnesota’s climate shapes when and how people junk cars. A few tips from what we see:

• Don’t wait out the winter. A car that sits through months of cold and road salt rarely gets better. Batteries die, tires flatten and rust keeps spreading.
• Watch for snow emergencies. Many cities restrict street parking during snow emergencies, so a non-running car on the street can become an urgent problem.
• Act after hail season. If summer hail leaves an older car with damage that isn’t worth fixing, selling it before winter avoids more deterioration.

What happens to your car

Your car goes to a licensed recycler. Fluids, batteries, mercury switches, refrigerant and tires are removed and handled under Minnesota Pollution Control Agency rules, good parts are reused and the metal is recycled. Industry groups estimate roughly 80% of a vehicle by weight can be recycled. See scrap car recycling for more.

Ready to sell?

We buy junk cars across the state, including Eagan, St. Cloud and Duluth. Read how it works, check our service areas, or call (763) 226-3586 for a free offer.

Frequently asked questions

Written by the Cash For A Junker team · Last updated November 9, 2026