The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Arizona, sign the title over to the buyer. No notary, emissions test or safety inspection is needed. A bill of sale is recommended, and the state’s form is Form 48-2004.
Without a title, you can sell to a licensed recycler or scrap metal dealer with a signed sworn statement, if the car is at least 12 model years old, worth $1,200 or less, and free of liens. For any other buyer, replace the title first, for $4 online at AZ MVD Now or by mail.
File a Sold Notice within 10 days, online or by mail, because removing the plates alone does not end your liability. Take your plates off and keep them.
In Arizona, the typical offer in our data for a junk car 10 years or older is $593.
What would buyers pay for your junk car in Arizona?Fill in one form, including whether you have the title, and see which buyers make an offer.
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
- Buys any car in any condition, running or not
- Free towing, with no fees taken off the offer
- You can cancel before pickup at no cost
- Pays by check on the spot at pickup
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
- Buys damaged cars, even ones that can't be driven
- The engine and transmission must still be in
- Free towing, included with every offer
- Picks up within 48 hours, sometimes the same day
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Offer amount 30% 4.5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 2/5
- Owned by Copart, the salvage auction company
- Buys almost any vehicle with a motor, running or not
- Free towing, and it handles the title transfer
- Hands you a check at pickup, or mails it
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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How Do You Sell a Junk Car in Arizona?
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
A quote form asks for the year, make, model and mileage, and the ZIP code where the car sits. It also asks what’s wrong with the car.
If a form asks for the VIN, look through the windshield at the bottom corner on the driver’s side. It’s also printed on your insurance card.
In our offer data, nothing moves the offer more than a missing catalytic converter. So be exact about damage and missing parts, the converter above all.
When two or more buyers quote the same car on the same day through our own quote form, the highest and lowest offers are typically $314 apart. So get at least three quotes.
Step 2: Check your paperwork
Get the title and a photo ID out before you accept anything. The name on the title has to be yours, and no lender can still be listed on it.
The mileage line on the back of the title has a rule of its own: odometer disclosure is required for vehicles 2011 model year or newer and recommended for older vehicles.
Every form you might need
The sold notice is for after the sale. Each of the others is for one kind of car only, and its card says which.
Odometer disclosure
Use: no separate state form; odometer disclosure is on the back of the title or on Form 38-1306
Only if the odometer rule applies to your car. The rule.
Selling without a title
Use: Sworn statement signed by the owner (form prescribed by the department)
For a car sold without its title. Who qualifies.
Inherited vehicle
Use: Form 32-6901 (Non-Probate Affidavit)
Puts a late owner’s car in your name. How it works.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Accept the offer you want. Peddle’s tow company then contacts you within one business day to schedule the pickup, and CashForCars has one of its towing partners call you to set a time.
Be there to meet the driver and sign the title. If someone else will do that for you, tell the buyer when you book.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
Move any vehicle parked in front of or behind the car so the flatbed can reach it. If the car is in a carport or a narrow side yard, tell the buyer when you book.
Take everything out of the car before the truck comes: glove box, trunk, door pockets, under the seats and the spare tire well. Take out any toll transponder as well.
Gather every key you have. Wheelzy buys cars without keys regularly, so lost keys don’t have to stop the sale.
The plates are yours, not the buyer’s, so take them off before the truck arrives.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
The driver looks the car over and you sign the back of the title.
Peddle, Wheelzy and CashForCars all pay at pickup, so count the cash or read the check before the driver leaves.
Keep any paper the driver leaves with you, and your offer confirmation. The sale notice asks for the buyer’s name and address: use the company’s, from your offer confirmation, and not the driver’s.
Step 6: Plates and paperwork after the sale
Report the sale: File online via AZ MVD Now (Submit a Sold Notice), or mail Form 46-8502 to the MVD.
What filing does: it protects you from liability for tickets, accidents and the like that happen after the sale.
Cancel the insurance last, after the car has gone and the notice is filed. If you cancel earlier and the pickup is rescheduled, the car is uninsured while it’s still yours.
Arizona Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Is Your Junk Car Worth in Arizona?
From our own quote data, buyers typically offer $593 for an Arizona junk car (cars 10 years and older, 280 offers, ranked 12 of 44 states). Across the country, half of all offers on old cars fall between $375 and $1,075.
Of the junk cars quoted in Arizona, 44% are sedans, coupes and hatchbacks, typically offered $503. The make quoted most often here is Toyota, typically offered $1,080. Buyers typically offer $500 for a car 15 years or older, and 5% of Arizona requests get no offer at all, from our own quote data.
An Arizona car is offered more than the national figure at every age. The gap is widest on cars 10 to 12 years old and narrowest at 13 to 14. The chart shows our own Arizona offers against the national line at each age.
Typical offer on old cars in Arizona 256 Arizona offers · 11,147 nationally · Age of car when the offer was made (years)Show the numbers
Age (years) Arizona Offers All cars nationally Offers 10-12 $1,635 40 $1,235 2,808 13-14 $748 44 $720 1,746 15-17 $623 70 $555 2,735 18-19 $560 47 $465 1,527 20-24 $465 55 $410 2,331 
By body type, an old pickup in Arizona is offered well over the national figure. An SUV is offered a little over it, and a sedan or hatchback is offered about the same as one anywhere else.
Typical offer on old cars in Arizona by body type 223 Arizona offers, cars 10 years and olderShow the numbers
Body type Arizona Offers All cars nationally Offers Pickup truck $1,320 35 $855 1,035 SUV / crossover $778 64 $665 3,437 Car (sedan, coupe, hatch) $503 124 $505 5,115
Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa send us more quotes than any other Arizona city. Offers are highest in Phoenix and lowest in Mesa. Tucson comes just ahead of Mesa, and the rest of the state comes just behind Phoenix.
Typical offer on old cars in Arizona by city 291 Arizona offers, cars 10 years and olderShow the numbers
City Typical offer Offers Phoenix $630 56 Tucson $530 41 Mesa $518 30 Rest of Arizona $608 164
Whether the catalytic converter is still on the car. With the converter gone, buyers offer about 57% less than for a comparable car with it, once age and mileage are matched. If it’s missing, say so on the form.
Whether it starts. Buyers offer about 46% less for a car that won’t start than for a comparable car that drives, once age and mileage are matched.
For a car that doesn’t start, our guide to selling a non-running car lists what the buyer needs to know.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Arizona
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Free pickup anywhere in Arizona
- Offer in minutes, no account needed
- Buys any junk car, whatever its condition
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
Peddle makes offers on cars in all conditions, including damaged cars and cars with missing parts.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy buys cars in any condition, running or not
- Branches in 20 Arizona cities, Apache Junction to Yuma
- Free pickup from any address in Arizona
- Zero fees: none for the title transfer, none for removal
- Pays by cashier's check you can cash the same day
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
Wheelzy buys cars with any amount of damage, including totaled cars that can’t be driven.
CashForCars
CashForCars is owned by Copart and buys cars in any condition
- Yards in Mesa, Phoenix and Tucson
- Offer in 60 seconds, from the form or one phone call
- Sellers report being paid by check at pickup
- Takes cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, RVs and boats
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Offer amount 30% 4.5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 2/5
CashForCars is owned by Copart, and it buys everything from used cars to damaged and total-loss ones.
If the car still starts and drives and has a clean title, a private sale usually pays more than a junk buyer. Our guide to selling a car privately in Arizona covers the paperwork.
Can You Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in Arizona?
Yes, if the car qualifies. The exception is in state law: A.R.S. § 28-2098.
Option 1: The scrap route. Arizona allows it when all of these are true: vehicle must be at least 12 model years old, transactional value $1,200 or less, free of any lien, and sold to a registered scrap metal dealer or licensed automotive recycler.
What takes the place of the title: Sworn statement signed by the owner (form prescribed by the department). Say on the quote form that there is no title, and let the buyer tell you whether it can buy the car that way.
Option 2: Replace the title first. Every buyer can then quote the car.
Option 3: Sell it for parts. Selling parts doesn’t transfer the car, so no title is needed.
Getting a Replacement Title in Arizona
What a replacement title takes in Arizona:
- Application: Form 96-0236
- Where to submit: AZ MVD Now online, or by mail to Motor Vehicle Division, PO Box 2100, MD 555M, Phoenix, AZ 85001
- Fee: $4
- Processing time: up to six weeks for a mailed application
Put the application in on the day you ask for quotes, and the two waits run together.
If a lender still holds the title
Peddle and CashForCars don’t buy a car with a loan still on it, so the lien comes off first. How the lien comes off in Arizona: lienholders hold the title electronically; once the lien is satisfied, the lender releases it electronically through the MVD.
Ask the lender for a payoff figure before you accept a quote. If the balance is more than the offer, you pay the difference.
If your title is electronic
Log in to AZ MVD Now to check how your title is held, and request a paper one if you don’t have it.
If the car is titled in another state
A title from another state doesn’t stop the sale. Name the state that issued it on the quote form, and sign it the way that state requires.
If that title is lost, Arizona can’t replace it. You apply to the state that issued it.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
The title has to be in your name before the pickup. You can get quotes while the paperwork is being processed.
The owner died. Arizona’s form for putting the car in your name is Form 32-6901 (Non-Probate Affidavit).
Someone gave you the car. Arizona’s gift rule: No state form. Title within 15 days of the transfer using the title and registration application.
It was abandoned on your property. It isn’t yours to sell, so it goes through Arizona’s abandoned vehicle process instead.
Local Dismantlers vs Online Buyers in Arizona
Selling to a local yard
Ask a local yard to put its price in writing.
Ask whether the yard collects the car or expects you to deliver it. If you can deliver it yourself, ask whether that changes the price.
Selling to an online buyer
The comparison tool shows each buyer’s offer in writing before any truck is booked, so you can compare them side by side.
Our guide to how online buyers work out an offer goes through what moves the number.
Storing a Junk Car in Arizona
Before you store the car, check your city’s and county’s rules on a junked car kept in public view.
Park it on a hard surface and keep it closed up.
Our guide to storing a junk car explains what to do while you wait for a title.
Arizona Motor Vehicle Resources
- Motor vehicle agency: Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD)
- Selling a vehicle: Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Arizona?
The comparison tool returns offers within minutes, and Peddle’s pickups typically happen within 24 to 48 hours of scheduling.
Without the title, add the replacement processing time, or use the scrap route if the car qualifies.
Is a bill of sale required to junk a car in Arizona?
A bill of sale is recommended in Arizona.
State form: Form 48-2004.
Keep one as your record of who bought the car. Our bill of sale generator creates one from your details.
Does taking the plates off release me from liability in Arizona?
Arizona’s answer on plates and liability: no, plate removal alone does not release liability; you must file a Sold Notice.
Does anything have to be notarized to junk a car in Arizona?
Title notarization is not required in Arizona, and bill of sale notarization is not required.
Does my junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection in Arizona?
Junk buyers don’t ask for test results.
Emissions test to sell: not required (buyer needs a passing test to register in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas).
Safety inspection to sell: not required.
Can I junk a car with expired registration in Arizona?
Yes. You don’t need to renew the registration first.
What happens to a junk car after pickup in Arizona?
That depends on the buyer. Wheelzy repairs the cars it can, and recycles or parts out the ones that are beyond repair.
What if the junk car offer changes when the driver arrives in Arizona?
You don’t have to accept it. A price cut at or after pickup was the most common complaint sellers made about Peddle to the BBB in the year we read.
Until you sign the title the car is still yours, so you can send the truck away and use one of your other quotes.
Should I repair the car or junk it in Arizona?
Compare three figures: the repair estimate, the best junk offer, and what buyers would offer for the car after the repair. If the repair costs more than the difference between the last two, junk it.
A car with a good engine or a rare part on it can also be sold for parts.
Article Update History
Arizona offers by age, body type and city now come from Sell Car Advisor quote data.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
Where to Submit Duplicate Title Application
"AZ MVD Now online, or by mail to Motor Vehicle Division, PO Box 2100, MD 555M, Phoenix, AZ 85001" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"odometer disclosure is required for vehicles 2011 model year or newer and recommended for older vehicles" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form 96-0236" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Separate Odometer Disclosure Form
"no separate state form; odometer disclosure is on the back of the title or on Form 38-1306" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Sworn statement signed by the owner (form prescribed by the department)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Form 32-6901 (Non-Probate Affidavit)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Form 48-2004" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form 46-8502" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Filing Deadline
"10 days" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$4" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"Arizona issues electronic titles by default. Full e-transfer is available via AZ MVD Now if both parties have registered accounts. Vehicles with liens cannot use eTitle Transfer." Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"AZ MVD Now" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"not required (buyer needs a passing test to register in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
How to Complete a Gift Transfer
"No state form. Title within 15 days of the transfer using the title and registration application" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Arizona, Junk Car Value Statistics
"256 Arizona offers · 11,147 nationally" Accessed Oct. 16, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Arizona by body type, Junk Car Value Statistics
"223 Arizona offers, cars 10 years and older" Accessed Oct. 16, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Arizona by city, Junk Car Value Statistics
"291 Arizona offers, cars 10 years and older" Accessed Oct. 2, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 11 figures from 17,628 instant cash offers, and 3 figures from same-day quotes by several buyers" Accessed Oct. 19, 2026
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