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The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Indiana, get offers from a few buyers, then sign the title over when the tow truck arrives. Most sales finish in one to three days.
Peddle, Wheelzy, and CashForCars all buy cars that don’t run and tow for free. Most junk cars bring $300 to $600, and trucks bring more.
You need the title and a photo ID that matches the name on it. Everyone listed as an owner has to sign when the driver arrives.
Lost the title? A replacement is cheap and quick in Indiana, online or at a branch. There’s also a scrap-only route that skips the title entirely, covered further down.
Compare offers from multiple buyers before you pick one.
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Most people land here with one specific problem. Jump straight to yours.
How to Sell a Junk Car in Indiana, Step by Step
Six steps, and most of them take minutes. The slow part is waiting for a tow truck, not paperwork.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
Every quote form asks for the same handful of things. Year, make, model, mileage, and whether the car starts and drives.
Some forms want the VIN. It’s stamped on a plate at the bottom corner of the windshield on the driver’s side, and printed on your registration card.
A number usually comes back in a minute or two. It’s guaranteed as long as the car matches what you described, so be straight about rust, missing parts, and whether it rolls.
Check how long each offer holds, because that varies by buyer. You don’t have to fill in three separate forms either. One form on our compare tool pulls offers from several buyers at once, which saves about ten minutes.
Top junk car buyers in Indiana. All three work through local towing partners and reach the cities and main road system, from Indianapolis out to Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend.
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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
- Quote stays valid for 7 days
- Handles all the paperwork too
- Buys cars that are missing keys
- Pays cash or check 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
- Assists with replacement titles
- Buys cars stripped for parts
- Driver pays you before loading
- Quote often needs a phone call
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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
- Over 200 locations nationwide
- Drop off your car at any yard
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
Step 2: Check your paperwork
Three things decide whether your sale is straightforward. Here’s where Indiana stands on each.
Title required to sell: yes
Odometer disclosure: required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt
Bill of sale: recommended
A bill of sale gives you dated proof the car left your hands.
Missing something? The sections below cover a lost title, a lien, an inherited car, and the scrap-only route.
Every form you might need
Most junk sales need no forms at all. These come up when something is missing or the car isn’t straightforwardly yours.
Indiana handles titles at the state level, so these are the same wherever you live.
Scrapping without a title
Form: Form 55018 (Certificate of Authority – Disposal of a Vehicle)
The BMV has to approve it before the sale. What it involves.
Odometer disclosure
Only when the title has no space for the reading. See step 2.
Inherited vehicle
For a car left to you by someone who died. What the BMV needs.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Once you accept, the buyer hands the job to a local towing partner. That partner calls you, usually the same day or the next morning.
You’ll agree a pickup window together. Next-day slots are common in and around Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and the other cities. Rural counties can add a day.
The person named on the title needs to be there, because they’re the one who signs and takes payment.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
Don’t wash it or fix anything. Junk buyers price the car as-is, and a clean one doesn’t bring more.
Empty it out instead. Check the glovebox, under the seats, the trunk, and the visors. Whatever you leave behind goes with the car.
Then think about access. A flatbed needs room to back in and winch, so cars in a garage, behind a fence, or boxed in by other vehicles need moving first.
Hand over every key you have. The driver reads the odometer at pickup, and not being able to power up the dash can mean a lower offer.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
Notarization: not required
Sign the assignment section on the back of the title in front of the driver. Everyone named as an owner has to sign, so if the title lists two people joined by “and,” you both need to be there.
Payment is usually cash or check. It depends on the tow company. Take it before the car goes on the truck, not after.
Filing the transfer is the buyer’s errand, not yours. Our guide to selling a car in Indiana walks through the signing section by section.
Step 6: Close it out
Where plates go: with the seller
Cost to move plates to another car: $9.50
Cancel the insurance last, once the car is physically gone. Doing it early leaves you uncovered while the car still sits in your driveway.
Your Indiana Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Your Junk Car Is Worth in Indiana
Most junk cars bring $200 to $2,000, and the bulk land between $300 and $600.
Two things set the number. Scrap metal weight gives you a floor, and any parts still worth pulling get added on top.
On a 2003 Honda Accord with 199,827 miles and a salvage title, CashForCars offered $387, Peddle offered $385, and Wheelzy offered $351.
A 2011 Audi Q5 with 193,068 miles pulled far more, at $597.43 from CashForCars and $580 from Peddle. Age matters less than what the car is made of.
Size and weight raise it. Full-size trucks and body-on-frame SUVs carry far more steel than a sedan, and Indiana has a lot of them. Offers on those often run past $1,000.
A complete drivetrain raises it. An engine and transmission still in the car are worth real money even if neither works. Cars already stripped bring scrap value and little else.
A missing catalytic converter lowers it. Expect a few hundred dollars less. Buyers still take the car, but tell them upfront so the first offer is the real one.
Rust lowers it, but less than people expect. Indiana salts heavily and buyers know it. Body rot hurts the offer, but a rusty car with a good drivetrain still sells.
No title lowers it. Offers for a car with no title come in below the same car with one, when a buyer takes it at all.
Flood and fire damage lowers it most. Some buyers decline these outright. The ones who don’t will quote near scrap.
For a fuller breakdown of what moves the number, see who gives the most cash for junk cars.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Indiana
All three of these buy cars that don’t run, and none of them care whether it starts. Towing is free with all of them.
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Quote stays valid for 7 days
- Handles all the paperwork too
- Buys cars that are missing keys
- Pays cash or check 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% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
Peddle picks up across Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, Bloomington, and Lafayette, working through local carriers.
The form is the shortest of the three and the offer comes back in under two minutes. Peddle also buys cars in some paperwork situations others turn down, like a title left behind by a deceased owner.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy is best for older, junk or damaged cars
- Assists with replacement titles
- Buys cars stripped for parts
- Driver pays you before loading
- Quote often needs a phone call
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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 covers Indianapolis, Gary, Hammond, Terre Haute, Muncie, and Carmel through its network of local yards.
Wheelzy leans toward cars with problems, including crashed ones and old cars with lots of miles. The driver checks the car at pickup, so anything you didn’t mention can change the number.
CashForCars
CashForCars runs on Copart's nationwide auction yards
- Over 200 locations nationwide
- Drop off your car at any yard
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
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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 runs pickups in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Fishers, Evansville, South Bend, and Bloomington.
CashForCars topped our salvage-title tests more than once. It also runs a phone line, which helps when your situation is odd enough that a form can’t capture it.
Pick Peddle if your paperwork is unusual. Pick Wheelzy for a wrecked or badly damaged car. Pick CashForCars if you’d rather talk to someone before you commit.
Whichever you lean toward, check all three numbers. Offers on the same car came in as much as $36 apart in our tests.
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Selling a Junk Car Without a Title in Indiana
Indiana gives you a route, but it’s narrower than most websites make it sound. You have three options and they aren’t equal.
1. Get a replacement title. The right answer for most people, and it keeps every buyer on the table. Details are in the next section.
2. Apply for a Certificate of Authority. This lets you dispose of the car for scrap without ever getting a title.
Form: Form 55018 (Certificate of Authority – Disposal of a Vehicle)
It isn’t something you fill in at the yard. You send it to the BMV Central Office with proof you own the car, the BMV decides whether your claim holds up, and an approved certificate comes back to you. That’s what you hand to the yard.
3. Let the salvage yard apply for you. Indiana lets a licensed automotive salvage recycler file the certificate on your behalf, using details it collects when you sell. Not every yard will do it, so ask before you commit.
Here’s the part that decides which option fits you. Options 2 and 3 only work when the car goes to a licensed automotive salvage recycler, and only for scrap or parts.
That means a local Indiana yard. The national online buyers want a title in your name, and the ones that flex on it ask for proof of ownership and quote lower.
There’s a condition on the car itself: the vehicle is at least 15 model years old and is sold for scrap or parts.
So the honest advice is boring. Unless you’ve already found a local yard willing to handle the filing, get the replacement title and sell normally.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car Without a Title
Getting a Replacement Title in Indiana
Form: Form 205
Cost: $15.00
Processing time: 7 to 10 business days standard, up to 21 calendar days by mail
Where to apply: online at myBMV.com, in person at any BMV branch, or by mail with Form 205 to BMV Central Office
Faster option: Speed Title available, processed within approximately 3 business days
Faster option fee: $25 (in addition to the $15 standard title fee)
Get quotes while you wait rather than after. Offers hold about a week, so time the two so they line up.
Once the duplicate arrives, the old title is dead. If the original turns up in a drawer later, destroy it.
If a lender still holds the title
You can’t sell until the lien comes off, even on a car worth $400. Here’s how Indiana handles it:
Call the lender first and ask what they need. If the loan is already settled, this is usually a phone call and a short wait.
Still owe more than the car is worth? Our guide on selling a financed car covers the options.
If your title is electronic
So if a lender has yours, the paper copy is what you’re chasing, not a duplicate. Ask them to release it once the loan is clear.
No lender involved and nothing in your hands? Then the replacement route above applies.
If the car is titled in another state
You don’t have to put an out-of-state car onto an Indiana title just to junk it. Sign the title you have and sell it where the car sits.
Titling it here is a different matter: Indiana has no general safety inspection program; only out-of-state vehicles being titled in Indiana require a VIN inspection (Form 39530).
For a car headed to scrap, that’s a step you can skip. Mention the out-of-state title when you get quotes so the buyer can check its own rules.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
You can only sell a car you legally own. A title signed over to you by someone else doesn’t count until it’s actually transferred.
For a car left behind by someone who died, Indiana uses this form:
Estate value threshold: $100,000 (gross probate estate, less liens and encumbrances) under Indiana Code 29-1-8-1(c)
What the BMV needs depends on whether the estate went through probate:
A car dumped on your property is different again. You don’t own it, so you can’t sell it, and our guide on selling an abandoned vehicle covers getting authority over one.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car That Belonged to Someone Who Died
What Counts as a Junk Car in Indiana
There’s no test you have to pass. Junk car is a label buyers use, not a status the state assigns you.
In practice it means a car worth less than the cost of fixing it. Here’s how the common situations play out, including expired tags.
| Condition | Still sells? | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Won’t start | Yes | Almost no effect. Most junk cars don’t run. |
| Won’t roll or steer | Yes | Mention it when booking so the driver brings the right gear. |
| Crash damage | Yes | Offer follows what’s still usable underneath. |
| Salvage title | Yes | Lower than a clean title, but every junk buyer takes it. |
| Heavy rust | Yes | Common in Indiana. Buyers expect it. |
| Missing catalytic converter | Yes | A few hundred dollars off. Say so upfront. |
| Engine or transmission removed | Yes | Drops close to scrap weight value. |
| Flood or fire damage | Sometimes | Some buyers decline. Others quote near scrap. |
| Expired registration | Yes | No effect. The title is what matters. |
| No keys | Yes | The tow still happens, but the odometer check gets harder. |
If your car is in better shape than this list suggests, don’t junk it. A running car with a clean title is usually worth more sold privately or to a regular dealer.
Local Indiana Yards vs Online Buyers
Local yards quote one at a time, over the phone, and the number often depends on what they need that week. You can call five and get five different answers.
Online buyers give you a set number in about a minute and hold it for a set window. That makes comparing easy, which is the whole advantage.
Local yards win in two spots. They can handle the Certificate of Authority route, and they’ll sometimes pay more for a car with parts they specifically want.
Some also want you to deliver the car, which means a tow you’re paying for. Ask about that before you agree to anything.
Storing a Junk Car While You Decide
A dead car in the driveway is a local problem, not a state one. Indiana cities and counties write their own rules about inoperable vehicles left in view, and enforcement usually starts with a neighbor complaint.
Check your city or county code before you let it sit for months.
Waiting costs you in slower ways too. Fluids leak onto the driveway, rodents move into the seats, and scrap prices drift.
If you’re keeping it a while anyway, our guide on storing a junk car covers doing it without wrecking the car further.
Indiana Motor Vehicle Resources
Motor vehicle agency: Indiana BMV
Buying and selling guide: Indiana BMV – Buying & Selling a Vehicle
Replacement title portal: myBMV portal
Where to submit a duplicate title application: myBMV portal, any BMV branch, or by mail to Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, 100 N. Senate Ave., Room N411, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Where title transfers are processed: BMV branch
Information last checked May 10, 2026.
Indiana Junk Car FAQ
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Indiana?
One to three days with the title in hand. Quotes come back in about a minute and pickup is usually next-day in the cities.
Without the title, add the replacement time. Rural counties can add a day for the tow.
Do I need a title to sell my junk car in Indiana?
Title required to sell: yes
The one alternative is a Certificate of Authority, which only works for scrap, only through a licensed salvage recycler, and only after the BMV approves it. For most people a replacement title is quicker.
How much does a replacement title cost in Indiana?
Cost: $15.00
Processing time: 7 to 10 business days standard, up to 21 calendar days by mail
Faster option fee: $25 (in addition to the $15 standard title fee)
Learn more: How to Get a Replacement Title in Your State
Does the title have to be notarized in Indiana?
Notarization: not required
You sign in pen when the driver arrives, and nobody else has to witness it.
Is a bill of sale required to sell a junk car in Indiana?
Bill of sale: recommended
It’s the main record showing when the car stopped being yours, and it takes two minutes to fill in.
Does my junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection in Indiana?
Emissions testing: not required for the sale
Safety inspection: not required for the sale
If you’re in Lake or Porter County, the testing you’re thinking of applies to registration, not to sending a car to scrap.
What paperwork do I file with the state after selling in Indiana?
Release of liability form: None required
Filing deadline: Not required
No filing is required. Keep the signed title copy and a bill of sale as your proof of sale.
Do I remove my license plates before pickup in Indiana?
Where plates go: with the seller
Step 6 above covers what to do with them once the car is gone.
Can I sell a junk car with a loan on it in Indiana?
Not until the lien is released. Buyers check the title for a lienholder, and a listed lender stops the sale.
Pay off whatever’s left and get the release. If the payoff is more than the car is worth, you’ll need to cover the difference yourself.
What if my catalytic converter was stolen?
The car still sells. Expect a few hundred dollars less, because the converter is one of the more valuable pieces on a scrap car.
Say so on the quote form. If the driver finds it missing at pickup and you didn’t mention it, you may see a lower price at the car.
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Indiana?
Yes, and it doesn’t change the offer. Registration is about driving on public roads, and yours is going on a flatbed.
The title is what buyers care about. As long as that’s in your name, expired tags are irrelevant.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"yes" Accessed May 10, 2026
"required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt" Accessed May 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form 205" Accessed May 10, 2026
"Form 55018 (Certificate of Authority - Disposal of a Vehicle)" Accessed May 10, 2026
Separate Odometer Disclosure Form
"Form 43230 (used when the odometer statement is not completed on the title; trailers and vehicles over 16,000 lbs are exempt)" Accessed May 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Form 18733 (Affidavit for Transfer of Certificate of Title for a Vehicle/Watercraft Without Administration)" Accessed May 10, 2026
"Form 44237" Accessed May 10, 2026
"$9.50" Accessed May 10, 2026
Conditions to Sell Without Title
"the vehicle is at least 15 model years old and is sold for scrap or parts" Accessed May 10, 2026
"$15.00" Accessed May 10, 2026
"lienholder signs the lien release section on the title or provides a lien release letter on company letterhead. For electronic titles, the lien release is submitted electronically through the E-lien system. If the lender is no longer in business, a court order is required." Accessed May 10, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"E-titles available since July 1, 2025. If a lender holds your title electronically, they must release it to you in paper form before you can sell." Accessed May 10, 2026
"Indiana BMV" Accessed May 10, 2026
"myBMV portal" Accessed May 10, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"not required for the sale" Accessed May 10, 2026