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The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Maine, get offers from a few buyers, hand over the signed title when the tow truck arrives, and take payment on the spot. Most sales finish in 24 to 48 hours.
Maine is easier than most states on paperwork, because old cars here often need no title at all. Anything more than 25 model years old was never titled, so a bill of sale carries the sale.
Peddle, Wheelzy, and CashForCars all buy in Maine and tow for free. Most junk cars bring $200 to $700, and rusted pickups and SUVs often clear $1,000.
On pickup day you need the title if the car has one, plus a photo ID that matches the name on it. There’s no lien on the car, or the lender has released it.
Lost the title on a newer car? Order a replacement from the BMV and sell once it lands. On a car at least 20 model years old that’s headed for scrap, you may not need one at all.
See what your car is worth and compare offers from multiple buyers.
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 to Sell a Junk Car in Maine in Six Steps
The whole thing runs 24 to 48 hours in most of Maine. Quotes come back the same day, and pickup is usually the next one.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
Every quote form asks the same handful of things: year, make, model, mileage, ZIP code, and whether you have the title. Then it asks what’s wrong with the car.
Be exact here, because this is what sets the number. Say whether it starts, whether it rolls and steers, and whether the catalytic converter is still on it.
Your VIN sits on a metal plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side. You’ll also find it on the door jamb sticker and on your registration.
A number comes back in about a minute. It’s a real offer rather than an estimate, and it holds for days, so there’s no rush to accept the first one.
Filling in three separate forms is the slow way to do this. Enter your details once and compare offers from multiple buyers side by side.
Top junk car buyers in Maine. All three reach Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, and the coast, and they take cars that won’t start. Pickup in Aroostook County and the far north can take an extra day or two.
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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
For most junk sales you need two things: the title, signed over at pickup, and a photo ID with the same name on it. That’s it.
Title required to sell: yes (more than 25 model years old exempt, i.e. 2000 and older in 2026)
An expired registration doesn’t stop anything, because the car is leaving on a flatbed rather than being driven.
What Maine asks of a bill of sale: required; must include VIN and sale price; for vehicles more than 25 model years old, the bill of sale is the only ownership document needed
Write it before the car leaves and keep your copy. Our bill of sale generator fills one out in a couple of minutes.
Odometer disclosure is required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt. Almost no junk car is new enough for it to apply.
If a piece is missing, sort out which one before you accept an offer. The cards below point at the fix for each.
Every form you might need
Most junk sales in Maine need no forms at all. These come up when something is missing or the car isn’t straightforwardly yours, and they work the same in every town in the state.
Bill of sale
Form: Maine Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale
Your only paper trail once the car is gone. What goes on it.
Inherited car
Form: Form MVT-22 (Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Personal Representative)
For a surviving spouse or a court-appointed representative. What goes with it.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Once you accept, the buyer hands the job to a local towing partner. That dispatcher calls or texts you, usually within a few hours.
You’ll agree on a day and a window of a few hours rather than an exact time. In and around Portland and Bangor, same-day pickup happens fairly often.
Someone needs to be there with the title and ID when the truck arrives.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
Lost keys are not a problem. The driver winches the car onto a flatbed, so it doesn’t need to start, steer, or even have wheels that turn.
A car that won’t start can bring less, though. The driver can’t turn the dash on to read the odometer, so the mileage you typed into the form can’t be confirmed, and some buyers adjust the offer when that happens.
Say on the quote form that it doesn’t run and give the last mileage you remember. A photo of the odometer from when it still worked helps too.
What the driver does need is a straight run to the car. If it’s behind a snowbank, boxed in by other vehicles, or down a soft dirt driveway, clear that before the truck comes.
Empty it out properly. Check the glovebox, the center console, under the seats, the trunk, and the spare tire well, because whatever you leave goes with the car.
Take your registration and any records out of the glovebox. Hand over any keys you do have, and say up front if you have none.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
Sign in the seller section on the back and print the buyer’s name where it asks for it. The driver will tell you what to write there.
Our full guide to selling a car in Maine walks through the title section by section, including what to do when two names are on it.
Payment happens right there at pickup, before the car goes on the truck. Payment is usually cash or check. It depends on the tow company.
Don’t hand over the title until you have the money. Count it, or read the check, and photograph the signed title before it leaves with the driver.
Step 6: Close it out
Unscrew both plates before the truck pulls away, because they stay with the seller. You can transfer your plates to another car you own, return them to the Maine BMV or your local town office, or destroy them.
Moving them to another car you own costs $8, which is usually the cheapest route.
Then call your insurer and drop the coverage. Do this after the car is physically gone, so you’re never uninsured while it’s still in your driveway.
If you paid for the year up front, ask about a refund for the unused months. Most Maine insurers pro-rate it back to you.
Your Maine Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Your Junk Car Is Worth in Maine
Most junk cars bring $200 to $700. Full-size pickups, SUVs, and anything newer with body damage often land between $1,000 and $2,500.
Two things drive the number. Scrap metal weight sets the floor, and whatever parts can still be pulled and resold sets everything above it.
Maine adds its own wrinkle. Road salt from December through March eats undercarriages, brake lines, and body panels, so a Maine car of a given age is usually worth less in parts than the same car from a dry state.
A missing catalytic converter drops the offer. It’s the single most valuable part on most junk cars. If it’s been cut off, expect a few hundred dollars less, and say so on the quote form so the number doesn’t change at pickup.
Trucks and all-wheel-drive beat sedans here. Maine buyers want plow trucks, work pickups, and AWD wagons, and the parts market for them stays strong long after the body has rusted through.
A car that still runs is worth more. Even a rough running engine and a working transmission add real money, because those are the two most expensive things a yard can resell.
Rot below the doors pulls it down. Frame and rocker rust means fewer usable body parts, and in Maine that shows up around year eight to twelve on most cars.
Where you live moves it a little. Offers along the Portland to Bangor corridor tend to run higher than the far north, because towing distance to the yard comes out of the buyer’s margin.
No title means a lower offer, when a buyer takes it at all. Buyers price in the risk that the car can’t be resold cleanly.
Offers on the same car can differ by a few hundred dollars between buyers. Our guide to who gives the most cash for junk cars shows how the numbers usually stack up.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Maine
All three of these buy cars that don’t run, and none of them charge for towing. A dead engine, a seized transmission, or four flat tires makes no difference to whether they’ll take it.
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 buys across Maine, including Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, Auburn, Augusta, and Biddeford, with thinner coverage in remote spots.
Quotes come back in about a minute and stay good for 7 days, the longest window of the three. In some cases they buy without a title, including lost titles and cars left 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 works through local towing partners in Portland, South Portland, Bangor, Lewiston, Saco, and Brunswick.
You can get the offer online or by phone, and most sales close within 24 to 48 hours. Payment is cash or check at your door, depending on the tow company, and you can ask for cash when you book.
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 on the Copart network and reaches Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Waterville, and Presque Isle.
They’ll take almost anything with four wheels and a VIN, wrecked or dead, and towing is free wherever the car is parked. Payment is by check, and your bank will hold it for 24 hours before you can spend it.
Run all three anyway. They price the same car differently, and the tool below asks for your details once instead of three times.
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Selling a Junk Car Without a Title in Maine
Two age rules decide this, and which one applies comes down to your car’s model year. Count back from the current model year to work out where yours sits.
Legal authority: 29-A M.R.S. §652, sub-§13 and sub-§18
1. More than 25 model years old. Maine never issued a title for it and the BMV won’t issue one now, so a bill of sale plus your last registration is the ownership document. You can sell to anyone.
2. At least 20 model years old and actually being scrapped. This route only works with a licensed recycler, salvage vehicle dealer, or scrap processor.
3. Newer than that. You need the title, so order a replacement and sell once it arrives.
The second route is worth understanding properly, because the paperwork isn’t yours to file. The yard takes your name and address off a government photo ID, keeps that and the VIN on file for five years, and reports the car as destroyed to the Secretary of State within 30 days.
That decides who you can sell to. The exemption belongs to the licensed yard rather than to you, so a national buyer can only use it through the local partner that takes the car.
Each buyer also sets its own intake rules on top of the law. Say on the quote form that you have no title, and let them tell you where you stand before you accept anything.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car Without a Title
Getting a Replacement Title in Maine
The fee is $33 and it takes 5 to 8 business days by mail.
Rush option: yes, rush processing in 3 to 5 business days
Rush fee: $10 additional fee
Online eligibility: yes (model year 2001 or newer, no active lien)
Have the VIN, plate number, and your driver’s license number ready before you start. Apply for it and get quotes at the same time, since offers hold for days.
Check the model year first. A car more than 25 model years old has no title to replace, so there’s no form to send and no fee to pay.
If a lender still holds the title
The lien comes off before anyone can buy the car. That’s true even on a loan you finished paying years ago, if nobody ever cleared the record.
Owing more than the car is worth is common with a junk car. You cover the difference out of pocket, then sell.
Our guide to selling a financed car covers how to handle the payoff when the offer doesn’t clear the loan.
Electronic titles
Allow a week or two for that. The lender releases first, the paper title gets mailed out, and only then can you sign it over.
If the car is titled in another state
You can sell it on the title you have. Nobody needs to convert a New Hampshire or Massachusetts title into a Maine one first, because the car is going to scrap rather than back on the road.
Sign it the way that state’s title tells you to, which may mean notarizing it even though Maine doesn’t ask for that.
If that title is also lost, you apply to the state that issued it. The BMV can’t replace a title it never wrote.
Selling a Car That Is Not in Your Name
Buyers check that the name on the title matches your ID. When it doesn’t, you need the document that explains why before you book a pickup.
Maine sets an estate threshold of $40,000 base, adjusted annually for inflation ($52,500 for 2026), which decides whether the simple route is open to you.
A car that was given to you needs the title signed by the person who gave it. If they never did that, track them down and get it done, because a verbal handover isn’t ownership.
An abandoned vehicle left on your property runs through the towing and abandoned vehicle rules instead, which is a slower process than a straight sale.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car of a Deceased Person
What Counts as a Junk Car in Maine
There’s no single legal line where a car becomes junk. What decides your paperwork is how old the car is, so work out its age in model years and read across.
| Age of the car | What the sale needs | Who you can sell to |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 model years old | Signed title and photo ID | Any buyer |
| 20 to 25 model years old | Signed title, or no title if the car is being scrapped | Any buyer with a title, licensed recycler or scrap processor without one |
| More than 25 model years old | Bill of sale, no title exists | Any buyer |
Buyers use their own definition on top of this. To them a junk car is one worth more in scrap and parts than as a running vehicle, which usually means a dead engine, a failed transmission, heavy rust, or wreck damage.
A salvage title is a separate thing again. That’s a brand the state puts on a car an insurer wrote off, and it doesn’t change how any of the above works.
Local Maine Yards vs Online Buyers
A local yard can be the better deal if you’re close to one and your car has parts they want. They know what sells in Maine, and there’s no middleman.
The catch is that you’re calling around for numbers one at a time, and some yards expect you to get the car there yourself.
Online buyers give you a firm number in a minute, hold it for days, and send a truck for free. That’s worth a lot when the car hasn’t moved in two years.
Distance decides it in much of Maine. Outside the southern corridor the nearest licensed yard can be an hour away, which makes free towing the whole ballgame.
The sensible move is both. Get your online quotes first, then call a local yard or two with those numbers in hand and see if anyone beats them.
If the car has one genuinely valuable part, check what selling it for parts would bring before you let the whole thing go.
Storing a Junk Car Until You Sell It
Keep it on your own property and off the street. Many Maine towns have rules about unregistered vehicles sitting in view, and winter parking bans move anything left on a public road.
Park it somewhere a flatbed can reach in February. A car pushed to the back of the yard in October can be behind four feet of plowed snow by the time you sell it.
Leaking fluids are the thing to watch. Slide a tray under the engine and transmission if it’s on bare ground, and pull the battery if it’s going to sit for months.
The longer it sits, the less it’s worth. Rust keeps working, parts keep going missing, and none of that comes back.
Learn more: How to Store a Junk Car
Maine Motor Vehicle Resources
State agency: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)
Titles and selling: Maine BMV Vehicles and Titles Information
Where to submit a duplicate title application: online (eligible vehicles), by mail to the Maine BMV Title Section in Augusta, or in person at any BMV branch
Maine Junk Car FAQ
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Maine?
Usually 24 to 48 hours from getting quotes to the car leaving. Same-day pickup happens in and around Portland and Bangor.
Needing a replacement title first adds about a week to that.
Do I need a title to sell my junk car in Maine?
Conditions to sell without a title: vehicles more than 25 model years old can be sold with just a bill of sale; vehicles at least 20 model years old can be sold to a licensed recycler, salvage vehicle dealer, or scrap processor with no title required
Anything newer than that needs it. Buyers ask on the quote form, so answer honestly and they’ll tell you where you stand.
Learn more: How to Scrap a Car Without a Title
How much does a replacement title cost in Maine?
The fee is $33, and rushing it adds a $10 additional fee.
Check the age of the car before you pay anything. Past 25 model years there’s no title to replace.
Does the title have to be notarized in Maine?
Notarization is not required. You sign in pen at the curb when the driver arrives.
Is a bill of sale required to sell a junk car in Maine?
A bill of sale is required, and notarizing it is not required.
Since there’s nothing to send the state afterwards, this is the main record you keep.
Does my junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection in Maine?
Emissions testing is not required (buyer needs a passing test to register in Cumberland County) to sell, and a safety inspection is not required (buyer needs a passing inspection to operate the vehicle).
Neither one touches a car that leaves on a flatbed.
What paperwork do I file with the state after selling in Maine?
Form to file: None required
Deadline: Not required
That’s why the bill of sale matters more here than in states with a notice of sale. Keep it with a photo of the signed title.
Do I remove my license plates before pickup in Maine?
Plates stay with the seller, so take them off before the truck arrives.
Moving them to another car you own costs $8.
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Maine?
Yes. Registration has nothing to do with ownership, and the car is being towed rather than driven.
Hang on to the old registration anyway. On a car too old to have a title, it helps show the car was yours.
What if I lost the keys to my junk car?
It doesn’t change much. Flatbed drivers winch cars on without keys every day, and Peddle, Wheelzy, and CashForCars all handle it.
Mention it when you book so the driver brings the right gear. Don’t pay a locksmith for a key on a car that’s being scrapped.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car With Lost Keys
What if the offer changes when the driver arrives?
An offer is based on what you typed into the form, so a mismatch at the car can change the number. Missing wheels, a missing catalytic converter, a stripped interior, or mileage the driver can’t confirm are the usual causes.
Describing the car accurately up front avoids nearly all of it. You can decline and keep the car if the revised number doesn’t work for you.
Ready to find out what yours is worth? Compare offers from multiple buyers and see the numbers side by side.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"yes (more than 25 model years old exempt, i.e. 2000 and older in 2026)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Bill of Sale Form Availability
"required; must include VIN and sale price; for vehicles more than 25 model years old, the bill of sale is the only ownership document needed" Accessed Sep. 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 Sep. 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form MVT-8" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Maine Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Form MVT-22 (Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Personal Representative)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$8" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Sell Without Title: Legal Authority
"29-A M.R.S. §652, sub-§13 and sub-§18" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Title Replacement Available Online?
"yes (model year 2001 or newer, no active lien)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"the lender releases the lien using Form MVT-12 (Release of Lien) or signs the lien release directly on the title. Maine uses an Electronic Lien Titling system for participating lenders. Contact your lender to request the release before listing the car for sale." Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Estate Value Threshold
"$40,000 base, adjusted annually for inflation ($52,500 for 2026)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Safety Inspection Required to Sell?
"not required (buyer needs a passing inspection to operate the vehicle)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
