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The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Massachusetts, get offers online, accept one, and a tow truck comes to collect it. You sign the title over and take payment when the driver arrives. Most sales finish in 24 to 48 hours.
Then cancel your registration. In Massachusetts the excise tax is tied to the registration, not to the car, so the bills keep coming until you cancel.
National buyers like Peddle, Wheelzy, and CashForCars all buy in Massachusetts. Most junk cars are offered $150 to $700, and cars with a working engine or good parts reach $1,500 or more.
On the day, you need the title and a photo ID. You don’t need an inspection sticker, a notary, or a smog test.
If the title is lost, start the replacement before you take a quote. It’s the slowest part of the whole thing.
Compare offers from multiple buyers before you accept anything.
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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Start With Your Situation
Most people land here with one specific problem. Jump straight to yours.
How to Sell a Junk Car in Massachusetts, Step by Step
Six steps, and only two of them take real effort. The rest is signing and phone calls.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
A quote form asks for year, make, model, mileage, and your ZIP code. Then it asks what’s wrong with the car and whether it starts and drives.
Some forms want the VIN. It’s on a plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side, and it’s also printed on your registration and insurance card.
Offers come back in minutes rather than days. How long each one holds is set by the buyer, so check the expiry on any quote before you sit on it.
A quote is only as good as what you told them. If the driver finds something you didn’t mention, like a missing engine or a stripped interior, the number can change at pickup.
Filling out three separate forms takes about fifteen minutes. Our form takes two, and it sends your details to several buyers at once, so compare offers from multiple buyers in one go.
Top junk car buyers in Massachusetts. All three reach the mainland, from the Berkshires to Cape Cod. Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are the exception, so confirm pickup before you accept.
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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
-
Quote speed 20% 5/5
-
Pickup speed 20% 5/5
-
Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
-
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
You need two things: the title and a photo ID. Pull the title out now, before you accept an offer, because a replacement takes longer than the sale does.
- 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: required (the title's price space counts as the bill of sale)
Most junk cars are old enough that the odometer rule doesn’t reach them. When it does apply, the space on the title covers it.
Get a bill of sale either way. A junk buyer usually brings one, and it’s what your town assessor asks for later.
An expired registration doesn’t stop the sale. Bring it anyway if you still have it, since it helps the buyer match the car to the paperwork.
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.
Cancel your registration
Form: Form REG100 (Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration)
Online is faster than the paper form. Do this after pickup.
Odometer reading
Where it goes: none; built into the Massachusetts title; for age-exempt vehicles, the odometer reading is recorded on the bill of sale
No separate sheet to chase down.
Inherited car
Which one depends on the estate. Sorting out ownership.
Junking or scrapping
The yard files this, not you. What that means.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
You accept online or by phone. A local tow operator calls you within a few hours to set a time.
Expect a window of several hours rather than an exact slot. In Boston, Worcester, and the other dense areas, same-day pickup happens fairly often.
Whoever is named on the title has to be there to sign it.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
The truck needs about 30 feet of clear space to load. Move anything parked in front of the car and clear the snow if it’s winter.
Empty the car out. Check the glovebox, under the seats, the trunk, the visors, and the spare tire well, because once it leaves you won’t see it again.
Leave the keys if you have them. Without keys the driver can’t turn the dash on to read the odometer, and offers come in lower as a result.
Unscrew the plates the night before. They come off before the car goes on the truck, and you don’t want to be hunting for a screwdriver while the driver waits.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
Sign the assignment section on the back of the title and hand it to the driver. Notarization is not required.
Sign exactly as your name is printed on the front. If two names are on it and they’re joined by “and,” you both sign.
For the full walkthrough of every box on a Massachusetts title, see our guide to selling a car in Massachusetts.
Payment happens at the car, before it’s loaded. Payment is usually cash or check. It depends on the tow company.
Get a receipt or a copy of the bill of sale before the truck pulls away.
Step 6: Close it out with the RMV
This is the step people skip, and it’s the one that costs money.
- Do the plates release you from liability? no, you must cancel your registration online with the RMV to release liability and stop excise tax bills
- Deadline: Immediately
- Form: Form REG100 (Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration)
It’s free and takes a few minutes, and you can download a cancellation receipt at the end. Save that receipt.
Then decide what to do with the plates. You can transfer your plates to another vehicle you own (within a 7-day grace period), or cancel your registration online and recycle or destroy the plates by cutting them in half.
Moving them to another car you own costs $25 plus title fee and applicable taxes. Cutting them in half costs nothing.
Cancel the insurance last, after the car is gone and the registration is cancelled. Ask your agent about a refund on the unused part of the term.
Then send the cancellation receipt and your bill of sale to your town assessor and ask for an excise abatement. That’s how you get back the months you already paid for.
Massachusetts Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Your Junk Car Is Worth in Massachusetts
Most junk cars are offered $150 to $700. Heavier vehicles and cars with a working drivetrain reach $1,500 to $3,000.
Two things set the number. The weight of the metal sets the floor, and whatever parts still work sets everything above it.
That’s why a rusted pickup can beat a clean-looking sedan. There’s simply more steel in it.
The catalytic converter is the single biggest item. It holds platinum, palladium, and rhodium, and buyers price it separately. If it’s already been cut off, say so up front, because the driver will see it.
A running engine changes the category. A car that starts and drives can be resold or parted out instead of shredded, and offers reflect that. Even an engine that turns over but won’t stay running is worth mentioning.
Road salt does real damage here. Massachusetts winters eat the rockers, the frame rails, and the brake lines. Heavy frame rot lowers what a buyer can recover from the body.
Popular models hold value better. Parts from a Civic or an F-150 move faster than parts from something nobody drives anymore, so buyers pay more for them.
A stripped car is worth less than a complete one. Missing wheels, seats, doors, or the battery all come off the offer. Selling it whole almost always beats pulling parts yourself unless you already have a buyer lined up.
Where you are matters a little. Greater Boston has more buyers competing, while western Massachusetts has fewer trucks and longer tow distances.
Offers on the same car vary by hundreds of dollars, which is the whole argument for shopping around. See who gives the most cash for junk cars.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Massachusetts
All three of these buy cars that don’t run. Wrecked, flooded, blown engine, sitting in the yard for four years, it doesn’t matter.
They’re national networks that hand the pickup to a local tow operator, so the truck that shows up is a Massachusetts company either way.
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 in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, Cambridge, and New Bedford, plus the smaller towns in between.
Their offers hold for seven days and pickup usually lands within 48 hours of accepting. They’re the most flexible of the three when the title situation is complicated, including cars 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 Brockton, Quincy, Fall River, Lynn, Somerville, and Framingham, and reaches out to Pittsfield and the Cape.
Their offer also holds for seven days, and they close most sales in 24 to 48 hours. They specialize in the cars other buyers turn down, and they sometimes pay cash where others send a check.
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 through Boston, Newton, Worcester, Lawrence, Haverhill, and Barnstable.
They’re owned by Copart, so cars go to auction rather than straight to the shredder. They handle more of the paperwork than the other two, including lien releases.
Get all three quotes anyway. They price the same car differently, and the gap between them is often bigger than the difference between their services.
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Selling a Junk Car Without a Title in Massachusetts
Two exceptions exist, and both are narrow.
- Conditions: licensed junk car buyers can accept vehicles with alternative ownership documents instead of a title when the vehicle is going to scrap; passenger vehicles model year 1980 or older purchased before November 26, 1990 are also exempt from titling
- Legal basis: MGL Chapter 90D Section 20E (junk and scrap exception); Mass.gov Vehicle Certificate of Title page (age-exempt vehicles)
That gives you three routes, and which one you’re on depends on how old the car is and when it was bought.
- The age exemption. Both the model year and the purchase date conditions have to be true, not just one. Your last registration plus a bill of sale is your proof of ownership.
- A licensed junk buyer taking other ownership papers. This works only when the car is going to scrap, and the buyer decides what they’ll accept.
- Get a replacement title. This is the route for almost everyone. It’s slower, but it works on any car.
The form on the first two routes isn’t yours to file, and it’s listed with the other forms above. The yard has 10 days from taking the car to file it with the RMV.
Once that filing lands, the RMV marks the record JUNK. That’s permanent, and the car can never be titled or registered again in Massachusetts.
So these routes are only for cars that are truly finished. If there’s any chance the car has more value as a car, get the title instead.
Rough rule on whether the wait is worth it: if quotes are coming in above about $400, spend the two weeks getting the title. Below that, ask a buyer who takes alternate documents what they’ll accept.
Getting a Replacement Title in Massachusetts
A replacement costs $25 and takes up to 10 business days. Massachusetts offers no expedited service, so this is the thing to start first.
You can apply online through the myRMV portal, by mail to Title Division at P.O. Box 55885, Boston, MA 02205-5885, or in person at any full-service RMV Service Center. Online is the fastest of the three.
Apply and get quotes at the same time. The offers you collect this week will still be roughly accurate when the title shows up.
Fill it out cleanly. The RMV rejects applications with white-out, erasures, or crossed-out corrections, and a rejection restarts the clock.
If a lender still holds the title
Call the bank first. If you ever financed the car, they may still be holding the title even though you paid it off years ago.
How the lender releases it: the lender holds the title until the loan is paid off, then provides a lien release letter on official letterhead specifying the year, make, VIN, and all owner names; faxes and photocopies are not accepted
If you still owe more than the car is worth, the loan doesn’t disappear when the car does. Our guide to selling a financed car covers how to handle the gap.
If the car is titled in another state
You don’t need a Massachusetts title to sell a junk car sitting in Massachusetts. The out-of-state title works as long as it’s signed the way the issuing state requires.
Check whether that state wants a notary, because plenty of them do. The buyer follows the rules of whichever state issued the paper.
If that title is lost, you apply to the state that issued it, not to the RMV. Read up on selling a car out of state before you start.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
You can’t sell a car you don’t legally own. Ownership has to move to you first, and how that works depends on why the name is wrong.
For a car left by someone who died, which form you use comes down to the size of the estate.
Small estate threshold: $25,000 in personal property excluding one motor vehicle (small estate threshold for voluntary administration under MGL Chapter 190B Section 3-1201)
Below that line, a surviving spouse or heir can usually avoid full probate. Our guide on selling a car of a deceased person walks through the documents.
A car someone left on your property is a different process entirely, covered in selling an abandoned vehicle.
What Counts as a Junk Car in Massachusetts
There’s no dollar figure that makes a car junk. The RMV only applies the JUNK label once a buyer files to scrap the car, so until then it’s your call.
In practice the test is simple. If the repair costs more than the car is worth fixed, it’s a junk car.
| Condition | Sells as junk? | Where the value comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Blown engine or bad transmission | Yes | Body, converter, and the parts that still work |
| Failed inspection, too costly to fix | Yes | Often still drives, so parts value is higher |
| Accident damage or total loss | Yes | Undamaged half of the car, plus scrap weight |
| Heavy frame and rocker rot | Yes | Mostly the converter and drivetrain, not the shell |
| Flood damage | Yes | Metal weight, since the electrics are written off |
| Runs fine, just unwanted | Not really | Worth more sold as a used car than as scrap |
That last row is the one to watch. A car that still drives and passes inspection belongs in a private sale, not a scrap yard.
Local Yards vs Online Buyers
A local yard quotes over the phone and often wants you to bring the car in. Towing runs over a hundred dollars, which comes straight off what you clear.
Online buyers include free towing in the number they give you. That’s usually the real difference between the two, not the offer itself.
Yards can beat online buyers on cars with in-demand parts, because they know what’s moving off their shelves this month. It’s worth one phone call to a yard near you alongside your online quotes.
The yard route takes more of your time. You’re arranging the tow, confirming they’ll take the car, and getting there during business hours.
Storing a Junk Car While You Sort It Out
If you’re waiting two weeks on a replacement title, the car has to sit somewhere legal. An unregistered car can’t be parked on a public street or in a shopping center lot.
Many Massachusetts towns also have their own rules about unregistered vehicles in a driveway or yard. Check your town bylaws before you let it sit for a month.
Put a tarp or flattened cardboard underneath to catch leaks, because an oil patch on the driveway is your problem once the car is gone. Our guide on how to store a junk car covers the rest.
Massachusetts RMV Resources
- Main site: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)
- Title and registration: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Title and Registration
- Replace a title online: myRMV
- Cancel your registration: File online
Excise abatements go through your city or town assessor, not the RMV.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Massachusetts?
With the title in hand, 24 to 48 hours from accepting an offer. The quote takes minutes and the pickup is the only real wait.
Without the title, add about two weeks for the replacement to arrive.
Do I need a title to sell my junk car in Massachusetts?
Almost always.
If neither fits your car, get a replacement title. Peddle is the most flexible of the three buyers when the paperwork is messy.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car Without a Title
How much does a replacement title cost in Massachusetts?
It costs $25, made payable to MassDOT. Processing takes up to 10 business days.
Apply online for the fastest turnaround. Have the VIN and your licence number ready before you start.
Does the title have to be notarized in Massachusetts?
Neither document needs a notary.
- Title notarization: not required
- Bill of sale notarization: not required
You sign in pen when the driver arrives and that’s the end of it.
Is a bill of sale required to sell a junk car in Massachusetts?
Get one for a junk sale regardless of the rule. It’s what your town assessor asks for when you file the excise abatement, and it’s the only proof you have that the car left.
Does my junk car need an inspection or emissions test before I sell it in Massachusetts?
Emissions testing is not required (buyer needs a passing test to register statewide, as part of the annual inspection).
A car headed for scrap never gets registered again, so nobody inspects it. An expired or failed sticker changes nothing about your sale.
What do I file with the RMV after selling a junk car in Massachusetts?
You cancel the registration, and the deadline is Immediately.
Do it the same day the car leaves, then send the receipt to your town assessor with your bill of sale.
Do I remove my license plates before pickup in Massachusetts?
Yes, the plates stay with the seller.
You don’t hand them back to the RMV either. Cutting them in half and recycling them is enough.
Can I sell a junk car with a loan on it in Massachusetts?
Only after the lien is cleared, and the lender has to send the release letter first.
If the loan is still open, talk to them before you accept an offer. Most will let you put the sale money toward the balance.
Learn more: How to Sell a Financed Car
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Massachusetts?
Yes. The title proves ownership, not the registration, and buyers tow the car anyway.
Cancel it afterwards even though it’s expired. A registration that lapsed isn’t the same as one that’s cancelled, and the excise bills follow the cancellation.
What if I lost the keys to my junk car?
The sale still goes through, but expect a lower number. Without keys the driver can’t power up the dash to read the odometer, and buyers price that in.
Say so on the quote form rather than at pickup. Our guide on selling a car with lost keys has more.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"yes" 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
"required (the title's price space counts as the bill of sale)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form TTL 117" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form REG100 (Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Affidavit of Surviving Spouse (for surviving spouse), Voluntary Administration Statement Form MPC 170 (for small estates), or Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probated estates)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Form TTL 108 (Junking or Scrapping a Motor Vehicle, filed by the licensed buyer); the seller provides registration plus a bill of sale plus a photo ID" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"not required" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Does Plate Surrender Release Liability?
"no, you must cancel your registration online with the RMV to release liability and stop excise tax bills" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$25 plus title fee and applicable taxes" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Conditions to Sell Without Title
"licensed junk car buyers can accept vehicles with alternative ownership documents instead of a title when the vehicle is going to scrap; passenger vehicles model year 1980 or older purchased before November 26, 1990 are also exempt from titling" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Sell Without Title: Legal Authority
"MGL Chapter 90D Section 20E (junk and scrap exception); Mass.gov Vehicle Certificate of Title page (age-exempt vehicles)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$25" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"ELT (Electronic Lien and Title) is used by lienholders only. If a loan exists, the lender holds the title; once paid off, the lender releases the title for the seller to use." Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Estate Value Threshold
"$25,000 in personal property excluding one motor vehicle (small estate threshold for voluntary administration under MGL Chapter 190B Section 3-1201)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Title and Registration" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"myRMV" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"not required (buyer needs a passing test to register statewide, as part of the annual inspection)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Generic (no state form)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
