Get Cash for Your Used, Damaged, or Junk Car in Raleigh–Durham, NC
In Raleigh, keeping two or more unlicensed or wrecked cars out in the open can bring a $100 citation per vehicle, rising to $500 a day if the problem continues. Describe yours once and the screened local buyer Reap My Ride partners with across Wake, Durham, Johnston and Orange counties makes you a firm offer. Accept it, and the buyer tows it free, often the same day, and pays at pickup.
Get offers in Raleigh–Durham
Takes about 60 seconds. No obligation, no account.
Junk Car Pickup Around Raleigh–Durham
Reap My Ride's screened local buyer covers Raleigh–Durham and the surrounding Wake, Durham, Johnston and Orange counties. If your town isn't listed, enter your ZIP and the form confirms whether it's covered.
- Raleigh
- Durham
- Knightdale
- Cary
- Wake Forest
- Fuquay-Varina
- Apex
- Carrboro
- Smithfield
- Zebulon
Most common locations in Raleigh–Durham-area quote requests, Apr 2025–Aug 2026.
What Raleigh–Durham Junk Cars Sold For
- 1996 Ford Econoline · Raleigh$405
- 2002 BMW 320 · Durham$250
- 2003 Toyota RAV4 · Chapel Hill$725
- 2004 Toyota Corolla · Cary$650
- 2004 Toyota Matrix · Raleigh$300
- 2004 Volkswagen Golf · Garner$280
- 2004 Volvo V70 · Durham$315
- 2006 Jeep Liberty · Raleigh$335
- 2007 Chrysler 300 · Durham$345
- 2007 Honda Accord · Durham$395
- 2007 Honda Civic · Cary$250
- 2008 Ford Focus · Raleigh$230
- 2008 Toyota RAV4 · Apex$1,125
- 2009 KIA Rio · Raleigh$360
- 2010 Honda Accord · Cary$545
- 2010 Nissan Altima · Raleigh$335
- 2011 Ford Escape · Garner$605
- 2011 Ford Escape · Durham$670
- 2011 Volkswagen Jetta · Raleigh$610
- 2012 Ford Escape · Durham$285
- 2012 Nissan NV Cargo · Durham$575
- 2012 Volkswagen Jetta · Chapel Hill$1,080
- 2013 Acura ILX · Raleigh$1,850
- 2014 Ford Escape · Durham$260
- 2014 Ford Fusion · Cary$495
- 2014 Toyota Corolla · Durham$3,135
- 2016 Chevrolet Equinox · Durham$825
- 2016 Ford Escape · Apex$765
- 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe · Raleigh$2,600
- 2016 Nissan Sentra · Durham$470
- 2017 Hyundai Elantra · Cary$1,580
- 2018 Ram ProMaster City · Raleigh$860
Individual completed sales through Reap My Ride in the Raleigh–Durham area. Recent sales; dates not recorded.
Raleigh's abandoned and nuisance vehicle rules
Raleigh's vehicle rules are in Part 12, Chapter 7 of the City Code. A vehicle is abandoned if it breaks a parking law on a public street or sits there for more than seven days, stays on City-owned property for more than 24 hours, or is left on private property for more than two hours without the consent of the owner, occupant or tenant. It becomes a nuisance if it harbors rats or insects, sits in weeds over eight inches tall, collects garbage or water, stores flammable fluids, has jagged metal or broken glass, or could roll or fall.
For a nuisance vehicle on private property, Code Enforcement posts a notice on the car and sends one by certified mail, with a deadline at least seven days later; after that, the car is towed at the owner's expense. Open storage of two or more unlicensed, uninspected, wrecked or dismantled vehicles is a separate violation, with a $100 civil citation per vehicle and $500 a day if it continues. Police remove abandoned and nuisance vehicles from streets and City property without notice to the owner.
Report a car on private property through the Ask Raleigh portal or to Code Enforcement at 919-996-2444. For an abandoned car on a city street, call 919-831-6311 or 919-996-3335.
Sources: City of Raleigh: public nuisances · City of Raleigh: frequently called numbers
Durham's seven-day vehicle tag
Durham handles abandoned, hazardous and junked motor vehicles under Chapter 26, Article V, Division 2 of the City Code, enforced by Neighborhood Improvement Services. When a vehicle breaks those rules, an officer places a tag on it, and every violation must be brought into compliance within 7 days. Questions about a tag go to the Code Enforcement Officer named on it, or to Code Enforcement at 919-560-4570, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To report a vehicle, call Durham One Call at 919-560-1200, where English- and Spanish-speaking staff log a service request, or use the online request form, which the City says it processes within one business day. The ordinance is a City of Durham rule, so it applies inside city limits.
Sources: City of Durham: Code Enforcement · City of Durham: notice of violation · Durham Neighborhood Compass: code violations
Selling a junk car in North Carolina: the paperwork
Sign the title in front of a notary
A North Carolina title has to be notarized. Sign and hand-print your name in the seller's section and add the odometer reading if it's required (model year 2011 and newer, until the car is 20 years old). Any lien must be released first.
Keep your plate
The plate stays with you, not the car. Transfer it to another vehicle you own, or turn it in at any NCDMV license plate agency or by mail and ask for a receipt. Turn it in before you cancel your insurance, or you can be fined for a lapse in coverage.
Clear the car from your record
If the car still shows in your name after the sale, NCDMV's Form MVR-46F, signed before a notary, asks the DMV to cancel the registration record. Submit it by mail or at a license plate agency.
No title?
If the car is 12 or more model years old, a recycler or salvage yard can buy it for scrap without a title under G.S. 20-62.1. You sign a statement that you can sell it, that it's lien-free and that it will be scrapped, and the buyer copies your photo ID. For a newer car, a duplicate title costs $25.50 with Form MVR-4, which must be notarized, and requests age 15 days before they're processed.
Sources: NCDMV: title transfer · NCDMV: insurance and license plates · NCDMV: Form MVR-46F · N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-62.1: scrap purchases without a title · NCDMV: replacement or duplicate title · NCDMV: fee schedule (MVR-94)
What Is a Junk Car Worth in Raleigh–Durham?
Recent Raleigh–Durham-area sales through Reap My Ride ranged from $230 to $3,135, with a median of $545. Where your car lands depends on its weight, whether it runs, and whether the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still on it.
The metal floor follows the national scrap rate — $195 a ton in October 2026. Check yours with the scrap value calculator, or see how junk car prices work.
Selling a Junk Car in Raleigh–Durham
Call (877) 451-4417Do I need a title to sell a junk car in Raleigh or Durham?
Not for a car that's 12 or more model years old. Under G.S. 20-62.1, a recycler or salvage yard can buy it for scrap once you sign a statement that it's yours, lien-free and headed for scrap, and show photo ID. For a newer car, order a duplicate from NCDMV with a notarized Form MVR-4 for $25.50 and allow for the 15-day wait. More at selling without a title.
Should my North Carolina plate go with the car?
No. The plate stays with the owner, so remove it and either transfer it to another vehicle or return it to a license plate agency. Return it before you cancel insurance to avoid a fine for a lapse in coverage. See how to junk a car in North Carolina.
Which areas does the local buyer cover around Raleigh and Durham?
Reap My Ride has a screened local buyer covering Wake, Durham, Johnston and Orange counties, including Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Apex, Knightdale, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina, Zebulon, Smithfield and Carrboro. Offers are typically valid for 5 days.
Raleigh says my car is a nuisance. What happens next?
Code Enforcement posts a notice on the car and sends one by certified mail, giving at least seven days to fix it. If it isn't corrected, the City tows it at your expense, and you pay the towing and storage fees to get it back.
My car got a vehicle tag in Durham. How long do I have?
Seven days to bring it into compliance. Call the officer named on the tag, or Code Enforcement at 919-560-4570, with questions. If the car won't be fixed in time, here's how selling it works.
Sell Your Junk Car in Raleigh–Durham
Describe it once and get a firm offer from a screened local buyer. Free towing, same day in most areas, paid at pickup.
(877) 451-4417Get My Free Quotes →