Cash for Junk Cars in Houston, TX
Houston turns out a steady stream of junk cars — flood-damaged vehicles after big storms, high-mileage commuters that finally quit, and trucks that have sat in the driveway long enough to draw a city notice. Describe yours once and screened buyers who cover the Houston area send offers, usually within 15 minutes. The tow is free and you are paid at pickup.
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Junk Car Pickup Around Houston
Buyers on Reap My Ride cover Houston and the surrounding Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston counties. If your town isn't listed, enter your ZIP — the form confirms which buyers cover it.
- Houston
- Katy
- Spring
- Pasadena
- Tomball
- Humble
- Cypress
- Kingwood
- Magnolia
- Rosharon
- Richmond
- Alvin
- Missouri City
- Pearland
- Porter
- Conroe
Most common locations in Houston-area quote requests, Jul 2025–Aug 2026.
What Houston Junk Cars Sold For
- 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme · Houston$495
- 1988 Ford F-150 · Pasadena$550
- 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 · Houston$525
- 2000 Honda Civic · Houston$420
- 2000 Toyota Tundra · Katy$395
- 2001 Honda CR-V · Houston$650
- 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe · Pearland$635
- 2003 Infiniti G35 · Houston$1,190
- 2004 Toyota Highlander · Sugar Land$615
- 2005 Chrysler 300 · Houston$525
- 2005 Lexus ES · Houston$950
- 2005 Toyota Tundra · Pasadena$1,870
- 2006 BMW X3 · Houston$540
- 2006 KIA Sedona · Katy$615
- 2007 Honda CR-V · Houston$1,295
- 2007 Toyota Tundra · Pearland$3,530
- 2008 Dodge Charger · Houston$330
- 2008 Ford Expedition · Sugar Land$525
- 2008 Lexus ES 350 · Houston$1,055
- 2010 Honda Ridgeline · Katy$1,550
- 2010 Lexus ES · Houston$2,805
- 2011 GMC Terrain · Pasadena$1,205
- 2011 Honda Accord · Houston$1,485
Individual completed sales through Reap My Ride in the Houston area. Recent sales; dates not recorded.
Flood-damaged cars in Houston
If a car has been flooded badly enough that the damage is worth more than the vehicle, Texas treats it as salvage or nonrepairable. Before it can be transferred to most buyers, the owner has to get a salvage or nonrepairable title with a "Flood Damage" brand from TxDMV.
The exception that matters if you are junking it: you can transfer a flood-damaged vehicle to a licensed salvage dealer, used auto parts recycler or metal recycler without branding the title first. Buyers on Reap My Ride buy flood cars as they are — say on the form how high the water reached so every buyer prices the same damage.
Houston's junked vehicle rules
Under Texas law and Houston's code, a vehicle that is wrecked, dismantled or inoperable and has no current license plate or valid inspection is a junked vehicle once it has sat on private property for 30 consecutive days — and a public nuisance if it can be seen from the street or a public place.
The City places a notice on the vehicle and mails a 30-day notice to fix it, followed by a 10-day final notice before abatement. Maintaining the nuisance is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $200. Selling it before the deadline ends the problem — and buyers on Reap My Ride can usually pick up within a day or two.
Sources: City of Houston: junk motor vehicles · Texas Transportation Code §683.071
Selling a junk car in Texas: the paperwork
Sign the title over
Give the buyer the title signed with the date of sale and the odometer reading.
Keep or deface your plates
Texas plates can come off with you. Move them to another vehicle of the same type, keep them, or deface the front of them with permanent ink so they can't be misused. The registration sticker does not transfer.
File a Vehicle Transfer Notification within 30 days
File it online with TxDMV. If you do it within 30 days of the sale you can't be held responsible for the buyer's tickets or tolls.
No title?
Texas generally requires one. Since January 1, 2026, a licensed used auto parts recycler can scrap a vehicle without a title only if it is at least 13 years old and hasn't been registered for 7 years. Otherwise, a certified copy of your title costs $2 by mail or $5.45 in person at a TxDMV Regional Service Center.
Sources: TxDMV: buying or selling a vehicle · TxDMV: used auto parts recyclers and untitled vehicles · TxDMV: get a copy of your title
What Is a Junk Car Worth in Houston?
Recent Houston-area sales through Reap My Ride ranged from $330 to $3,530, with a median of $635. 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 — $185 a ton in February 2026. Check yours with the scrap value calculator, or see how junk car prices work.
Selling a Junk Car in Houston
Call (877) 451-4417How fast can a junk car be picked up in Houston?
Most Houston-area pickups happen the same or next day after you accept an offer. You choose the window, and the buyer's driver calls ahead.
Can I sell a junk car in Houston without a title?
Usually you need one. Texas only lets a licensed recycler scrap an untitled vehicle if it is at least 13 years old and hasn't been registered for 7 years. For anything else, a certified copy of your title costs $2 by mail or $5.45 in person from TxDMV — far less than the discount for selling without one. See selling without a title.
Will buyers take a flooded car?
Yes. A flood car can be sold to a licensed salvage dealer, parts recycler or metal recycler without branding the title first. Describe the water line honestly so the offers match the damage.
Do I need to be home for the pickup?
Yes — you or another person who can sign the title need to be there to sign and take payment. The car can be anywhere accessible to a tow truck: a driveway, a storage lot or a shop.
What do I do with my Texas plates?
Take them off. You can move them to another vehicle of the same type, keep them, or deface them. Then file a Vehicle Transfer Notification with TxDMV within 30 days.
Sell Your Junk Car in Houston
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