Cash for Junk Cars in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County junk cars run from smog-failed commuters to cars left without a catalytic converter after a theft, anywhere from Long Beach to the San Fernando Valley. Describe yours once and screened buyers who cover the Los Angeles area send offers in minutes. The buyer you choose tows it free and pays you at pickup.
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Junk Car Pickup Around Los Angeles
Buyers on Reap My Ride cover Los Angeles and the surrounding Los Angeles counties. If your town isn't listed, enter your ZIP — the form confirms which buyers cover it.
- Los Angeles
- Van Nuys
- Long Beach
- Reseda
- North Hollywood
- Sylmar
- Compton
- Northridge
- Woodland Hills
- Panorama City
- Glendale
- Lancaster
- Pacoima
- North Hills
- Inglewood
- Canoga Park
Most common locations in Los Angeles-area quote requests, Jul 2025–Aug 2026.
What Los Angeles Junk Cars Sold For
- 1985 Nissan Pickup · Long Beach$365
- 1999 Honda Civic · Signal Hill$370
- 2000 Honda Odyssey · Los Angeles$350
- 2001 BMW 3-Series · Long Beach$315
- 2002 Toyota 4Runner · Glendale$1,720
- 2005 Ford Focus · Los Angeles$290
- 2006 Honda CR-V · Los Angeles$905
- 2006 Honda Civic · Lakewood$465
- 2007 Ford Fusion · Inglewood$300
- 2007 Nissan Sentra · Long Beach$870
- 2007 Toyota Prius · Long Beach$710
- 2010 Subaru Forester · Los Angeles$1,270
- 2010 Toyota Prius · Pasadena$1,620
- 2012 Hyundai Veloster · Signal Hill$1,155
- 2012 Lexus IS · Los Angeles$2,795
- 2013 Hyundai Veloster · Long Beach$840
- 2013 Toyota Prius · Los Angeles$3,605
- 2014 Honda Accord · Los Angeles$2,375
- 2014 Infiniti QX60 · Glendale$1,220
- 2015 Audi A4 · Los Angeles$1,875
- 2015 Ford Focus · Pasadena$3,910
- 2017 Chevrolet Malibu · Los Angeles$755
- 2017 KIA Rio · Long Beach$240
- 2018 Dodge Charger · Inglewood$1,090
- 2018 Porsche Macan · Los Angeles$8,420
- 2019 Volkswagen Jetta · Long Beach$3,090
- 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid · Los Angeles$2,610
Individual completed sales through Reap My Ride in the Los Angeles area. Recent sales; dates not recorded.
Catalytic converters and LA's possession law
Since June 5, 2023, Los Angeles has made it a misdemeanor to possess a catalytic converter that isn't attached to a vehicle unless you can prove lawful possession — written documents that clearly identify the vehicle it came from, such as a bill of sale with photographs, paperwork from a body shop, or a registration with a matching etched plate number or VIN. Each converter is a separate violation, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both. Only core recyclers are exempt.
State law adds its own limits: since January 1, 2023, recyclers may buy converters only from businesses such as dismantlers and repair shops or from an individual who can document lawful ownership, and must record the vehicle's year, make and model and keep a copy of its title. The simplest route is to leave the converter on the car and sell the car whole. If it has already been stolen, say so on the form so every buyer prices the same car.
Sources: City of Los Angeles Ordinance 187818 (LAMC §56.32) · Bureau of Automotive Repair: 2023 legislation (SB 1087, AB 1740)
Replace Your Ride: South Coast AQMD's retirement grant
Most of Los Angeles County — everywhere except the area covered by the Antelope Valley's own air district — is in the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Its Replace Your Ride program helps income-qualified residents retire a model year 2010 or older passenger vehicle that has been operated in California and in their name for the last two years. Household income limits start at $46,950 for one person and $96,450 for four.
The grant goes toward a cleaner replacement: up to $9,500 for a battery-electric or fuel-cell car or $10,000 for a plug-in hybrid ($2,000 more in disadvantaged communities), or $7,500 for an e-bike or public transportation card instead. Other requirements apply. If you aren't replacing the car or it doesn't qualify, buyers on Reap My Ride make offers on it as it is and pay at pickup.
Sources: South Coast AQMD: Replace Your Ride · South Coast AQMD: Replace Your Ride flyer · CARB: South Coast AQMD jurisdiction
Selling a junk car in California: the paperwork
Sign the title over
Sign the California Certificate of Title (pink slip) as the seller and hand it to the buyer at pickup, with the odometer reading filled in — federal rules require odometer disclosure for most transfers. If a lender is still listed, it has to release its interest first.
File your release of liability within 5 days
California law requires you to notify the DMV within 5 calendar days of the sale with a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL, form REG 138). File it online and keep the confirmation — the record updates within one business day, and you're no longer liable for parking or traffic violations after the date of sale.
Leave standard plates on the car
Standard California plates generally stay with the vehicle; a licensed dismantler turns them in to the DMV or reports their destruction. Personalized, special interest and disabled person plates belong to you — take them off before pickup.
No smog certificate for a junk sale
A seller normally has to provide a smog certification, but that requirement doesn't apply when the car is sold to be legally wrecked or dismantled (CVC § 24007(b)). A car that failed its Smog Check can be sold as it is.
No title?
California has no true no-title sale for scrap. Apply for a replacement title with form REG 227 ($28), or sign a REG 227 and give it to a licensed dismantler in place of the lost title; a lienholder's release on it must be notarized. If the car was never transferred into your name, the buyer will need bills of sale showing the chain of ownership.
Sources: California DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability · California DMV: how to change vehicle ownership · California DMV Dismantlers Handbook 6.010: California-titled vehicles · California DMV: registration and title fees · California Vehicle Code §24007
What Is a Junk Car Worth in Los Angeles?
Recent Los Angeles-area sales through Reap My Ride ranged from $240 to $8,420, with a median of $1,090. 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 Los Angeles
Call (877) 451-4417Can I sell a car in Los Angeles if its catalytic converter was stolen?
Yes. Buyers still make offers — tick that the converter is missing so the offers reflect it. Don't try to sell a loose converter on its own: in Los Angeles, possessing one that isn't attached to a vehicle without documents identifying the car it came from is a misdemeanor.
My car failed its Smog Check. Do I have to fix it before I sell it?
No. California doesn't require a smog certificate when a car is sold to be legally wrecked or dismantled. If the car still drives, also compare offers with the state's Consumer Assistance Program retirement payment — see the California junk car guide.
Can I sell a junk car in Los Angeles without a title?
Usually you need either the title or a workaround. Apply for a replacement with DMV form REG 227 ($28), or sign a REG 227 and give it to a licensed dismantler in place of the lost title. If you bought the car and never transferred it, keep the bills of sale showing the chain of ownership. See selling without a title.
What do I do with my California plates?
Standard California plates generally stay on the car, and the dismantler handles them with the DMV. Remove personalized, special interest or disabled person plates — those belong to you. Then file your Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability with the DMV within 5 days of the sale.
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 a tow truck can reach it: a driveway, a carport, a storage lot or a shop. You agree the pickup window with the buyer.
Sell Your Junk Car in Los Angeles
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