There’s nothing worse than owning a junk car. They break down constantly, they’re expensive to maintain, and half the time they won’t even get you from point A to point B. If you’re ready to sell your junk car for cash, you’ve likely come to the conclusion that it’s no longer worth the hassle. Here at Rusty’s, we couldn’t agree more! Selling an old junk car and using the cash you get to purchase a newer vehicle is a smart decision.
If you’ve called around to junkyards to find out what they’ll pay for your vehicle, you’ve likely found out that your car’s weight is a major determining factor in assessing its value. You see, most scrap yards use the weight of your vehicle to figure out how much they can afford to pay you for it.
Why? Because the more your vehicle weighs, the more scrap metal it contains. And the more scrap metal there is in your vehicle, the more cash it’s going to be worth. While it’s true that some scrap yards will adjust their pricing based on the usable parts that your vehicle contains, the weight of your car is still important when it comes to figuring out how much it’s worth.
With this in mind, you’re probably wondering what your junk car weighs. But when you go to look up the weight, you’re presented with all sorts of acronyms, abbreviations, and different numbers. What do they all mean? Let’s take a look.
How to Determine What Your Junk Car Weighs
The weight of a vehicle is often printed on a sticker that can be found on the frame of the car, inside the area that’s exposed when you open the driver’s side door. However, the location can vary from one vehicle to another.
Even if you run an Internet search for the weight of your vehicle, you may still have trouble figuring out what your car weighs. Why? Because the weight of a vehicle is commonly presented in several different formats. Let’s see what each of them actually means.
- Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): The maximum weight that your car is capable of carrying. This refers to the maximum weight of people and cargo that should be placed in the vehicle in combination with the actual weight of the vehicle itself.
- Payload: This number is the maximum amount that the vehicle can haul including the weight of the car, all of its contents, and a trailer or other item that you might be towing.
- Gross Vehicle Weight: This is the weight of a vehicle including all of its contents (passengers, cargo, and so on).
- Curb Weight: This is the number you’re looking for. It’s the actual weight of your vehicle itself, minus any passengers, equipment, or other contents.
Getting the Most Cash for Your Junk Car
Once you know the curb weight for your junk car, you can find out how much a local junkyard will pay for it. But how do you know that you’re getting a fair price?
Finding a reliable junk car buyer can be tough. Fortunately, you can rest assured that you’re getting top dollar when you sell your junk car to Rusty’s Auto Salvage. We pay the most for junk cars, and we’ll even tow your vehicle at no cost to you. Call us today at (888) 309-1069 to get started!
