The five inputs that decide your offer
First, curb weight. Roughly three quarters of a vehicle's mass is recoverable ferrous metal, and that metal sells by the ton. Scrap sedans typically weigh 2,700–3,400 lb, mid-size SUVs 3,800–4,600 lb, and full-size pickups 4,700–6,000 lb — which is why a truck can pay two to three times what a small car pays with identical damage.
Second, the regional scrap price. Shredded auto bodies trade at a per-ton price that differs by region because of mill capacity, export access, and freight. That's the single biggest reason two identical cars get different offers in different states.
Third, parts demand for your specific year, make, and model. A recent, common platform is worth more than its metal because dismantlers can sell the panels, lights, wheels, glass, modules, and drivetrain. A rare or very old car with no parts market is mostly weight.
Fourth, the catalytic converter. It's frequently the highest-value single component still attached, because of the platinum, palladium, and rhodium inside. Whether it's present — and whether it's the factory unit — genuinely moves the number, which is why every buyer asks.
Fifth, recovery cost. Tow distance and difficulty come straight off the top. A car in a driveway ten minutes from a yard nets more than the same car an hour out, behind a locked gate, on soft ground, with two flat tyres.
How much 'running' actually matters
Less than almost every seller expects. At the salvage level, a running car and a non-running car of the same model usually land within a couple hundred dollars of each other, because the buyer is pricing material and components rather than transportation.
Where running condition matters enormously is a private sale. A roadworthy car sells to a driver, and drivers pay retail. So the honest question isn't 'does it run', it's 'is it worth putting on the road' — if the repair bill exceeds the running-condition value, the private market disappears and the salvage number becomes the real number.
The same logic covers a failed inspection, a slipping transmission, or a knocking engine. Those change the private-sale price dramatically and the salvage price barely.
What raises and lowers the number
Raises it: heavier vehicle; complete car with all four wheels, glass, and body panels; factory catalytic converter present; a known-good engine or transmission on an in-demand platform; aluminium wheels; a recent model year; easy access for a flatbed; a dense metro location.
Lowers it: a removed or aftermarket converter; missing wheels, doors, hood, or seats; a stripped engine bay; fire or flood damage to recoverable parts; standing water or heavy interior contamination; a car that won't roll or steer; a rural pickup with a long tow; an unreleased lien or missing title that adds paperwork.
Neutral, despite the folklore: cosmetic rust on panels, a dead battery, a cracked windscreen, high mileage, or a very dirty interior. None of those change what the car weighs or what a dismantler can pull off it.
Do the arithmetic before you repair anything
Look up what your exact year, make, model, and mileage sells for in good running order. Subtract the shop's installed repair quote. Compare the remainder with the salvage offer you can get today with towing included.
On mainstream cars past about ten years old, that comparison almost always favours selling — a $3,000 transmission or a $2,500 head gasket does not add $3,000 of value to a $2,500 car. On newer vehicles with high remaining value and one well-defined fault, repair often wins.
One thing not to do: strip the valuable parts and then sell the shell. It reduces the offer by more than the parts usually fetch, and it turns a simple flatbed collection into a difficult one.
Sanity-checking an offer you've been given
Ask three questions. Is towing included, or deducted at the curb? Is payment at pickup, or after weighing? And is the number written down against a stated description of the vehicle?
If a quote is dramatically above every other offer, treat it as a red flag rather than a win. The high-quote-then-renegotiate pattern is the most common complaint in this industry, and it works because the car is already loaded when the number changes.
Compare against your own market rather than a national figure. The state table below reflects the current regional scrap picture we're working with, and each state and city page goes further with local ranges and verified local buyers.