Sell a junk car for cash without a title
A missing title is the thing we get asked about more than anything else, and for most sellers it is not the obstacle they are expecting.
What we need instead of a title
We can buy most vehicles without a title as long as you have photo ID and the current registration in your name. Those two together show the car is yours to sell, which is the job the title would otherwise be doing. Bring both to the pickup and the driver handles the paperwork with you on the spot.
There is a real difference between not having the title yet and not being able to get one, and it is worth knowing which of the two you are. If yours is lost and replaced, in the post, or you have applied for a duplicate, you will have it in hand by pickup, so it costs you nothing at all. Only a seller with no title and no route to one takes a deduction, and it is a single small fixed amount rather than a renegotiation.
Everything else about the sale is unchanged. The quote is still built on the vehicle's weight, the tow is still free, and you are still paid in cash before it leaves. A missing title changes the paperwork at the kerb, not the process that produced your number.
What to have on you
Photo ID, the registration, and the keys if they still exist. No keys is not a problem. Nothing needs to be filed or arranged in advance.
Still waiting on it? No cost
A duplicate in the post, or a replacement already applied for, changes nothing about your offer. You will have it by pickup.
Paperwork at the kerb
The driver completes it with you at the vehicle. Nothing to file in advance, nothing to chase afterwards.
Replacing a title in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana
We buy across three states, and a replacement title is the one errand sellers are most often sent to the wrong building for, because none of the three handle it the same way. If you decide you do want the title in hand first, here is where it actually comes from.
In Ohio it is a County Clerk of Courts title office, not a BMV deputy registrar. The BMV has your plates and your licence, but titles sit with the courts, which is why people turn up at the wrong counter. You fill in an Application for Certificate of Title to a Motor Vehicle, form BMV 3774, sign it in front of a notary, and the clerk issues a copy marked "duplicate" across the face.
Kentucky runs it through your local county clerk, on an application that has to be notarised and signed by every owner named on the title. That last part catches people out when two names are joined by "and" rather than "or", because then you need both signatures. The Transportation Cabinet prints the title the next working day and posts it, so it is not something you can collect over the counter.
Indiana is the simplest of the three because the BMV holds titles itself. A duplicate can be ordered through a myBMV account, at a branch, at a kiosk or by post, on State Form 205, with unexpired photo ID. Worth knowing that a duplicate only replaces the document. It cannot change who is on the title or clear a lien, and both of those are separate jobs.
None of this has to happen before you call us. If it sounds like more trouble than it is worth, say so when you get your quote and we will tell you plainly whether it is worth the trip, because on a car at the end of its life it often is not.
Three steps between you and a stack of cash
Get a free quote
Tell us the year, make, model and ZIP. We price it on the spot, by phone or through the form.
Get picked up
Pick a time that works, often the same day. Our driver comes to you anywhere in the Tri-State.
Get paid cash
You get cash in hand when the vehicle goes on the truck. Nothing mailed, nothing withheld.
No
catch
This industry has earned its reputation. Here is exactly how we operate, in writing, before you ever pick up the phone.
No towing fee. Ever.
Towing is free on every pickup, every time. It is never deducted from what we quoted you.
No obligation.
Hear the offer, think about it, say no. There is no pressure and nothing to sign up front.
No waiting on a check.
You are paid in cash at pickup, not mailed later, not held until the title clears.
No lowball at the kerb.
We are the yard, not a broker passing your details on, so there is no margin to shave off when the driver arrives.
What people ask about this
For most sellers, no. It is the same weight-based number either way. The only case that differs is a vehicle with no title and no route to getting one, which carries a single small fixed deduction rather than a renegotiated price.
Ohio and Indiana can often be done in one visit, while Kentucky prints and posts yours, so allow a few days there. If you are already at the counter it is worth finishing. If you have not started, it usually is not worth delaying the sale for.
Usually still fine. An expired registration in your name still shows the vehicle was yours, which is the question we are trying to answer. Tell us when you get the quote and we will confirm before the truck is booked rather than at the kerb.
Not until the lien is released, and that is the lender's job rather than the title office's. If the loan is paid off, ask them for the release. A duplicate title will not remove a lien, so that trip on its own will not solve it.
Often yes, but it depends on how the estate was handled and which state the title is in, so it is worth a phone call rather than a form. Tell us the situation and we will tell you what we would need before sending anyone out.
Not on ID and registration alone, because it was never yours to sell. There is a legal route to claim an abandoned vehicle and it runs through your local authority. Call us and we will point you at the right step for your county.
No. An out-of-state title is still proof the vehicle is yours, and we buy across Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana, so titles crossing the river are routine here.
What Cincinnati says
“Such a quick and easy process. We bought a car that ended up having way too many problems to fix and we just wanted it gone.”
Review on Google
“They gave me a great price for my dead car, came and towed away for free and paid cash.”
Review on Google
“Towed my vehicle at no charge and paid a fair price for it. Everyone who works for the company is courteous and helpful.”
Review on Google
“Came and picked up my vehicle within an hour or so after I called. Paid cash as they picked it up.”
Review on Google
“Such a quick and easy process. We bought a car that ended up having way too many problems to fix and we just wanted it gone.”
Review on Google
“They gave me a great price for my dead car, came and towed away for free and paid cash.”
Review on Google
“Towed my vehicle at no charge and paid a fair price for it. Everyone who works for the company is courteous and helpful.”
Review on Google
“Came and picked up my vehicle within an hour or so after I called. Paid cash as they picked it up.”
Review on Google
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