Junk Car Paperwork Checklist: What to Check Before You Tow

Most junk car problems start in the driveway: a title in someone else’s name, a lien nobody mentioned, a VIN that doesn’t match. Five minutes with the paperwork before the car goes on the truck saves days of trouble later.

This checklist covers what to look at on every car. Your state will have its own rules on top, so treat this as the minimum and check with your state’s motor vehicle agency and your own attorney for the rest.

1. The title

• Is it in the seller’s name? If not, you’re buying from someone who doesn’t own the car on paper. Stop and sort it out first.
• Is it the original? A photocopy is not a title.
• Is it signed in the right places? Seller’s signature where the state says, and notarized in the states that require it. See title rules by state.
• What kind of title is it? Clean, salvage, rebuilt, junk. It changes what the car is worth and, in some states, what you can do with it.
• Two owners on the title? In many states, if the names are joined by “and”, both have to sign. If it’s “or”, either can. Check your state.

2. The seller’s ID

Look at a photo ID and make sure the name matches the title. Many states require scrap and salvage buyers to record the seller’s ID for every vehicle they buy; even where they don’t, it’s your protection if the car turns out to be stolen.

3. The VIN

Check the VIN on the car (usually on the dash at the windshield and on the driver’s door jamb) against the title. If they don’t match, don’t load the car.

Before pickup, you can run the VIN through an NMVTIS report provider to see its title history and any brands like salvage or junk.

4. Liens

A lienholder listed on the title has a claim on the car until the loan is paid. Ask the seller for the lien release letter, or a title that shows the lien released, before you buy.

5. The odometer statement

Federal law requires the seller to write the mileage on the title when they sign it over for cars from model year 2011 and newer, until the car is 20 years old. Older cars are exempt. Your state’s title shows where.

6. A bill of sale

Even when your state doesn’t require one, write a simple bill of sale: date, price, year, make, model, VIN, both names and both signatures. Give the seller a copy. It’s their proof they sold the car, and yours that you paid for it.

7. The plates

States handle plates differently: some want them off the car before it leaves, some let the seller move them to their next car, some want them turned in. Tell the seller before pickup day so nobody is hunting for a screwdriver in the driveway.

8. Your own records and reporting

• NMVTIS. Junk and salvage yards that handle five or more junk or salvage vehicles a year must report the vehicles they acquire to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System every month, under federal rule 28 CFR 25.56. Some states set shorter deadlines. Start at vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov.
• State scrap and salvage records. Many states require scrap buyers to keep records of each purchase (the seller’s ID, the VIN, photos) and some have special rules for catalytic converters. Learn yours.
• Release of liability. In many states the seller should notify the motor vehicle agency that they sold the car, so they aren’t responsible for it afterward. Remind them; it protects both of you.

Tell the seller what to have ready

Most paperwork problems disappear if the seller knows what to have ready before you arrive. Say it on the call and put it in your confirmation text:

On Clunqr Leads, the seller’s offer page lets them send you a photo of the title before pickup day, so you can see it before your driver leaves the yard. See how it works.