Vehicle Qualifications
Locations Served
We cover the entire United States. Please use our auction finder page to make sure we have an auction location within 100 miles of your location. Even if we do not have a location within 100 miles, we may still be able to pickup your vehicle, however the towing cost will be quite high and your payment will reflect the higher cost.
Types of Vehicles Sold
We can sell cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, boats on trailers, jet skis on trailers, snowmobiles on trailers, and RV’s (both motorized and tow-behind)
We do not sell mobile homes, large commercial trucks, boats or other non-car items that are not on towable trailers.
Acceptance Policy
CarAlternative.com does decline applications for service when the estimated auction sale price of the vehicle is less than our cost to process the order. Roughly speaking, a vehicle must have an estimated auction value of at least $400 before we’ll consider accepting it. Below we have given general guidelines for what vehicles can be accepted. If after reading this page you are still unsure if the vehicle will sell for at least $400 at auction, spend five minutes and submit a service application. We will send you a decision by email within one hour, Monday thru Friday 8am to 5pm Pacific time.
Vehicles with Liens
We cannot sell any car that still has a loan against it. If your loan has been paid off and the original lienholder is still on your Certificate of Title, we will need a lien release document from your lender stapled to your Title.
Vehicles 10 Years and Newer:
Generally, any car 10 years or newer will be accepted in any condition (including complete engine or transmission failure. Exceptions may occur when the car body is in extremely poor condition.
Vehicles between 10 and 15 Years Old:
Whether we can accept a vehicle in this age range depends primarily on the particular year make and model. Certain vehicles have excellent resale value in this age range, while others have poorer resale value.
Mileage, condition, and location will also determine whether we can accept a vehicle in this age range.
A good way to check if we’ll take your 10-15 year old vehicle is to go to our estimate vehicle sale price page and follow our instructions for checking the Kelley Blue Book value.
Vehicles between 15 and 20 Years Old:
Only vehicles with strong resale value and in good condition can be accepted in this age range. Examples include: pickup trucks, 4WD vehicles, popular muscle cars, luxury cars (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, etc.), and cars known for excellent reliability (Honda, Toyota).
A good way to check if we’ll take your 15-20 year old vehicle is to go to our estimate vehicle sale price page and follow our instructions for checking the Kelley Blue Book value.
Boats, Motorcycles, and Other types of Vehicles
If you aren’t certain if your vehicle can sell for $400 at auction, please submit a service application form and we will respond with a decision in one hour, between 8am to 5pm Monday thru Friday Pacific time.
Vehicles Older than 20 Years:
We rarely accept a vehicle older than 20 years. Exceptions include classics, barely used vehicles in excellent condition, and high resale value vehicles.
Title, Registration, and Smog Requirements
Except in the state of Washington a valid clear (no lien holder) title is required. In the state of Washington we will also accept an Affidavit in Lieu of Title.
Registration need not be current and we do not require proof of smog compliance.