Sell a car in any condition in Tulsa

What the buyer says it takes, and what it checks at pickup

The buyer's home page sets the frame in one line about range, "from wrecked and rusted to flawless," and one about limits: "There are no car age restrictions, no mileage limits." Its junk-car page lists the cases people assume are hopeless, "Blown engine, rusted frame, or non-running vehicle," as cases it makes offers on. Nothing here is a promise of a price; it is a statement of what gets a number.

You don't take the car anywhere to be looked at. Its help center says there is "no traditional appraisal or inspection," and that "the Carrier comes to your vehicle wherever it is located, you do not need to drive or move your car to meet the tow truck." The check happens at the curb: the home page says the pickup crew will "see if your car starts and drives, check the mileage," and compare what they find with what you declared. The rule for the number is stated the same way on both pages: "The offer you accept is the amount you'll receive as long as all of the information you provided is accurate." If they find a gap, "If we find any discrepancies or any major component is missing or removed, we will make you an updated offer if the value has changed." That is why each section below says which answer to give on the form: the answer is what the offer is built on.

Sources: the buyer's home page and junk-car page; its help center, Do I need to bring my car somewhere to be appraised or inspected?, Do I need to drive my vehicle to the tow truck? and Can my offer change upon pickup?; home page text at its front page.

Won't start, dead battery, or needs a jump

A car that needs a jump is not a running car on the form. The help center's table for the starts-and-drives question puts "Jump needed" and "Starts, but shuts off or stalls" under the same answer: "No, it doesn't start (or requires a jump-start)." A dead battery is declared on a second question, keys and battery, where the table puts "Dead battery that can or can't be jumped" under "No, a battery, key, or fob doesn't work or is missing." The same article says why it matters to the number: "Having the key or a working fob and a properly installed, working battery (without needing to be jumped) will get you a higher offer." The pickup side is covered: "Carriers can pick up vehicles that do not run, have a dead battery, or cannot be driven." Declare it and the right truck comes.

If it might only be the battery, our small problems page has the cheap checks to try before you decide; if the engine itself has failed, our engine problems page covers whether to fix it or sell it as it sits.

Sources: the buyer's help center, How do I answer the starts and drives question?, How do I answer the keys and battery question? and Do I need to drive my vehicle to the tow truck?.

Blown engine, failed transmission, or it starts but won't drive

The form separates a car that will not start from one that starts and goes nowhere, and the help center's table decides which is which. "Transmission issues," "Issues shifting into gear," "Headgasket inoperable or missing," "Oil or coolant leak" and "Car is in 'limp mode'" all map to "No, it starts but doesn't drive." A missing cylinder head maps to the no-start answer instead. A check-engine light on its own maps to "Yes, it starts and drives." The article says the answer also "helps us figure out the best tow truck to use for pickup," so a car that cannot roll under its own power is declared, not hidden. An engine that has been pulled out of the car is a missing part, not a starting problem, and the offer-change article names that case: a number can move if "any major vehicle components are missing or removed."

The warning signs and the fix-or-sell call are laid out on our engine problems page for knocking, a blown head gasket or a seized engine, and on our bad transmission page for slipping, no reverse or limp mode.

Sources: the buyer's help center, How do I answer the starts and drives question? and Why has my offer changed?.

Flat tires or missing wheels

Tires decide the truck, not the deal. The wheels-and-tires article opens with "we're just trying to select the best truck to pick 'er up," and its table is the whole answer: "Tire is flat" is "No, one or more are flat."; "Wheel missing" is "No, one or more are missing."; worn, mismatched or bald tires and a damaged wheel are still "Yes, all are inflated and attached." A car sitting on four flats in a Tulsa driveway can still be picked up; this answer is how the buyer knows which truck to send for it.

Whether a flat or bald tire is worth replacing before the sale is weighed on our small problems page.

Source: the buyer's help center, How do I answer the wheels and tires question?.

Wrecked, rust, missing panels, cracked windshield

Collision damage is asked about twice: once as exterior damage, once as whether the parts and panels are still attached. The exterior-damage article draws the line at size: "small blemishes will not affect your Offer," and "Let us know if the outside of your car has any damage bigger than a baseball." Its table puts "Rust," "Deep scrapes" and "Rollover damage" under "Yes, it has some rust or exterior damage," and "Faded paint" under "No, nothing major, just a few dings and scratches." The panels article defines attached: "Parts and panels are considered attached when they are as secure as when the vehicle left the factory or have a sturdy aftermarket replacement; nothing loose, hanging, or missing." A missing hatch, tailgate or grille is a no on that question. Glass has its own one-line ruling: "If it has a crack, we would consider it damaged." And the umbrella answer to "damaged or missing parts" is that the buyer makes "offers on vehicles in all conditions."

After a crash, where the insurance claim stands and whether the damage reaches the frame are covered on our wrecked car page; a cracked windshield on its own is on our small problems page.

Sources: the buyer's help center, How do I answer the exterior damage question?, How do I answer if the exterior parts and panels are attached question?, I have a chip or crack on my windshield. Is it considered damaged? and Do you buy cars that are damaged or missing parts?.

Interior damage

Inside the car the standard is written out: "Interior parts are considered damaged or missing if a seat, dashboard, center console, door panel, or other interior component is cracked, torn open, has a hole in it, or is not in the vehicle. Normal wear, fading, stains, and small scratches do not count." So a faded dash or power seats that no longer move are a no on that question; a cracked dash or a missing seat is a yes.

Source: the buyer's help center, How do I answer the interior parts question?.

High mileage, old age, or an odometer that can't be read

The home page's "no car age restrictions, no mileage limits" line settles whether a 20-year-old car with 250,000 miles gets a number: it does. The mileage article is relaxed about precision, "We round to the nearest thousand, so you can too," and it has an answer for the odometer that cannot be trusted: an odometer that "is inoperable or missing," or a title that "shows not actual mileage," is declared as "Mileage can't be verified," with the note that "You must still enter the estimated mileage in the pop-up."

Source: the buyer's help center, How do I answer the mileage question?; the age and mileage line is on its front page.

New or aftermarket parts

The new transmission you put in last spring does not add to the number. Two articles say so in two ways: "new parts or aftermarket upgrades will not increase your offer," and "newer parts won't increase your offer amount. As long as all condition questions are answered to match the vehicle's current condition, your offer is accurate." Where a new part does count is the panels question above, since a sturdy aftermarket replacement is treated as attached.

Sources: the buyer's help center, What if my vehicle has new or aftermarket parts? and Does it help my offer if I have new parts?.

No keys

Lost keys do not stop a sale; they change two answers. The help center's instruction is to select "No, a battery, key, or fob doesn't work or is missing." on the keys question and "No, it doesn't start (or requires a jump-start)." on the drivable question. The catch runs the other way: if you declared keys and then cannot find them, the pickup article says "you'll need to be able to provide them to the driver at or before the time of pick up," and otherwise to change the answers before scheduling.

We look at cars with no keys ourselves as well; how our own offer works, and why to mention the missing keys on the first call, is on our cash for cars page.

Sources: the buyer's help center, Do I have to have keys to sell my car? and Can you pick up my car now and I'll send you the title or keys later?.

Expired registration

A lapsed Oklahoma tag is not the document that matters. The help center's answer to an expired registration is one sentence: "As long as you have the current title, we will be able to process your vehicle." What an expired tag costs on the state's side, and whether it is worth renewing a car you are about to sell, is on our registration page.

Source: the buyer's help center, What if my car's registration isn't current?.

No title, a lien on the record, a title from another state, or an electronic title

Title trouble comes in four versions, and the buyer's pages answer each one. No title: the help center says it has "buyers that buy cars without a title," and that on the form you "just answer" the option "Not sure, I can't find my title." A lien that should have been cleared: "You should be able to reach out to your lien holder directly and obtain a lien release in order to show that your lien has been paid off." A title from another state: a car can still be sold if it is "registered in a different state from where your vehicle is currently located."

The fourth version, an electronic title, matters in Oklahoma because Service Oklahoma now issues titles electronically by default: "Beginning July 1, 2025, all titles will be issued electronically." The buyer's article on electronic titles says "We'll need the physical paper title to provide you an offer based on having a title," that "You can contact your local motor vehicle agency to convert the title from an electronic title to a physical paper title," and that without one you should "select 'I don't have a title' when getting your offer," where "We may be able to find a buyer to purchase your vehicle with other ownership documents."

The same Service Oklahoma page limits that paper route, though. It says "Paper titles will be issued with limited exceptions," and for selling a car that already has an electronic title, "the only difference is that an Electronic Title Bill of Sale will be used in lieu of a physical title." That bill of sale is Form 718, described on our paperwork page. Whether a given carrier takes Form 718 in place of paper is the buyer's call, so confirm it with the buyer before pickup rather than at the curb.

No title is also a case we look at ourselves, so say which title problem you have when you call. Oklahoma's routes out of each one are on our title problems page, and three have their own guides: a lost title, a car with a loan and an inherited car.

Sources: the buyer's help center, Do I need a title in order to sell my car?, My car is paid off, why does my title show that I still owe money on it?, Does it matter if my car is titled in a different state? and Do you accept electronic titles?; Service Oklahoma, Electronic Titles.

Hail, flood, salvage or junk brand

Hail dents and other body damage are declared on the exterior questions, as the tables above describe. A brand on the title is a separate matter that comes from Oklahoma's rules.

How a hail or flood insurance claim can end in a salvage or junk title is on our hail and flood page. What Oklahoma's salvage, rebuilt and junked titles each mean, and how a car carrying one of them sells as it sits, is on our salvage title page. What a dismantler needs from you is on our junk-car page.

Oklahoma's side does not change with the condition

Whatever is wrong with the car, the state wants the same thing from the seller: "A properly assigned and notarized Oklahoma certificate of title," with the plates taken off and kept, since Oklahoma plates belong to the person. The buyer's help center covers the notary step: "Some states do require a notarized title," and "When notarizing your title, the buyer does not need to be present; the notary signing agent is solely interested in verifying your (seller) identity." Every step, with Service Oklahoma's own words for each, is on our paperwork page.

Whether the sale also needs a bill of sale, and what to put on one, is on our bill of sale page.

Sources: Service Oklahoma, Vehicle Titles and If I'm a private seller, what do I need to do? (plates stay with the seller); the buyer's help center, Do I need my title notarized before the driver arrives?.

How to answer the condition questions

The pattern across every table above is the same: the answer is not a grade, it is a description that picks the truck and fixes the number. The home page says it without a table: "be honest about your car's condition, even if the truth is ugly." The offer-change article lists what moves a number after the fact, "if you change a condition, update the ZIP code where the vehicle is located, provide a VIN that decodes to a different car than you initially indicated, or if any major vehicle components are missing or removed," and the home page gives the other half of that bargain: "If the description you provided matches the condition of your car during pickup, your offer amount will not change once it's accepted." Answer from the driveway, looking at the car, and the number you see is the number on the check.

Sources: the buyer's front page and its help center, Why has my offer changed?.

Describe the car as it sits

Start the partner's form with the plate or VIN, answer the condition questions from the tables above, and the number you get is the one built on that description. Or call the Tulsa line, (539) 271-2021, and say what is wrong with the car: if it is one we buy, a person here makes our own offer, and if it is not, we tell you so.