How to sell a damaged vehicle
Another thing to keep in mind if you’re trying to sell your car after it’s been damaged due to a natural disaster is that you do have options — but you’ll have to lower your expectations. Don’t expect to make as much money selling your vehicle as you would pre-disaster. You’ll likely earn much less.
Sell your vehicle as a salvaged or rebuilt title
You may have the option to buy your vehicle back from your insurance provider, but it will hold a salvage title, meaning the car can be used for parts only. An option is to sell it to someone else who wants the vehicle’s parts. Alternately, if you do rebuild your car, your state may issue it a rebuilt title. However, this status has to be disclosed whenever you sell the vehicle.
Sell your vehicle to a junk car buyer for cash
Another option is to sell your vehicle to a junk car buyer for cash. You can do this in-person at a junkyard or online. However, you’ll likely not get much money from the transaction. To give you a better idea, estimate your vehicle’s value using the Kelley Blue Book… then significantly lower the value.
Donate your car to charity
A remaining option is to donate your flood-damaged vehicle to charity. As Donate a Car explains, “When you donate flood vehicles, the car gets sold at auction by the charity, and you can claim a tax deduction for the car donation.
In addition to Donate a Car, you can also donate your flood-damaged vehicle to Cars 2 Charities, the Salvation Army, or Habitat for Humanity, which donate vehicles to those in need. A bonus: These charities usually will tow away your donated vehicle for free.