Selling a car in San Diego
San Diego has a large military community. If you're on short-notice orders, choose a pickup date before your move when you schedule.
Whether the car is parked in North Park, Clairemont or out toward City Heights, we can get a truck to it. Pickup is usually within 24 to 48 hours after you accept an offer.
High mileage is welcome
Long commutes put a lot of miles on a car, and private buyers get nervous above 150,000. We buy cars with any mileage. Tell us the odometer reading and the condition, and the offer accounts for both.
Areas we cover around San Diego
We buy cars across San Diego County and the wider San Diego area, including Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside, La Mesa and National City. If your car is somewhere else in California, we buy it there too.
- Chula Vista
- El Cajon
- Escondido
- Oceanside
- La Mesa
- National City
Local rules in San Diego
Title transfers and duplicate titles for San Diego residents are handled by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Title transfer fees and replacement title applications can be submitted at a DMV office or by mail.
Keeping a junk car at home: San Diego Police say it is illegal to park an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperable vehicle on private property in public view. Report it online through Get It Done. Read the rule.
Paperwork for California sellers
- License plates: Stay with the car
- Report the sale: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL), form REG 138, within 5 days, online
- Duplicate title: REG 227 (Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title); $28
- Junk without a title: Title required (REG 227, Application for Duplicate Title (if the title is lost))
The full list of California rules is on our California page. For duplicate titles and release of liability forms, contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
No obligation.
How it works in San Diego
Start with the year, make and model or your VIN. Once you have a number you like, choose a pickup slot, and a local driver collects the car from your home, work or a shop in San Diego. Payment changes hands before the car is loaded. The full process covers what to have ready.
Get your offer
Tell us the year, make, model and condition, or start with your VIN. Your cash offer is good for 7 days.
Pick a pickup time
Choose when and where. Towing is free anywhere in San Diego, and pickup is usually within 24 to 48 hours.
Get paid on the spot
The driver checks the car and pays you. Then you sign the title, hand over the keys and the car is loaded.
Questions from San Diego sellers
Do you buy cars in North Park and Rancho Bernardo?
Yes. We buy cars in North Park, Rancho Bernardo and every other neighborhood in San Diego, plus nearby areas like Chula Vista and El Cajon. Pickup is free wherever the car is parked.
How fast can you pick up my car in San Diego?
Pickup is usually within 24 to 48 hours of accepting your offer, at a time you choose. The timing is the same in Chula Vista and El Cajon.
Do you buy junk cars in San Diego?
Yes. We buy junk, wrecked and non-running cars in San Diego and tow them for free. Most are priced on their parts and metal, plus any value left in the model.
What paperwork do I need to sell a car in San Diego, CA?
The title and a photo ID that matches it. In California, the license plates stay with the car when you sell it. Personalized, special recognition, and special interest plates can be reassigned to another vehicle for a fee. File the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL), form REG 138, with the state within 5 days of the sale, and you can file it online. It records that the car is no longer yours. For a duplicate title, San Diego residents can go to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Can I sell a junk car without a title in San Diego?
No. To get junk status a dismantler must submit the California title or, if lost, an Application for Duplicate Title (REG 227), with the Report of Vehicle To Be Dismantled (REG 42). To replace a lost California title, apply to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with REG 227 (Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title). The fee is $28.
Can I keep a junk car at my house in San Diego?
San Diego Police say it is illegal to park an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperable vehicle on private property in public view. Report it online through Get It Done. If you'd rather not deal with it, we tow junk cars from San Diego for free and pay you for them.
Do you charge for towing in San Diego?
No. Towing is free in San Diego and everywhere else we buy. The offer you accept is the amount you're paid.
Sources
- California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): vehicle titles
- San Diego: rules on junk and inoperable vehicles
- California DMV: License Plates
- California DMV: Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability
- California DMV: Title Transfers and Changes
- California DMV: Registering a vehicle purchased from a private party
- California DMV: Registration Fees (replacement title)
- California DMV, Dismantler's Handbook of Registration Procedures, 6.010 California-Titled Vehicles
Checked against these sources on November 6, 2026.
Last updated November 6, 2026.