Keys disappear with the person who last drove the car. A relative moves out, a car sits in the garage through two winters, or the fob goes through the wash. By the time you decide to sell, the car hasn’t started in a year and nobody knows where the key went.
For a junk sale, that’s mostly fine. The key starts the car; the title shows who owns it. We need the second one, not the first.
Why the key isn’t the paperwork
When we buy a car, the driver checks the title, or the papers we agreed on the call, against your ID and the VIN on the car. The key isn’t part of that. A car with every key on the ring and no title can be a harder sale than a car with a title and no key at all.
So start with the paper. If the title is in a drawer somewhere, find it. If it’s gone, see what we accept when there’s no title.
What a missing key changes on pickup day
The key matters to how the car moves, not whether we’ll buy it. Three things come up:
| Situation | What it means | What to tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Steering wheel locked | The front wheels can’t be turned to line the car up | That the wheel is locked and which way the front wheels point |
| Automatic stuck in park | The drive wheels won’t roll freely | Whether it’s in park, and whether you can get inside |
| Doors locked | The driver can’t reach the shifter or the parking brake | That it’s locked, and whether a window is open or broken |
None of these stop a pickup. They decide whether the driver winches the car straight onto the bed or puts dollies under the wheels first. A car in a tight garage off the alley, with the steering locked and the wheels turned, takes the most planning. Our guide to garage and alley pickups explains how cars come out of small spaces.
Push-button cars and dead fobs
Newer cars often have no key slot at all. When the battery is dead and the fob is lost, the doors, the shifter and the steering may all be locked electronically. Tell us the year and model; it helps the driver know what to expect. Don’t pry the doors or cut wires to get it into neutral; that can turn a simple pickup into a slower one.
A short checklist
- Find the title, or list the papers you have.
- Note whether the car is in park and whether the steering is locked.
- Clear the space in front of and behind the car.
- Take your belongings out if you can get in. If you can’t, tell us what’s inside.
- Take the plates off if they’re yours. The pre-pickup checklist covers plates, the city sticker and insurance.
We pick up keyless cars from Roseland to Chatham and across the rest of the communities we cover. When you’re ready, send us the car’s details or call (773) 200-7724.