Before Your Junk Car Pickup: A Checklist

Before your junk car is picked up, have the title ready with every owner able to sign, clear out all personal items, remove your toll transponder, and know what to do with your plates. After pickup, report the sale to Minnesota DVS within 10 days and cancel your insurance. Do those things and pickup day takes just a few minutes.

Below is the full checklist, organized by when to do each step, plus the small things people forget most.

What paperwork do you need for junk car pickup?

Paperwork is the part that most often delays a pickup. Gather it a day ahead.

• The title. Make sure it’s in your name. Every owner listed on the title needs to sign it.
• Photo ID for each owner signing.
• Lien release or payoff info. If there’s a loan, the lien must be released before ownership transfers, or the buyer needs your lender details to pay it off directly. See selling a car with a loan.
• Odometer reading. Required on title transfers for vehicles model year 2011 and newer. Write it down before the car leaves.
• Bill of sale. Get Cash Cars helps with this at pickup.

If you can’t find the title, call us before pickup day. Read selling a car without a title in Minnesota for your options.

What personal items should you remove?

Go through the car slowly. Once it’s towed, getting things back is difficult or impossible.

Check every spot:

• Glove box and center console
• Door pockets and seat-back pockets
• Under the seats and under the floor mats
• Trunk, spare tire well and any hidden storage bins
• Sun visors (people tuck registration cards and receipts here)
• Cup holders and coin trays
• Roof rack, bike rack, hitch accessories you want to keep
• Phone mounts, chargers and dash cams
• Child car seats

Also remove anything with your personal information on it, like old receipts, mail, repair invoices and parking permits.

Did you remember the garage opener and toll transponder?

These are the two most forgotten items.

• Toll transponder: remove it from the windshield. If it goes with the car, you could keep paying for someone else’s tolls.
• Garage door opener: take it out of the visor or clear it from the car’s built-in system so the next person can’t open your garage.

While you’re at it, clear your phone’s Bluetooth pairing and any saved addresses from the navigation system.

What do you do with your license plates in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, standard license plates generally stay with the vehicle when it is sold. Personalized or special plates can usually be kept by the owner. Confirm with Minnesota DVS for your specific plates before pickup day.

If you’re keeping personalized or special plates, remove them before the tow truck arrives and keep the screws handy.

How should you prepare the car itself?

You don’t need to clean it or make it run. A few small steps help:

• Find the keys, including spares. A car with keys is easier to move.
• Clear a path. Move other vehicles, trash cans or snow so the tow truck can reach the car. In Minnesota winters, shoveling around the car makes a big difference.
• Note the location. If it’s in an alley, behind a building, in a garage or on acreage, tell us when you schedule.
• Leave the parts on. Don’t remove the battery, wheels or catalytic converter. Your offer is based on the car as described. See how much is my junk car worth.
• Inflate flat tires if you can. Not required, but it can make loading easier.

What happens on pickup day?

Here’s what to expect with Get Cash Cars:

1. The driver arrives at the scheduled time and confirms the vehicle matches your description.
2. You sign the title and the bill of sale.
3. You are paid on the spot, before the vehicle is towed away.
4. The driver loads the car and leaves.

Towing is free anywhere in Minnesota. Same-day pickup is often available in the Twin Cities metro, and in Greater Minnesota pickup is usually same-day or next-day depending on location. Learn more about junk car removal.

Do you need to be there for pickup?

In most cases, someone needs to be present to sign the paperwork and receive payment. If you can’t be there, call (763) 226-3586 to talk through options before scheduling.

What should you do after the car is gone?

The sale isn’t completely finished until you handle these steps:

• Report the sale to DVS within 10 days. You can do it online through Minnesota DVS or at a deputy registrar office. This protects you if the vehicle gets tickets or tolls later.
• Cancel your insurance. Do this after the car is gone, not before.
• Keep copies of the bill of sale and a photo of the signed title.
• Update your toll account to remove the vehicle if it was linked.
• Handle your plates per DVS guidance if you kept them.

The printable junk car pickup checklist

The day before:

• Title located and signed by all owners at pickup
• Photo IDs ready
• Lien release or lender payoff information ready
• Odometer reading written down
• Keys found

Before the tow truck arrives:

• All personal items removed
• Toll transponder removed
• Garage opener removed and cleared
• Phone unpaired, navigation history cleared
• Personalized plates removed, if keeping them
• Path cleared to the vehicle

After pickup:

• Paid on the spot
• Bill of sale copy kept
• Sale reported to DVS within 10 days
• Insurance canceled

For the full Minnesota selling process, read how to sell a car in Minnesota.

Frequently asked questions

Written by the Get Cash Cars team · Last updated November 5, 2026