Sell Your Car for Cash in Saint Paul

Get Cash Cars buys cars, trucks, SUVs, vans and motorcycles for cash anywhere in Saint Paul and Ramsey County, whether they run or not. Request a free offer and you’ll usually have it in about 15 minutes. We tow for free from the street, alley, detached garage or parking lot, and you’re paid on the spot before the vehicle leaves. Same-day pickup is often available.

Selling a car in an older city

Saint Paul is Minnesota’s capital and one of its oldest cities. Many neighborhoods were built long before two-car garages, with houses set close together, narrow streets and a back alley lined with detached garages. That layout has a side effect: cars get stored away and forgotten.

Almost every Saint Paul block has one. A sedan that went into the garage when someone stopped driving. A pickup that quit one winter and was “going to get fixed in the spring.” A classic project that never got finished. Years go by, the tires go flat, and the garage turns into a storage unit for a car nobody uses.

Getting those cars out can feel complicated. They don’t start, they may not roll, and the alley isn’t exactly built for heavy equipment. That’s the work we do every day.

How do you get a car out of a Saint Paul alley or garage?

Carefully, and with a little planning. Before pickup day, we’ll ask a few questions:

• Is the alley paved or gravel? Either can work, but it helps the driver choose the right truck.
• How wide is the garage door, and does it open fully? Older garages sometimes have narrow or stuck doors.
• Can the car roll? Flat tires, seized brakes or a locked steering wheel all change how it’s moved.
• Are there obstacles? Fences, power lines, trash bins, a tight turn into the alley or a neighbor’s parked car.
• Are the keys available? It’s fine if they’re not, but it’s good to know.

With answers to those questions, our driver can usually pull the vehicle out and load it in the alley without trouble. If something about the spot makes pickup tricky, we’ll tell you up front.

What if the car is on the street or in an apartment lot?

Not every Saint Paul car lives in a garage. Plenty of people park on the street, especially in neighborhoods with older apartment buildings and duplexes. A car that won’t start on a city street becomes a problem quickly. It takes up space, it can attract tickets if it stays too long, and it can get in the way when the plows need to come through.

Snow emergencies

During a snow emergency, vehicles parked on the street generally need to move so crews can plow, and cars left in the way can be ticketed or towed. If your car won’t start, it’s a stressful position to be in. Selling before the next storm is often simpler than paying to get a car back from an impound lot. Call (763) 226-3586 as soon as you know the car isn’t going to move, and we’ll try to get you on the schedule quickly. Check with the City of Saint Paul for the specific rules on your street.

Apartments and condos

If your car is in an apartment lot, an assigned stall or a condo garage, we can usually pick up there too. Some buildings have rules about inoperable vehicles or require notice before a tow truck comes in, so check with management. Let us know about height clearance and gates for underground parking.

What do we buy in Saint Paul?

Anything from a beat-up commuter to a rare garage find. We buy:

• Running cars you just don’t need anymore
• Non-running cars with engine, transmission or electrical failures
• Older vehicles with heavy rust from years on salted roads
• Wrecked, hail-damaged, flood-damaged and fire-damaged vehicles
• SUVs, minivans, pickups, cargo vans and motorcycles
• Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles

We also buy cars from estates, which is common in Saint Paul’s established neighborhoods. If you’re settling a relative’s affairs and need the vehicle gone, we can work with you on timing and help with the paperwork questions.

What makes a car sit for years?

It’s usually not one big decision. A car breaks down, the repair estimate comes back high, and the plan becomes “deal with it later.” Meanwhile a newer car takes over daily driving. A year passes, then five. Insurance gets dropped, the registration lapses, and the car slowly becomes part of the garage.

The longer a vehicle sits, the more it costs you in space and lost value. Rubber seals dry out, fuel goes stale, rodents move in and rust keeps spreading. If you’ve been meaning to deal with an old car in your Saint Paul garage, there’s rarely a better time than now. We’ll make an offer on it as it sits, and you won’t need to get it running or even get the tires aired up before we come. You get your garage back, and someone else handles the heavy lifting.

How much will you pay for my car?

We don’t publish flat prices, because the value depends on the vehicle. Your offer is based on:

• Year, make, model and mileage
• Whether it runs and drives
• Body damage and rust
• Title status and any loan
• Weight and current metal prices, especially for junk cars
• Reusable parts, including the catalytic converter

A car that’s been sitting for years isn’t automatically worthless. Our guide to what your junk car is worth explains the details.

Pickup across Saint Paul

We serve every part of Saint Paul, across its many 551xx ZIP codes, from downtown in 55101 and 55102 to the residential neighborhoods on the east side, west side, north end and along the river bluffs. Drivers come in on I-94, I-35E, MN-5 and US-52, so no address is out of the way.

The process works the same in every neighborhood:

1. Request an offer online or call (763) 226-3586.
2. Get a free, no-obligation offer, usually in about 15 minutes.
3. Choose a pickup time. Same-day pickup is often available in the metro, and we’re open 7 days a week, 7 AM – 9 PM.
4. The driver verifies the vehicle and title, pays you on the spot and tows the car away.

Minnesota title and paperwork

Every owner listed on the title signs it. If there’s a loan, the lien must be released before ownership transfers, and we can often pay your lender directly. Vehicles from model year 2011 and newer require an odometer disclosure on the title transfer. We help with the title and bill of sale.

After the sale, report it to Minnesota DVS within 10 days, online or at a deputy registrar office. Standard plates generally stay with the vehicle; personalized plates can usually be kept, but confirm with DVS. Cancel your insurance and remove personal items and toll transponders. If the title is lost, you can apply for a duplicate through DVS. Whether you can sell without one depends on the vehicle and situation, so give us a call.

Neighboring cities we serve

We buy cars across the east metro and beyond. See our pages for Minneapolis, Roseville and Maplewood.

Frequently asked questions