There are a whole lot of cars on the road that shouldn’t be.

Experts within the industry sometimes refer to worn-out, broken down, or otherwise unreliable automobiles as “end-of-life vehicles.” Another less euphemistic term sums up the general character of these sorts of clunkers perfectly: junk cars.

Junk cars come in all makes, models, varieties, and vintages. Some quite clearly have one wheel in the grave. Others may look decent on the outside but be one thrown rod away from turning into oversized paperweights.

Telling the difference between a workhorse and a lemon isn’t always as easy as you’d expect. That’s why it’s helpful to know how to identify a lost cause before it leaves you stranded, at risk for accidents, or hopelessly in debt.

Here Are The 11 Common Traits These Vehicles Have in Common

If your car displays one or more of the following characteristics, it may be time to cut your losses and sell it for cash.

They’re Old Cars

The model year isn’t everything, of course-that’s why classic cars never go out of style. If you’re still clunking around in a beater from two decades ago, and you’re not putting loads of time, money, and labor into maintaining it. However, the chances are good that it doesn’t have too much get-up-and-go left in its creaky chassis.

They’re Damaged Cars

Extensive damage is often a dead giveaway of an end-of-life vehicle. A few dents, dings, scratches, and scrapes may not seem like the end of the world, but they can add up over time. Throw crumpled siding, struggling engines, leaky tires, broken headlights, and dodgy transmissions into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  Damaged cars are junk cars.

They’ve Racked Up Too Many Miles

Even the most beloved cars only run for so long. After a few hundred thousand miles, they become ticking financial timebombs (at best) or accidents waiting to happen (at worst). We know it’s hard to let go, but it can be a lot harder to get yourself out of a pickle that you’re only in because you couldn’t bring yourself to say goodbye sooner.

They Need Repairs, but They’re Not Worth Fixing

It doesn’t take an expert mechanic to tell when a car has been pushed past its limit. At some point, whatever benefits it provides will no longer justify the expense of continually having it fixed. If your car is on its way out, get some money for it. We pay cash for end-of-life vehicles that have outlived their usefulness.

They’re Starting to Rust

Rust typically appears on vehicles for one of two reasons: extreme age or near-total neglect. Either way, rust can have a negative impact not only on your car’s aesthetic value but its trade-in value, as well. It looks bad, it invites further damage, and it can even affect the structural strength of the metal underneath.

They’re Literally Falling Apart or Are Salvage Cars

Like just about everything else, cars tend to deteriorate when they get far enough past their prime. If your bumpers, mirrors, or heaven forbid-doors are hanging by a thread, take it as a not-so-subtle hint that you’re due for an upgrade. Otherwise, your car may fall apart to the point it needs to be determined a salvage car.

They’re Prone to Mechanical Failures, Have Bad Engines, or are Non-Running Cars

End-of-life vehicles have a funny way of letting their owners know they’re not long for the road-they stop running. It might just be a dead battery this week, but it could be a total engine collapse next week. No matter how good your ride may look on the outside, it’s not worth much to you if it can’t get you where you need to go.

You Can No Longer Drive Them Legally

By law, all vehicles must be deemed “roadworthy” to continue being driven legally, particularly in regards to components that directly affect the safety of the operator and other drivers on the road. Cruising around in an automobile that fails to achieve that classification isn’t just embarrassing-it could also land you in trouble with the law if you get caught doing it.

They’re Abandoned

This is about as unambiguous a clue as you can get about whether a particular vehicle is still drivable.

When a car is abandoned, it means the owner has given up on it. And if the owner has given up on it, it’s most likely because it’s given up on the owner. Luckily, our team is ready, willing, and able to extract abandoned cars from even the most out-of-the-way places.

They’re Title-less

A car without a title is like a boat on dry land. In other words, it’s no good to anyone. Setting aside the fact that driving a car without a title is a violation of the law in most states, people don’t just lose the titles to excellent vehicles. If a vehicle has changed hands so many times that the title is gone with the wind, there’s probably a compelling reason.  Read more about which states where junkyards will buy cars without titles.

They’re Totaled Cars

This last one’s a no-brainer. If your vehicle is totaled, then that’s all she wrote. It may be beyond salvaging, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless. . Getting some cash for your totaled car sounds like a pretty nice change of pace, huh?

Get Cash for Junk Cars

Got an end-of-life vehicle you’re looking to offload? We’ll happily take it off your hands for you (or off your property, whatever the case may be) in exchange for cold, hard cash. No contracts. No upselling. No run-around. Just a pocket full of spending money and one less thing to worry about.

Ready to collect? Our carriers are on standby to relieve you of your burden and make sure you get paid in the process.

To wrap it up, If your car has a few of these things in common it’s likely a junk car.