Sell your car for cash today in Des Moines, Iowa. We buy cars running or not — new, used, salvage, or old, any make or model. Even junk cars have value, and in many cases no title is needed to sell your car. Get an instant online offer, free pickup, and get paid on the spot.
A real quote in 2 minutes — zero obligation
Have a question? Call: 800-219-4551
Got a vehicle you're finally ready to part with? The hardest part is deciding, and you've already done that. From here, Wee Pay Cash For Cars keeps things simple and straightforward: reach out, hear your offer, give us the go-ahead, and we'll show up ready to pay. No long wait, no runaround.
We buy cars all over Des Moines, including the Beaverdale and Watrous Heights areas, across all nine of its ZIP codes. Our trucks run all over Polk County too, including Ankeny, Pleasant Hill and Grimes. Running, wrecked or sitting dead in the driveway, we'll make a cash offer, tow it free and pay you on the spot.
Plenty of people assume an old clunker is worth next to nothing — dead engine, dented panels, or parked so long the tires have gone flat. Here's the truth: we'll take it in whatever shape it's in, and what we offer tends to surprise people in the best way. Call 800-219-4551 and we'll tell you what your car is really worth.
Anyone can post an ad promising to buy your car. Plenty will dangle a tempting offer, then vanish once they've seen it — or quietly shave the price the moment they're standing in your driveway. That's not how we work.
We service every part of Des Moines, including:
From your first phone call to cash in your pocket, it's just three steps — no detours, no surprise charges.
Give us the year, make, model, and rough condition, and we'll have a real offer for you in about two minutes.
Say yes and pick a time that works for you — often same-day, or within 24 to 48 hours. We come out to wherever the car sits in Des Moines: your place, your job, anywhere. You stay put.
Our driver shows up with the paperwork, puts payment in your hands, and then tows the car away. Start to finish in well under half an hour.
Two questions. Tells you exactly where you stand.
Do you have the title in your name?
Is there still a loan or lien on the car?
This includes title loans, and any bank or lender listed as lienholder.
Clean title, no lien. Have the title, a photo ID, and the keys ready at pickup — our driver brings the rest of the paperwork.
Get my cash offerA missing title usually isn't a dealbreaker. Bring a photo ID and the vehicle registration if you have it. We handle no-title sales regularly — just tell us your situation when you call.
Get my cash offerA car with an active lien or title loan can't be sold until the lender releases it. Pay off the balance, get the lien release from your lender, and the title becomes yours to sell. Once that's done, give us a call — we'll buy it.
Look at the front of your title — if a bank or lender is printed in the lienholder section, there's a lien on the car. If you financed it and haven't paid it off, assume there is one. Still unsure? Call us and we'll work through it with you.
Call 800-219-4551Without the title in hand, the quickest way to know is to contact the lender you financed through, or request a title record from your state's motor vehicle office. If you never financed the car, there's almost certainly no lien. Call us and we'll help you sort it out.
Call 800-219-4551Selling a car in Des Moines means signing the title over the right way. Title rules are set at the state level, so here's exactly what Iowa asks of you — and remember, when you sell to us, our driver brings the paperwork and walks you through every step at pickup.
In Iowa, sign the title in front of a notary — Iowa requires the seller signature to be notarized.
Yes — the seller signature must be notarized.
Return your plates to the state to stop registration fees.
No problem — apply for a duplicate title at your county treasurer office.
No title in hand? Have ID and registration ready and we will help with the Iowa process.
Good to know: Iowa is one of the states that requires title signatures to be notarized.
Want the full walkthrough? Read our step-by-step guide on how to sell a car without a title in Iowa.
For the official rules, see the Iowa DMV title page.
The price we quote is the price you get. As long as your car matches what you described, nothing changes at pickup.
Tell us a time that works for you, anywhere in Des Moines or Polk County. We come to you — you don't drive anywhere.
Selling a car in Iowa takes a few forms, and our driver brings what's needed and walks you through it. Don't have the title? That's usually workable — just tell us up front. The one thing we can't buy is a car with an active lien or title loan on it.
The tow costs you nothing — it isn't folded into the offer or taken out afterward. You're paid on the spot at pickup, before the car ever leaves your driveway.
Every car we buy may be resold at auction, used for parts, or recycled at a licensed Iowa yard. Nothing gets dumped or left behind.
Every car we look at in Des Moines falls into one of a few buckets below — and every one of them gets a real cash offer.
Starts, drives, and still has life left in it. These usually get our strongest offers since less work is needed before resale.
Rusted through, stripped, or simply too far gone to drive again. We still buy these and pay based on weight and scrap value.
Carries a salvage title or was written off by insurance after an accident. We buy these with or without paperwork in hand.
Blown engine, seized motor, slipping gears, or stuck in park — mechanical failures like these don't change whether we'll buy it, just the number.
Lost it or never had it? Missing paperwork slows things down a little, but it rarely stops a sale. The one exception: we can't buy a car that still has an active lien or title loan on it.
The floor on any junk car is its weight in scrap metal. As of September 2026, U.S. yards are paying roughly $150–$200 a ton for whole cars. Multiply that by your car's weight and you have the least it's worth.
Cars with good parts, a catalytic converter still on, or an engine that runs are often worth more than scrap — that's why we price every car on a call, not a chart.
A 3,300 lb sedan is 1.65 tons. At $175 a ton, that's about $290 in metal.
Sometimes. At today's rates a full-size truck or SUV can reach $500 on weight alone. Smaller cars usually need something extra — a newer year, good parts, or a running engine.
| Vehicle type | Scrap value |
|---|---|
| Compact carCivic, Corolla, Focus · 2,800 lbs | $210–$280 |
| Midsize sedanCamry, Accord, Malibu · 3,300 lbs | $250–$330 |
| Minivan / midsize SUVOdyssey, Explorer, RAV4 · 4,300 lbs | $325–$430 |
| Pickup truckF-150, Silverado, Ram · 4,800 lbs | $360–$480 |
| Full-size SUVTahoe, Expedition, Suburban · 5,600 lbs | $420–$560 |
Scrap rates as of September 2026, updated monthly. Scrap value is a floor, not a quote — yards subtract for tires and fluids, and your actual offer depends on your car. Call 800-219-4551 for your real offer.
Get my exact offer →Wee Pay Cash For Cars serves every city in Polk County. Click any city below to see local service details and get a city-specific quote.
Des Moines, Iowa's capital and most populous city, takes its name from the Des Moines River, likely derived from French words meaning "of the monks." The city was incorporated in 1851 as Fort Des Moines and shortened to Des Moines in 1857. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 214,133 residents, while the six-county Des Moines metropolitan area is home to an estimated 750,000 people, making it the largest metropolitan area located entirely within Iowa. As the county seat of Polk County, Des Moines has grown into a major center of American business and politics.
The origins of Des Moines trace back to May 1843, when Captain James Allen supervised construction of a fort at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. Built to control the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples who had been relocated to the area, the fort was abandoned in 1846 after these tribes were removed from the state. Settlers subsequently occupied the abandoned fort and surrounding areas. In 1846, the state legislature designated Fort Des Moines as the seat of Polk County, establishing it as a formal settlement.
Today, Des Moines is a major hub for insurance, financial services, and publishing industries. The city serves as headquarters for the Principal Financial Group and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, and hosts significant operations from Wells Fargo, Nationwide, and other national corporations. Des Moines also holds prominence in American presidential politics as the site of Iowa's first caucuses in the presidential primary cycle.
We pay cash for junk cars all over Des Moines. Pick your neighborhood below; the tow is free and the offer is real.
Don't see your neighborhood? We cover all of Des Moines. Call 800-219-4551 for a cash for junk cars quote today.
No matter the condition, odds are good it's something we'll buy. Pick any service below to see how it plays out in Des Moines and the wider Polk County area.
Rusted out, falling apart, past the point of repair? We hand over cash for junk cars in Des Moines and tow them off for nothing.
Learn moreStill runs and looks decent? Take a fair cash offer and skip the whole ordeal — no online listings, no back-and-forth.
Learn moreSmashed up or written off by insurance? We pay real money for totaled cars in Des Moines, with or without a title.
Learn moreTurns over and nothing? Engine gone for good? Not a problem — we buy non-runners and roll the tow truck out to you.
Learn moreThe tow is built in and always free. We'll reach you anywhere in Des Moines, and nothing ever comes out of your payout.
Learn morePick up the phone or drop your details in the form above, and we'll book a free pickup that fits your day anywhere in Polk County.
Call 800-219-4551