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The short answer
There are four things you can do with an old, high-mileage car:
- Keep it if it still runs reliably and the next repair is small.
- Sell it privately if it runs and you have time. It usually pays the most.
- Trade it in if you're buying another car from a dealer.
- Sell it for cash as it is if it needs work you don't want to pay for, or it doesn't run.
The test that decides it: compare the next repair bill with what the car is worth today. When one repair costs more than the car, keeping it stops making sense.
Can you sell a car with 200k miles?
Yes. Mileage is one part of the price, not a dead end. Buyers look at the year, make and model, whether it runs and drives, and what is wrong with it. A well-kept older Honda or Toyota with high miles can still be worth more than a newer car with a blown engine.
What high mileage changes is who will pay the most:
- Retail buyers such as dealers, CarMax and Carvana pay the most for cars that are still in good shape. They pay less, or pass, as age and miles climb.
- Private buyers will pay for an older car that runs, because they need cheap transportation.
- Buyers like us price older cars that need work, don't run, or that retail buyers won't take.
Our guide to where to sell your car for the most money in Las Vegas compares each option.
What older cars really get in Las Vegas
Most of the cars our offer tool prices are older. Here are our latest offers in the Las Vegas valley, real numbers from our records that update on their own; look at the model years to find cars like yours.
30 real offers · Las Vegas valley · Oct 16–29
- 2014 Chevrolet SonicNorth Las Vegas · Oct 29$540
- 1998 Nissan SentraBoulder City · Oct 28$150
- 2010 Toyota Corolla MatrixOct 27$755
- 2001 Mitsubishi GalantOct 26$60
- 2003 Honda CivicHenderson · Oct 26$470
- 2015 BMW X1Oct 24$1,120
- 2006 Nissan AltimaOct 24$295
- 2003 Volkswagen PassatOct 23$260
- 2006 Toyota AvalonOct 23$575
- 2005 Subaru OutbackNorth Las Vegas · Oct 22$295
- 2013 Dodge JourneyOct 22$345
- 1998 Saturn SC2Oct 21$150
- 2015 BMW 335IOct 21$155
- 2007 Infiniti G35Oct 21$155
- 2014 Jeep Grand CherokeeOct 21$155
- 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee LimitedOct 21$155
- 2011 Chevrolet CruzeOct 20$370
- 2018 Jeep RenegadeHenderson · Oct 20$1,975
- 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTOct 20$370
- 2018 Jeep Renegade TrailhawkHenderson · Oct 20$1,975
- 2003 BMW X5Oct 19$225
- 2011 Chevrolet CruzeOct 19$635
- 2003 BMW X5 3.0iOct 19$225
- 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTOct 19$635
- 2009 Toyota Scion TCOct 18$440
- 2009 Scion tCOct 18$440
- 2013 Dodge AvengerOct 17$295
- 2013 Dodge Avenger SEOct 17$295
- 2002 Mercedes-Benz E-ClassOct 16$155
- 2002 Mercedes-Benz E500Oct 16$155
These are offers for the car as described, not "up to" prices. A car that runs and drives gets more than one that doesn't; a car worth only its metal gets close to scrap value. Our junk car price guide shows the scrap math with a calculator.
Old car for cash, or fix it first?
Before you put money into an older car to sell it, check what the repair buys you:
- Small fixes that make it run can be worth doing for a private sale: a battery, a tire, a belt.
- Big repairs rarely pay back. An engine or transmission job on a 20-year-old car often costs more than the car will sell for afterward. Our post on fixing or selling with a blown engine or bad transmission walks through that math.
- Cosmetic work doesn't pay back on an older car. Buyers of older cars price the mechanics.
If the car won't start at all, see car won't start: sell or fix?.
How to sell an old car privately in Nevada
If you go the private route:
- Price it realistically against similar cars of the same age and mileage.
- Be upfront about the problems. It saves wasted showings.
- Sign the title over and fill in the odometer reading where the title asks. The DMV's seller guide says to record it for 2011 and newer models.
- Fill out a bill of sale. The VP-104 works. Our private-sale paperwork guide walks through it.
- Keep your plates, cancel the registration and file the resale notification.
Smog: in a private sale the emissions test is the buyer's job, not yours. The DMV also exempts vehicles from 1967 or older, and some cars on Classic Vehicle or Old Timer plates. Our failed smog guide has the details.
Truly old or collectible cars are a different market. A restored classic or enthusiast car can do better at a specialist auction than with any cash buyer.
Selling an old car to us
We buy older and high-mileage cars across Las Vegas, running or not. You get a firm offer online in about two minutes, choose a pickup time from the windows offered when you accept, and the tow is free. You're paid at pickup, we handle the title transfer at no cost, and you don't need a smog check. We buy only cars you fully own.
Start with our cash for junk cars Las Vegas quote and compare the number with any trade-in or private-sale price.
Common questions
- What should I do with an old car?
- Compare the cost of the next repair with what the car is worth. If it runs well and you need it, keep it. If it runs and you have time, a private sale usually pays the most. If you're buying another car, get a trade-in number. If it needs work you won't pay for, sell it as it is for cash.
- Can you sell a car with 200k miles?
- Yes. Buyers price an old car on its year, make, model and condition, and mileage is one part of that. Many of the cars we get offers on are more than 15 years old.
- Is it worth keeping a 20 year old car?
- It can be, if it runs reliably and the repairs are small. Once a single repair costs more than the car is worth, selling it as it is usually makes more sense.
- Where can I sell my old car for cash in Las Vegas?
- Dealers, CarMax and Carvana for older cars still in good shape; a private sale if you have time; junkyards for cars worth only their metal; and buyers like us for older cars that need work. Our guide to where to sell for the most money compares them.
- Does an old car need a smog check to sell in Nevada?
- In a private sale the emissions test is the buyer's responsibility, not yours. The DMV also exempts vehicles from 1967 or older. Selling to us, you don't need a smog check at all.
- Do I need to write the mileage on the title of an old car?
- The DMV's seller guide says to record the odometer reading for 2011 and newer models. Write it where the title asks for it either way, and put it on the bill of sale.
