Need immediate assistance with selling your vehicle? Hit our direct line to the Capital City Buying Center:

515-265-1467

Sell Your Car to Joe

We Buy Your Car — No Purchase Necessary

Need cash or out of a car loan? Other dealers low-balling you on trade-in offers? Say goodbye to private listings, lowball internet offers, scammers in your inbox and strangers at your house. We make selling your car easy— with no purchase necessary and no pressure to buy!


At Capital City Motor Company, we have a team that is solely dedicated to purchasing cars from the public. Our Vehicle Buying Center is trained to deliver instant best offers up front, provide payment on the spot, and we will even come to you! No gimmicks or games— Just a straightforward offer from a real person that works for a locally & family-owned dealership, right here in Des Moines.

Value My Vehicle

How Do I Sell My Car to Capital City?

Five simple steps — and we handle most of it.

STEP 01

Tell Us About Your Ride

Start online, give us a call, or bring your car to us— no appointment necessary. We only need the basics:

  1. Year
  2. Make
  3. Model
  1. VIN number
  2. General condition

This helps our team prepare an accurate, competitive offer before you ever set foot in the dealership.

STEP 02

Get Your Offer

Our appraisal team reviews your car and looks at the data. You will receive an up-front transparent offer same day. We make our most competitive offer first.

No pressure to say yes, but most of our customers like our offers! We are more than happy to talk through any questions. We're real people — not a call center or online estimate tool.

STEP 03

Choose Drop-Off or Free Pickup

Accept your offer and arrange pick up. We'll work around your schedule— Drive your car to our Des Moines location, or let us come to you. We offer free vehicle pickup within 250 miles — That's anywhere in Iowa!

STEP 04

Inspection & Paperwork

We'll do a brief overview and test drive— Don't worry, as long as it matches what you described, there won't be any lowball offers on the spot.

Next we walk you through every step of the paperwork. No surprises or fine print — just a smooth process from start to finish.

STEP 05

Get Paid— On the Spot!

Once the paperwork is signed, we'll get you paid! — Same day. We can even pay off your loan balance with your lender, even if you did not buy the car from us.

No waiting on financing, no trade offers or tire-kickers, and no trips to the DMV. We handle all of it.

Why Sell to Joe?

We Buy ANY Car

Any make, any model, any year— ANY Condition!

Money on the SPOT!

Get paid for your car today! No waiting on financing, trade offers, or trips to the DMV.

Peace of Mind

No scammers in your inbox, or strangers at your house.

Free Pickup Anywhere in Iowa or Within 250 Miles

Sell your car from the comfort of you home. We come to you at no extra charge.

We Handle all the Paperwork and Title Work

Don't stress over complicated paperwork or title work— Let us handle that.

We Handle Your Loan Payoff

We work with your lender directly, and pay you the difference on the spot.

No Purchase Necessary

Sell your car with absolutely NO pressure to buy from us!

We Pay MORE!

We strive to match or BEAT any offer from other dealers or online offers!

Value My Vehicle →

Get My Offer

Hear From Our Happy Sellers

Don't just take our word for it— See why over 100+ Iowans are choosing to sell their car to Joe every month!

Justin B.

July 26th, 2025

Amazing experience selling our pickup. The whole experience, from arrival to offer, was less than a half hour. They beat our first offer from another dealership by $8,000! The team at Capital City more than exceeded our expectations. If you're looking to downsize your fleet like we were, definitely make them a priority stop.

Steven O.

December 3rd, 2025

Selling my car was an absolute breeze! Professional, friendly, and incredibly efficient. The process couldn't have been easier: they came right to my house to pick up the car and even delivered the check. I didn't have to worry about a single detail. If you're looking for a hassle-free way to sell your car, I highly recommend Capital City.

Tony S.

June 7th, 2026

We sold our truck to Capital City Motor Company. Molly was so helpful! She made the process so easy and answered all my questions. She also explained each step of the process along the way. They paid over $4K then other dealers. Highly recommend!

Meet the Vehicle Buying Center Team

Real people, on a real team whose sole mission is to make selling your car EASY as possible. From the first message to finalizing your paperwork, work step by step with one of our Vehicle Acquisition Representatives who puts you first.

Brad Andersen

Brad Andersen

Vehicle Acquisition Manager
Molly Ochs

Molly Ochs

Vehicle Acquisition Representative
Martin Ibarra

Martin Ibarra

Vehicle Acquisition Representative
Madylena Doser

Madylena Doser

Vehicle Acquisition Representative

Sell Your Car in Des Moines: FAQs

Why Should I Sell My Car My Car to Capital City Instead of Privately Sell it?

Let's be honest— Most people are selling their car privately because they think a dealer is going to "lowball" them on a purchase or trade offer. We understand where you are coming from. Most of our sellers are shocked when we provide them with the best offer after trying to sell on listing sites and marketplaces.

Are you tired of sketchy messages, tire kickers, trade offers, or waiting on financing to sell your car online? No more scammers in your inbox or strangers at your house, and NO more "Is this available?" Sell your car to a reputable, locally and family-owned dealership whose main goal is to make selling your car as EASY as possible.

We will buy any car! — Any year, any make, any model, and ANY condition! As long as the car is registered in your name and have a transferrable title in your possession, we will make you a no-obligation offer! If your title is at the bank, we will still buy your car!

Have a loan on the car you want to sell? Don't sweat it! We will pay off the balance you owe directly to your bank even if you didn't buy the car from us, and you will get paid the difference— On the spot! No more waiting to receive funds until the bank mails you the title weeks later. We even handle all the paperwork and title work for you.

The value of your vehicle depends on factors like its age, mileage, condition, and current market demand. At Capital City, you will deal with a real person from a dedicated team with a sole mission to purchase cars from the public. NO estimates with 'what ifs', NO online estimators, and NO lowball offers once you get here!— As long as your vehicle is in the condition you described, you will be walking out the door with a check in a matter of minutes.

Our team strives to be the most competitive car buyers in the market, and we strive to beat out offers from other dealers and even online retailers. If you have an offer from another dealer, bring in your offer and we will always try to match or beat it!

You can sell your car to our Vehicle Buying Center WITHOUT buying a car from us! No purchase required, and even better yet— No pressure to buy!

Serving Sellers Across Iowa

Whether you're simply looking to sell your car in Des Moines, IA or planning to trade up into something newer, Capital City Motor Company makes the process easy. Browse our extensive selection of pre-owned cars to see what's available, and if you're curious about your current vehicle's value, visit our Sell Us Your Car or Get Trade-In Value for a free, up-front appraisal.

Everyone wants to know "What is my car worth?" and with our fast, no-obligation offers from our Vehicle Buying Center, you can get the selling process started with confidence. For more questions about our buying process, contact our team today or reach out to our direct line to Capital City Motor Company's Vehicle Buying Center at (515) 265-1467.

Value My Vehicle