We tend to treat our vehicles as junk only when they are no longer able to get back on the road. This should include all those cars still on the road, even though their present condition should not allow them to. This is not something people are ready to do until they no longer can help it. Here is how you know you can no longer run from that fact.
A car that fits the lemon criteria shall be ripe for the junkyard. The lemon law was instituted to protect the rights of consumers when car manufacturers would release vehicles that had some serious defects. In case you see you have a lemon car with you, you need to seek the compensation you rightfully deserve. That lemon can thus be treated as junk. You can approach the buyer on this site for more junk cars for cash info.
You will also know it is a junk when you look at the mileage. A car reaches junk status when it covers such a large number as its mileage. If you were to resell it, you would not fetch much for it. Taking it to a salvage yard would net you more money. You will make more money from the metal parts, which goes to show you why you should not waste time in the used car market.
You need to treat a car that needs too many repairs the same way. You will find that you are spending so much money on repairs. You will keep spending most of your money on it until when you finally let it go as junk.
You shall also treat a car involved in a terrible accident as junk. Most salvage yards shall have cash ready for you when you approach them with it. There will be parts on it they can use to better effect in another needy car. Gain details, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_for_cars.
You shall also turn old cars that are no longer able to go on the road as junk. There is a category of classic cars that are well taken care of and are worth so much money. We are not referring to that group of cars. We are instead talking about those old cars people still hold on to in their homesteads, even though they will never drive them, and are not looked at as classics. Instead of letting them keep taking up space and rotting away, treating them as junk and selling them off is a better approach.
If you ever get to a point where your car has lost its resell value, or it is proving to be too expensive to maintain, then dealing with is as junk shall be a good solution. You can check out details on cash for junk cars.