Selling a junk or dead car in Gardena

We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US, from the side streets off Rosecrans Avenue to the rest of the South Bay.

When the title is missing

1. Lost, stolen or damaged title. Send in REG 227 by mail or bring it to a DMV office. Vehicle Code 9265 sets the $28 fee. The DMV says a mailed title usually shows up in 15-30 days.
2. A lienholder on record. Section 5 of REG 227 then has to be notarized.
3. No ownership papers at all. At $5,000 in value and up, DMV requires a motor vehicle bond. Below that line, no bond is required. For a Gardena car, the DMV accepts any papers you still have along with REG 256. The Gardena owner writes down where the car came from, what it is worth, and that nobody holds a lien. Those dollar lines are DMV's legal test, not a price.

If the car is registered to a relative or a past owner, see car not in your name. The general steps are in selling with no title.

What the title says about the car

The state uses just a handful of title brands. A Gardena title can carry a DMV brand. Two of them are "Salvaged" and "Remanufactured," and "Park Trailer" and "Warranty Return (Lemon Law Buyback)" are two more. The others are "Non-USA (Grey Market)," "Original/Prior Taxi" and "Original/Prior Police." A Gardena car branded Salvaged was hurt in a crash, a flood or by vandals, or was junked and dismantled at some point. The state has no separate flood brand.

There is no damage percentage that triggers a salvage title. Under Vehicle Code 544, the owner or the insurer makes the call. When fixing a Gardena car makes no financial sense, it's a total-loss salvage vehicle and gets a salvage certificate instead of a title. Vehicle Code 431 calls some cars nonrepairable: a surgical strip, a total burn, or a car the owner says is good only for parts or scrap. Such a car can't get a title or registration again, ever. More in salvage title.

Smog and the 5-day notice

DMV's ZIP list shows just one smog-exempt ZIP in Los Angeles County, 90704, which is Avalon on Catalina Island. DMV notes that list was last revised in November 2011. For a junk car it matters less, since a junking transfer carries no smog duty at all.

Five days after the truck leaves, REG 138 should be in DMV's hands. Standard plates go with the car. See the California page for the rest.

Nearby

Straight-line distances from Gardena: Lawndale 2.6 miles, Hawthorne 2.7, Compton 4.6, Inglewood 4.8.

Getting an offer

Online or at (877) 421-6008, describe the car (make, model, model year, odometer) and whether it runs, then list whatever papers you hold, even if that's only an old registration card. Pickup works at a house, a carport or a shop.