Selling a dead or junk car in Gilroy

When state law lets a car be removed

Three state sections do most of the work when a car stops running in a town like Gilroy.

• Missing parts at the curb. Vehicle Code 22669 allows instant removal of a Gilroy car on public ground once its wheels, tires, engine, transmission, doors, windshield or other key parts are gone. A half-stripped project at the curb has no clock.
• Three days at the curb. A Gilroy car left 72 straight hours in breach of a city parking ordinance can be towed. Vehicle Code 22651 allows it.
• Low-value cars. Vehicle Code 22851.3 says an abandoned Gilroy car worth $500 or under carries a posted warning for 72 hours before removal. In Gilroy, that step doesn't apply to a car worth $300 or less taken under 22669. Within 48 hours of a tow, Gilroy notifies the owner. A hearing request is due inside 10 days, and disposal can follow 15 days from the notice.

Walking away is not an option either. Dump a car on a Gilroy street, or on someone's land without permission, and Vehicle Code 22523 carries a fine of at least $100. You also have to prove you paid for the removal.

Junking versus selling

California treats junking as its own step. The owner applies to the DMV to put the car on record as Junk before taking it apart. Take it apart first and you owe an investigative service fee. Plates return to the DMV once the car is on record as Junk. Smog does not apply to a car handed over for wrecking. Selling the whole car as it sits means you never take it apart yourself. Our page on missing parts covers cars already half taken apart.

Title and release of liability

Gilroy titles, like all in California, run through the state DMV. You sign as the seller, and a lender signs too if there is one. A notary isn't part of the DMV's steps. File REG 138 within five days; the DMV takes it at dmv.ca.gov/nrl. A car that is sold, not junked, normally keeps its standard plates.

Getting an offer

Ask for an offer online or at (877) 421-6008. The offer form covers the details for your Gilroy car. We can load it at a farm lot, behind a downtown shop or in a driveway off Monterey Street. Neighbors with their own pages: Morgan Hill, Watsonville and Hollister. Statewide rules are on California.