Selling a junk or dead car in Oceanside

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 a street near the pier to a driveway inland.

How Oceanside's notice works

Chapter 17, Article III covers any "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle" on public or private land. Both the parcel owner and the car owner get the notice by registered or certified mail, "unless the vehicle is in such condition that identification numbers are not available to determine ownership."

Section 17.28 puts the order in the hands of Oceanside's police chief or its code enforcement staff, and their officers "may enter upon private or public property to examine a vehicle or vehicle parts." A contractor hired by the city can come onto the property to haul the car away.

What happens at a hearing

Under Section 17.31, Oceanside's building director or a designee runs the public hearing and listens to testimony on how bad the car is and how it came to be parked there. The director "may delay the time for removal" when the circumstances justify it, or may order it removed and disposed of. If someone else's car shows up on your land, there is a safeguard. If it showed up in Oceanside without your consent and you never approved it later, the city "shall not assess the abatement costs against the property."

Two places with their own clocks

• The airport. Under Section 3B.18, a vehicle parked at the airport for "seventy-two (72) consecutive hours or more without the prior approval of the airport manager" counts as abandoned, and the city may remove it at the owner's expense.
• The harbor. Section 29A.51 bars oversized vehicles and unattached trailers from parking on Harbor Drive North overnight, from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. Under 29A.19, vehicles left in violation of the harbor rules may be removed or impounded.

California title and plates

In Oceanside, you handle the state DMV yourself, at an office or by mail. You sign over the title, and any lender listed on it signs too. The DMV's private-sale steps don't require a notary. In Oceanside the seller has 5 days after selling to file REG 138, either on the DMV website or by paper form. Regular plates remain on the car. In Oceanside, no smog check is needed when the car is sold for wrecking or dismantling. For an Oceanside car recorded as Junk, the plates return to the DMV.

Nearby towns

As the crow flies, Vista is about 4.6 miles from Oceanside, Carlsbad 6.7, San Marcos 10.1, Encinitas 12.3, Escondido 14.8 and Temecula 21.1. Statewide rules are on the California page; junk car removal and car sitting for years cover the common situations.

Getting an offer

If a 10-day letter is already on the counter, start online or call (877) 421-6008. Fill in the form about your Oceanside car. Around Oceanside we pick up from garages near the beach, side yards and shop lots.