Selling a junk or unsightly car in Enfield

Three ways Enfield's code describes a problem car

Section 14-172 sits in the town's property maintenance rules. It gives three tests:

• Inoperable. A car "incapable of performing the function for which it was designed by virtue of missing parts or broken or severely damaged components."
• Unsightly. The damaged, vandalized or dismantled car described above.
• Parked in the wrong place. Any car "not parked in a legal parking space, driveway, or behind the front line(s) of any dwelling on the premises." The code explains the front line is "the portion of the dwelling that is closest to the street."

That last test is about location, not condition. A car on the front lawn fits it, running or not.

Enfield defines motor vehicle broadly. Covered are trucks, vans, campers, boat trailers, motorcycles and "any other motorized wheeled vehicle designated or used for highway purpose."

A breakdown on an Enfield street

Section 82-31 bans parking that blocks traffic, with one allowance. A car "which has become disabled to such an extent that it is impossible or impracticable to remove it may be permitted to so remain for a reasonable time." That time is for "making repairs thereto or of obtaining sufficient assistance to remove it." It is not a place to store the car.

Boots, tows and the pound

Under Section 82-8, a car parked in violation of a town traffic rule can be towed to a pound. A car with "five or more parking citations" that are delinquent can be towed or booted.

The clocks:

• Police must tell the owner why the car was taken "as soon as practicable, within 24 hours."
• A booted car's owner gets "at least 24 hours from the time of immobilization" before it can go to storage.
• Storage is charged "for each day, or portion of a day," past the first 24 hours.
• Removing a booted or towed car without paying can bring an extra fine, plus liability for any damage to the boot.

Getting a car back from the pound under Section 82-66 takes "evidence of his identity and ownership," a signed receipt, and paying for the tow.

Title work: the DMV is in Wethersfield

Every Connecticut title comes out of the state DMV. The office we checked is at 60 State Street in Wethersfield, around 19 miles south of central Enfield in a straight line.

Paper does most of the work. You sign the back of the title, include a bill of sale, and keep copies. The DMV doesn't require a notary. Form H-6B replaces a lost title for $25. Licensed recyclers must be handed the title of any car required to carry one. Past 20 model years Connecticut titles nothing, and a DMV letter documents that.

Plates and the tax bill

Remove your plates; they belong to you. An online registration cancellation, receipt saved, ends the car's run on Enfield's property-tax rolls. Keep insurance until the cancellation is complete. After you sell has the full checklist.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or send the form with the car's age, brand, model and miles, if it starts, which parts are gone, and the state of its title. Our truck reaches Enfield cars beside a house, on a driveway or inside a shop. The closest towns with pages are Windsor and South Windsor; see Connecticut for state rules.