Selling a junk or dead car in Coral Gables

What the city counts as junk or abandoned

Section 34-105 makes it unlawful to "park, store, or leave any motor or other vehicle maintained on cement blocks, with flat tires, partially dismantled, not properly registered or insured, or in a wrecked, junked, dilapidated or abandoned condition on public or private property in the city." Note the word insured: dropping coverage on a car you no longer drive can put it on the wrong side of the rule.

The definitions in Section 34-104 go further. A vehicle "is presumed to be abandoned if it is maintained on cement blocks, has flat tires, is partially dismantled, has paint missing, is inoperable or is not registered or insured." A junk motor vehicle includes one that cannot be "propelled or driven by its own engine," and a wrecked one is a car whose damage would cost more than $500.00 to repair. That dollar figure is a legal test, not a value for the car. The towing chapter, Section 74-270, adds that any motor vehicle "without a legal or current tag" parked on public or private property is an abandoned vehicle.

Cover rules in detail

• No car cover at all in the swale area.
• The two-vehicle limit counts everything under covers on or within the property lines.
• A ten-day grace period applies when permitted construction or tree work stops you using your approved parking surface.
• A covered car parked wholly within the improved surface of a driveway approach is exempt if the cover fits and does not retain water.

If a city tow takes it

Section 74-281 sets the rules for wreckers working for the city. Abandoned, junked or mechanically incapacitated vehicles go to a licensed wrecker, junkyard or storage yard "inside a masonry wall." Storage is charged only on days the company keeps its release office open at least six hours. If a car sits unreleased for five days, the wrecker must tell the city, and the city may have it towed to the city storage lot.

Title office from Coral Gables

One title counter is the Miami one on NW 2nd Ave, number 200; phone (305) 375-5448. It is some 8 miles northeast of central Coral Gables, as the crow flies.

Florida title and plate rules

Coral Gables sellers fill in the seller block printed on the title's face, naming the purchaser and where they live, then adding mileage, price and date, all without a notary. Keep your tag. The Notice of Sale (HSMV 82050) closes things out; the deadline is 30 days.

A car with a loan stays put until the lienholder is satisfied and tells the state. Without any title, an older car still has a path. With ten model years on it and a value short of $1,000, HSMV 82137 lets a licensed salvage business or a registered recycler buy it on a derelict certificate, after which it is scrapped or dismantled. More in selling with no title.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form online. Name the car's year, make and model, read us the odometer, and tell us if it runs and if the title carries your name. A driveway under a car cover, a garage space or a shop bay all work for the pickup. Nearby: Palmetto Bay, Miami and Cutler Bay. See Florida for statewide rules.