Sell your dead or junk car in Punta Gorda

City rules we could not find

Punta Gorda's own code was not available online when we checked, so we can't quote the city's rule on inoperable cars. The city may have its own limits on how long a dead car can sit, or where. Ask before you leave one outside for months. What follows is Florida law, which applies statewide.

Junk and derelict, in Florida's words

Statute 319.30 calls a car junk when it is inoperable and worth most as "scrap metal or component parts." Derelict is a narrower label: a car valued below $1,000, 10 or more model years old, whose best use is sale to a salvage dealer or recycler for dismantling or scrap. That second label matters when the title is missing.

A car on public land

Chapter 705 deals with things that have no identifiable owner and are left on public property "in a wrecked, inoperative or partially dismantled condition." Under Statute 705.103 an officer sticks a notice on the item. The owner then has 5 days. After that the agency hauls it away and may keep it or sell it publicly, and leftover sale money, after costs, is held for 1 year.

Towed from a parking lot

If a car is towed off private land without the owner agreeing, Statute 715.07 limits the storage lot's distance from where the car was hooked: 10 miles in big counties (500,000 people or more), 15 miles in the rest. A lien usually follows. Statute 713.78 has the tow or storage company send certified letters to the owner on record, the insurer and any lender, on a 35-day clock for an older model and a 57-day clock for a newer one. See towed or impounded.

Water damage and total losses

Florida's line for a total loss is repair cost at the time of the damage reaching 80 percent of what a comparable replacement would cost. If an insurer writes a car off because of water, Statute 319.14 makes it a flood vehicle, and the state stamps the title that way before it can change hands. FLHSMV explains a brand as a word on the title marking a condition such as junk, salvage or flood, and says insurers report the flooded cars. The flood damage guide goes further.

Paperwork at the sale

• Paper title. Florida's TL-11 procedure has no notary step for the seller. Fill in what it sold for, the day, the mileage, and last, the buyer's name and address. From there the buyer has 30 calendar days to apply in their own name.
• Electronic title. Both of you show up at a service center, photo ID in hand, to move it and put the mileage on record.
• Loan still open. The lender has to be paid and has to report the lien released before anything transfers.
• Plate. It comes off and stays yours, ready for a new or replacement vehicle.
• Notice of Sale. Due 30 days after the sale under Statute 319.22; on HSMV 82050 you complete sections 1 and 3.

Lost the title?

A seller needs the duplicate in hand before selling. Form HSMV 82101 costs $75.25, plus $10.00 for Fast Title. If the original went missing in the mail, it costs nothing as long as you apply within 180 days of its issue date. For an old, low-value car, the other way out is a derelict certificate (HSMV 82137). You file it at the tax collector's office, the car goes to a salvage dealer with a license or a registered secondary metals recycler, and it never gets a title again. More in selling with no title.

Expired tags on a parked car

If you miss renewal and the due month ends, Statute 320.07 adds a flat delinquent fee of $5 up to $250, charged from the 11th day of the next month. Driving on tags that lapsed 6 months ago or less is a noncriminal nonmoving offense. There is no emissions test to clear; Florida ended inspections in 2000.

Towns around Punta Gorda

North Port is 13.8 miles away, Cape Coral 18.1, Fort Myers 24.1 and Venice 26.3, all straight-line. Estero is 36.5 miles off. For statewide rules see Florida.

Getting an offer

Fill in the form online or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us the make and model, how many miles, if it drives, and whether the title is clean, branded or missing. The truck can pick up from a home driveway, a condo lot, or a body shop.