Selling a junk or dead car in Venice

We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Open storage at home

The test in Section 34-81 has two parts. The car must be in disrepair, and it must be unable to move on its own power. A car that still runs is not dilapidated under this section, even with a lapsed tag. One that does not run is, and the code's concern is "open storage," so a car out in the yard or the driveway is the problem. The section ties the rule to items "likely to adversely affect the value of neighboring properties."

Business owners have one extra rule. The sign code bans lettering or a business sign on a vehicle that "is inoperable, does not have a current State of Florida vehicle registration," or is not regularly used for the business. A dead work truck with the company name on it is not an allowed sign.

Ten days on a public street

Section 70-6 lets police officers and parking enforcement specialists remove a vehicle that is "parked, stored or abandoned on a public right-of-way or parking area continuously in excess of ten days." Before it goes, the car is tagged, and it becomes "subject to removal after 48 hours of the vehicle being properly tagged."

When the city knows whose car it towed, the owner hears in person or in writing what was removed, the reason and the storage place. An owner who cannot be reached gets a mailed written report when three days go by and the car is still in storage.

State abandoned-property law runs its own clock for a wreck on public land whose owner cannot be identified. A notice is posted on it, and 5 days later it can be hauled away.

Beach and park lots

City park lots are tighter. Section 46-184 says "It shall be unlawful to park in any area in excess of 18 consecutive hours," and a car parked over 24 hours may be removed under Section 70-6. A car that dies in a beach lot needs to leave quickly.

Title and plate

For Venice sellers, the tax collector office listed is up the coast in downtown Sarasota at 101 S. Washington Blvd., (941) 861-8300, roughly 17 miles northwest as the crow flies.

The sale itself needs no notary in Florida. You sign the title's front after noting the new owner, where they live, the odometer, the money paid and the day. Unbolt your tag; it can ride on your next car. Inside 30 days, HSMV 82050 reports the sale and detaches your registration.

A lost title is a bigger hurdle; see selling with no title for duplicates and Florida's derelict certificate for older cars.

Nearby

North Port is 14.0 miles away, Sarasota 17.2 and Punta Gorda 26.3. See Florida for statewide rules, or bad transmission if that is what stopped the car.

Getting an offer

Start online or call (877) 421-6008. Let us know the make and model, its year and miles, if it still runs, and the title's status. We send a driver to the driveway, garage or repair bay where it is sitting.