Junk and dead cars in Brookhaven

If you are done with the car, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US, Brookhaven included.

What the lot rule tells you

Section 27-637 also says "All surfaces where vehicles are stored or displayed for sale, rental or lease and all parking areas shall be paved." It makes it unlawful to load or unload cars for sale, service or repair "within the right-of-way of any public street." So a dealer or rental office here cannot keep a body-damaged car parked outside. If one asked you to take your wreck off its lot, this section is a likely reason.

When Georgia treats a car as abandoned

For a car at home or on the street, the state's motor vehicle manual sets the clocks:

• Private property: a car left unattended there for "not less than 30 days" counts as abandoned.
• Public property: five days, when the owner does not seem to intend to return.
• A shop or wrecker yard: if nobody returns within 30 days for a car dropped at a dealer, garage or wrecker service, the state calls it "abandoned."

The third one covers a car left at a repair shop and never called for.

Getting a towed car back

Under Section 17-100, whoever claims an impounded car must "produce evidence of identity and ownership or right of possession" to the person in charge of the pound. A car kept as evidence stays until the police agency gives permission. And "A receipt shall be obtained for all impounded vehicles upon their surrender."

Once a Brookhaven tow lot has your car, state rules give it 15 calendar days to write to each owner, by certified mail or by hand. The letter gives two warnings. Once ten calendar days have passed since the notice, the lot can go to court on its lien, and a judge can then order a sale. If you do not want the car back, read towed or impounded before the clock runs out.

A DeKalb County tag office

Brookhaven is in DeKalb County. We looked up a tag office at 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur. You can reach it at 404-298-4000. On a map it sits about 8 miles southeast of downtown Brookhaven. DeKalb may have other locations as well.

Replacing a lost title there takes Form MV-1 and $8.00, and a lienholder must sign off first. Scrap buyers have another route for cars 12 model years old or more: Georgia lets salvage dealers, metals recyclers and scrap processors accept the owner's affidavit. Selling with no title explains both routes.

DeKalb also sits inside Georgia's emissions testing area. If your car failed and the repair is not worth it, see failed inspection.

Plates and the second step

Your plates stay with you. Signing the back of the title is only half of a Georgia sale. Next you close out the registration. In DeKalb you can do it on the state's DRIVES e-Services site or hand in an MV-18J in person. The Department of Revenue says to do that before you cancel the insurance, to avoid penalties. After you sell has the full list, and Georgia covers state rules.

Getting an offer

Got a car in Brookhaven to sell? Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or use the form. In Brookhaven we load from townhome driveways, parking decks or a repair shop. Chamblee is 2.4 miles away and Dunwoody 5.6, if the car is parked there instead.