Selling a dead car in Pooler

When the grader comes through

The rule has a notice step. The city must tell the owner the street is being worked on and ask for the car to be moved, "unless the owner cannot be found." After that, police can have a private garage or towing company tow and impound it.

The car then stays with the towing company, garage or wrecker service until it is paid "a reasonable charge" for the tow plus storage "per day, for each day or portion of a day," both set in the city's fee schedule. Those charges keep adding up while the car sits there. Our towed or impounded car guide covers getting it back or selling it.

Trucks, trailers and campers

Pooler limits where bigger vehicles can sit. Section 82-45 makes it unlawful to park a commercial vehicle, including a semitrailer, trailer or truck tractor, on land designated for commercial use for more than two hours unless it is "directly associated with the operation or management of the property." The penalty is a fine, a tow "at the owner's expense," or both. A dead work truck in a shopping-center lot is exactly that case.

At home, the zoning rules say camping and recreational equipment kept outside a garage "shall be parked or stored to the rear of the front building line of the lot." A camper that stopped running belongs behind the house, not in the front setback.

A dead car on your own lot

We did not find a Pooler section on inoperable cars stored on private property. Section 74-2 points readers to state law for abandoned motor vehicles, O.C.G.A. § 40-11-1 and following. The state's version: an unattended car on private property becomes an "abandoned motor vehicle" at 30 days or more, and on public property at five. Pooler could have tighter local limits that we missed, so check with the city before you rely on either figure.

Title and tag work for Pooler

Pooler belongs to Chatham County. The tag office we looked at is in Savannah, Suite 107 at 222 W Oglethorpe Ave., phone (912) 652-7100. As the crow flies that is roughly 10 miles to the east of central Pooler, and Chatham may have other locations.

Georgia wants two things from a Pooler seller: a signed-over title, and a cancelled registration.

• On the reverse of the title, your name goes in print and in signature in the Seller area. Co-owners sign there as well.
• Miles go down as a whole number, with nothing erased.
• The plate comes off and goes with you.
• In Pooler, end the registration first through Form MV-18J or DRIVES e-Services. Call the insurer after that.

Form MV-1 plus $8.00 replaces a lost title. A Pooler car from 1985 or older has no Georgia title to sign. They sell with a bill of sale. More in after you sell.

Near Pooler

Savannah is 7.4 miles away and Richmond Hill 14.5, in a straight line. Hinesville is 28.4 miles. See Georgia for statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Pooler sellers can reach us online or at (877) 421-6008 about their car. Before the two hours are up, we can reach the car at a Pooler driveway or behind a commercial lot.