Selling a junk car in Westmont

Seven days is the line

The zoning definitions in Section 17.06 spell out when a car turns inoperable. It is "any motor vehicle from which, for a period of seven days, the engine, wheels, or other parts have been removed," or one so damaged or altered that it "is incapable of being driven under its own motor power."

The same definition leaves out a car that is only out of action for a short time. The text we read is cut off before it lists the details. If your car is up on stands for a brake job, ask the village how it reads that part.

A car with the transmission pulled for two weeks fits the test plainly. So does one with a seized engine that nobody plans to fix.

Moving it to a parking lot does not help

Some owners push a dead car into a building's lot to get it out of the yard. Westmont closes that door. Section 22-228 says "it shall be unlawful to park or store, in any parking lot, any vehicle which is not in a condition ready for use." That section also forbids turning a lot into a sales display or a repair bay. A dead car parked in a Westmont lot with a for-sale sign on it runs into two rules together.

What the code we read leaves out

The Westmont sections we read set no notice period and no tow date for a dead car at a home. Illinois law sketches the outer limits. 65 ILCS 5/11-40-3 lets a town like Westmont, if it opts in, declare an inoperable vehicle in view a nuisance, fine an owner who ignores it, and have police tow it a week after notice. That is a local choice, so the village may run its own steps. If a notice arrives, the date printed on it is the one that counts. Our notice guide covers what to do next.

Another statute, 625 ILCS 5/4-201, reaches cars dumped on land that belongs to someone other than the car's owner. Police can take those once seven or more days have passed.

Handing over the title and plates

The Secretary of State in Springfield issues every Illinois title; counties play no part. Its seller guide boils down to this:

• Unscrew the plates. They stay yours, and a buyer driving on them would be breaking the law.
• Complete the Assignment of Title section right on the certificate. On a Westmont sale, both sides sign and print their names, and the odometer reading is written in.
• Detach the stub at the bottom of your Westmont title and mail it that same day. If it's missing, use form VSD 703. The address: Record Inquiry Division, Room 629, 501 S. Second St., Springfield 62756.
• Put who bought it, their address, when they bought it and what they paid on a bill of sale.

Notarizing is not among those steps. If the Westmont car's title is missing, tick Duplicate Title on form VSD 190 and pay the $50 fee. Springfield turns down any duplicate asked for within 15 days of the original.

DuPage County is in the Chicago-area emissions program. A car that failed its test and will not be fixed is still something you can sell whole.

Close to Westmont

Measured as the crow flies, Downers Grove lies 2.5 miles off, Darien 3.4, Woodridge 5.4 and Lombard 5.9. For the rest of the state's rules, open the Illinois page.

Getting an offer

Selling a dead car in Westmont? Ring (877) 421-6008 or fill in our offer form. Since the truck travels to the car, it can wait in the garage until loading day.