Selling a junk car in Goshen

Goshen's own rules

We could not find Goshen's city code online, so we cannot quote a local junk-car clock. Indiana law applies here. A car someone leaves on private land that is not theirs, without permission, becomes abandoned after 48 hours. A car stripped of key drivetrain parts or unable to run becomes abandoned when it is left on public ground. Local ordinances may go further.

Wrecked or flooded: the salvage title question

A flooded or crashed car raises a title question before anything else. Indiana requires a certificate of salvage title when an insurer has written off a car from the latest seven model years as economically impractical to repair. Flood damage triggers the same requirement.

State law spells out what flood damaged means. Two things make a Goshen passenger car count: an insurer paying a water damage claim on it, or flood water that got over the door sill and reached the cabin or trunk. Self-insuring businesses and people who buy damaged vehicles use a different test: repairs above 70% of fair market value right before the damage.

One more rule for a car bought outside Indiana: if another state branded it "JUNK, DISMANTLED, SCRAP, DESTROYED" or something similar, Indiana will not title it. Our salvage title and flood damage guides go further.

Expired plates on a parked car

A car that sat for a year often has a lapsed plate. Indiana's penalty for renewing late is a flat $15, and the BMV states no back-year fees. A renewal envelope postmarked by the expiration date avoids the fee.

When the car is sold, unbolt the plate and keep it. Indiana does not collect plates from sold cars.

Signing and the missing-title fix

The BMV's list for a seller is short: signatures on the title, then the mileage, sale date, price and purchaser, then the plates removed. A notary is not mentioned. The buyer handles the new title, registration and plate. If you need the Harrison St. branch, its listed phone is 888-692-6841.

If the title is lost, you have two options:

• File State Form 205 for a duplicate at $15.00; paying $25 more speeds it up. In Goshen you can apply through myBMV.com, a branch, a BMV Connect kiosk, or a Partial Service Provider. The original stops counting once the duplicate is printed.
• A $4.00 Certificate of Authority on State Form 55018 allows you to scrap the car with no replacement title.

See junk car with no title.

Emissions testing covers only Lake and Porter counties, so Elkhart County has none.

Nearby

Elkhart is 10.7 miles away, Mishawaka 18.7, South Bend 23.8 and Fort Wayne 49.0. Statewide rules are on the Indiana page.

Getting an offer

Use (877) 421-6008 or the form. Send the form for your Goshen car. A tow truck can get it near downtown, at a house on the edge of the city, or at a repair shop along U.S. 33.