Selling a dead car in Mineola

Moving it to the driveway does not settle it

Section 550-34 closes that door: "No lot, parcel, street or highway within the Incorporated Village of Mineola shall be used for the outside storage of an inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle or vehicles." The same section adds that "No repairs shall be made to such vehicle or vehicles outside of enclosed buildings." So a weekend engine swap on the driveway is off the table too.

What the code allows is indoor storage: "Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the storage of such vehicle or vehicles inside a garage or other building located on the premises." The property code says the same thing more bluntly at 300-47: "Junked vehicles, equipment, and materials shall not be stored in open areas of premises."

If the car is dead and the garage is full, our page on a car that doesn't run lays out the choices.

Village lots, snow and towing

Village parking lots have their own limit. Cars left "in excess of three consecutive days, without obtaining a parking permit from the Village Parking Supervisor," face tickets and possible towing and storage charges.

During "a snowstorm, flood, fire or other public emergency," the Parking Supervisor may remove a car parked or abandoned on the affected stretch of road. The same goes for a car blocking traffic or sitting where parking is banned. Removed cars are stored "at the expense of the owner." The Clerk then tries to find the owner and tell them "the amount which will be required to redeem same."

New York sale paperwork

On the title, the seller signs over ownership in the space on the reverse side. A separate bill of sale, Form MV-912, records the VIN, price and date. Neither needs a notary. In Mineola, the original bill of sale goes with the buyer to a NYS DMV office.

If the title is gone, order a duplicate with Form MV-902 for $20; it is printed in Albany and mailed. Form MV-35 is the other path. A Mineola sale qualifies when the vehicle has eight-plus model years behind it, is valued at $1,250 or less, and goes to a state-registered dismantler, an itinerant collector or a certified scrap processor. A private buyer or tow driver does not qualify, and the car never gets a title again. Details in junk car with no title.

The plates stay with you

Mineola sellers file nothing to report a sale. Instead, take off the plates and the windshield sticker when the car goes. Get them to the DMV, or onto a different car of yours, right away and before ending the insurance, and keep the FS-6T receipt. A lapse on a registered car brings a DMV letter and can suspend the registration.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Name the car and its miles, say if it cranks, and say what paperwork you have. We can load it from a shop lot, a driveway or a garage. Garden City is 1.5 miles away and Hempstead 3.1; statewide rules are on New York.