Selling a junk car in Fuquay-Varina

What the town calls a junked car

Section 8-3002 starts with the plate. A junked motor vehicle is "a vehicle that does not display a current license plate" and that also "is partially dismantled or wrecked," among other conditions. So a car with a current plate is outside that definition, even if it has not moved in months.

A dead car on the street is yours to move

Section 8-3003 is blunt. If a car is abandoned or junked on a public street, the owner must "cause the removal thereof immediately and to pay all costs incident to such removal." Leaving it there after notice is unlawful.

On private land the town waits to be asked. Under Section 8-3004, no junked car is removed from private property "without the written request of the owner, lessee, or occupant" unless the town board or an authorized official "has declared it to be a health or safety hazard." Whoever asks for the tow pays for it or covers the town's costs, Section 8-3005 says. The town may also want an indemnity first.

The 15-day hold

Once the town has a junked car, Section 8-3008 says it is held "for a period of at least 15 days." To claim it, bring proof that the car is yours to the Chief of Police and cover what the town spent removing, storing and handling it. After 15 days, an unclaimed car "may be destroyed or sold at private sale as junk," and the DMV is told within 15 days of that. With the owner's consent, the chief can dispose of a car right away.

Parking on Broad Street

Most of the town's streets are parallel parking only. Section 7-1131 carves out one stretch on the north side of Broad Street, from 75 feet east of Stewart Street to 75 feet west of Ransdell Street. There, cars park at about 45 degrees.

Wake, Harnett and the inspection

The town lies in Wake and Harnett counties. Wake requires an emissions test for registration; Harnett does not appear on the state's emissions list. Every car still needs the yearly safety inspection to renew its registration.

Titles, damage and plates

For the title, North Carolina works through plate agencies or the mail rather than a Harnett or Wake County office. NCDMV lists 4121 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh, roughly 18 miles northeast of town on a straight line. The seller's signature on the transfer must be notarized.

If the car was badly wrecked, the salvage brand may apply. Under G.S. 20-4.01, a Fuquay-Varina car is salvage if safe repair in parts and labor would exceed 75% of its fair retail market value, totaled by an insurer or not. In Fuquay-Varina, a car with an unregisterable title may be sold just for parts, scrap or recycling.

Plates stay with you. If they will not go on another car, return them to NCDMV first and end the insurance after.

Getting an offer

For a car in Fuquay-Varina, call (877) 421-6008 or ask online. Our junk car value guide explains what shapes the number. The truck meets the Fuquay-Varina car where it sits, a driveway, a field, or a shop lot by Broad Street. Holly Springs is 4.9 miles away; see North Carolina for the state's rules.