Selling a dead or junk car in Greer

The street is not a storage lot

Section 86-193 reads: "No vehicle shall be parked on any street except when such parking is incidental to the use and operation of the vehicle." It goes on to bar storage on the streets "by garages, dealers, or other persons" when the parking is not part of real use. A car waiting weeks for a buyer or a tow is being stored, not used.

Junk cars on private land: state law

Greer's code, as far as we found, says nothing specific about wrecks kept at home. That leaves state statute in charge, though a local rule could exist that we missed.

Under state law:

• a car is abandoned after two days (48 hours) unattended beside a highway, or a week on other property whose controller never agreed
• derelict status can come from a pulled motor or major parts, removed ID, a lapsed registration whose owner moved away, or no current registration once the car is past eight years old
• both kinds can be towed off public or private land, and town code officers may first put a colored tag on it as a notice

When a wrecker takes it, that company and the storage yard both mail the owner of record and lenders, certified or registered, return receipt. Unclaimed cars can be auctioned, and the buyer gets title cleared of liens.

A car someone else left behind

South Carolina's no-title route is not just for cars you own. It also reaches a vehicle abandoned on your property. Conditions: you hold it lawfully, it is at least twelve model years old, no valid tag is on it, and it is either engineless or unable to run at all. You sign an affirming form, and the demolisher or secondary metals recycler keeps it. Car abandoned on your property has more.

Two SCDMV branches we checked

Greer crosses the line between Greenville and Spartanburg counties. Straight-line distances from the center of town:

• 610 Arlington Road, Greer, SC 29651, 864-801-9375: about 2 miles northeast
• 15 Saluda Dam Road, Greenville, SC 29611, 864-241-1147: about 14 miles west

We only checked these offices. Others may also serve the area.

Selling in South Carolina

Complete the title's first assignment: who is buying, their address, a lienholder if one exists, the mileage, what they paid, the sale date, then your signature and theirs. If a title has no line for the price, attach a bill of sale. Form 416 goes to SCDMV next.

Keep the tag off the sold car. SCDMV will not shift a plate between people when the original holder has no name on the title. Reuse it on your next car or return it with Form 452, and drop the coverage. Replacement titles cost $15, whether ordered by mail or at a counter, and $20 extra expedites a walk-in request.

Getting an offer

Have a dead car in Greer? Phone (877) 421-6008 or send the online form. We offer free pickup anywhere in the US, so in Greer we load near the old downtown, at repair shops, or from driveways in both counties. Greenville is about 10 miles away and Spartanburg about 17; see South Carolina for statewide rules.