Getting rid of a car that no longer runs

There's a car in the driveway that hasn't moved in years. The tires are soft, the sticker on the windshield is from another decade, and it's sitting between you and a clean garage. The car isn't the hard part. The title and the tow are.

Find the title before anything else

Nothing happens without a title. Check the file cabinet, the glovebox, the safe deposit box, and whatever folder your parent kept marked CAR. Look at whose name is on it and whether a lien is listed — a loan that got paid off doesn't always get stamped as released.

If the title is lost, the owner applies for a duplicate at the DMV, and if the owner has died, the estate does it. That takes time, so start the day you find out it's missing. A car with no title is a parts car, and it gets priced like one.

Put the car in one of three piles

• Runs and would pass inspection: sell it or donate it.
• Runs but needs work you won't do: sell it as a project, priced for the work.
• Doesn't run: scrap or parts, and the tow is part of the deal.
• Sentimental: it's still one of the three above.

Get the scrap quote on the phone

Scrap yards pay by weight and the rate moves, so ask what they're paying this week instead of trusting a number you heard. Ask whether the tow is included and whether they need keys or a title to pick it up.

Call two yards. The difference usually shows up in the tow, not the metal. If the car is complete — wheels, converter, battery still on it — say so, because a stripped shell gets quoted differently.

Donating is a different transaction

Charity vehicle programs will take a car that doesn't run, but ask what actually happens to it and what paperwork you get. Some sell at auction, some scrap it. Get the receipt in the same tax year and confirm in writing that they take the title, not just the car.

Before the truck backs in

• Take the plates off. Whether they stay with you depends on your state, so ask the DMV.
• Pull the registration, insurance card, toll transponder and garage door opener.
• Empty the trunk, the console and the gap under the seats. That's where the good stuff hides.
• Photograph the whole car and the odometer.
• Write down the VIN and keep it with your copy of the title.

The job isn't done when the car leaves

Sign the title over in front of the buyer and keep a copy of both sides. If your state has a release-of-liability form or a notice of sale, file it, because tickets and tows can follow the plate, not the car.

Tell your insurer the car is gone so the policy stops billing you, and cancel the registration. If the car went to a charity, keep the receipt somewhere you'll find it at tax time.

The mistake I see most is handing over the keys and the car and promising to mail the title later. Whoever has the car without a title has a problem, and it turns into your problem. Title and keys change hands at the same time, or the car doesn't leave.