Sell a Junk Car in Yonkers, NY: Free Tow Up the Hill, Cash Before the Truck Leaves
Yonkers is built on hills that climb from the Hudson at Getty Square to 416 feet, and a dead car on one of them is not going anywhere on its own. That is the job. Call 1-800-935-8652 with the year, make, model and what is wrong with it, and we send a tow truck to the car, whether it is parked on a Nodine Hill side street, in a Crestwood driveway or behind a building off Central Park Avenue in Colonial Heights. The driver pays you the quoted amount at pickup, and the tow costs nothing. This page covers what Yonkers cars are worth and why, how New York handles a lost title, what the Yonkers City Code says about an inoperable car on your lot, and the parking rules that make a curbside pickup here different from one in the suburbs. Everything below was checked against the state DMV forms and the City Code.
Call 1-800-935-8652 for a free offer on your vehicle in Yonkers. Free towing, cash on pickup.
How to sell a junk car in Yonkers
The call comes first, and the more precise you are, the more accurate the number. We ask whether the engine turns over, whether the car rolls and steers, whether all four wheels and the catalytic converter are still on it, and whether you hold the New York Certificate of Title or a transferable registration. Then the location, because in Yonkers the location dictates the truck. The city calls itself the City of Seven Hills, and Park, Nodine, Ridge, Cross, Locust, Glen and Church Hills are where a flatbed has to set its ramps on a grade. Street parking is the norm in Getty Square, Nodine Hill and Park Hill, and Yonkers enforces alternate side parking, so a car that has sat with dead tags for months is usually already collecting tickets; under the city’s penalty schedule a registration violation alone is $70. Northeast neighborhoods such as Crestwood, Cedar Knolls and Beech Hill run to driveways and garages, which is simpler. If the car is on a signed snow emergency route like Yonkers Avenue, McLean Avenue or North Broadway and snow is coming, tell us, because the city bans parking on those routes once an emergency is declared.
What is a junk car worth in Yonkers?
Most junk cars in Yonkers sell for $150 to $700. The floor is scrap weight, so a full-size SUV or work van with the drivetrain intact starts higher than a compact, and the number climbs when the catalytic converter is present and when the car still has parts a rebuilder wants. Two Yonkers factors move that number. The first is the hill-and-street life these cars lead: brakes, transmissions and suspension on a car that has spent years stopping on Park Hill or Nodine Hill grades and parking on the curb tend to be worn, which trims the parts value. Winter salt on Westchester streets does the rest to brake lines and rockers. The second is that Yonkers sits at the top of the Bronx, wedged against Riverdale, Woodlawn and Wakefield, with I-87, the Saw Mill River, Bronx River and Sprain Brook parkways and the Cross County Parkway all crossing the city. That density keeps the tow leg short and means processors are close, so nothing is deducted for distance the way it is in a rural county. Tell us honestly what has been removed. A car described as complete that shows up missing its converter gets re-priced, and we would rather quote the real car the first time.
Title and paperwork rules in New York
If the title still shows a lien, start there, because nothing stalls a sale faster. Once the loan is paid, the lender has to send you a lien release; the DMV accepts only the signed original, never a photocopy. You do not need to order a fresh clear title. Attach the original release to the existing Certificate of Title and hand both to the buyer at pickup. If the title itself is missing, use form MV-902, Application for Duplicate Title, revision 7/25. The fee is $20, there is no notary requirement, and you can file it three ways: in person at a DMV office with original proof of identity, which in Yonkers is the state-run office at 1 Larkin Plaza; by mail with photocopies of your identity documents to the Title Bureau, PO Box 2750, Albany NY 12220-0750, check or money order to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles; or online, provided your address has not changed and you are not asking to remove a lien. The duplicate is always mailed to the owner, and the DMV says an accepted application is processed within 72 hours. One more wrinkle: a model year 1972 or older car has no New York title and sells on its transferable registration.
Yonkers abandoned and inoperable vehicle rules
For a dead car on a Yonkers lot the rule is Chapter 69 of the City Code, Article III, Cleaning of Private Lands, sections 69-9 through 69-14. Section 69-10 declares any inoperable motor vehicle, or any abandoned vehicle as defined in section 1224 of the state Vehicle and Traffic Law, on any lot in the city a public nuisance. Exceptions: a vehicle fully enclosed in a building and out of sight, licensed dismantler, dealer or junkyard stock, and inoperable vehicles stored on private property that create no hazard or nuisance. The clock runs through the Commissioner of Public Works, 40 South Broadway, 914-377-6271. Under section 69-11 the Commissioner serves notice personally or by certified mail and the owner has five days to clean the lot. Section 69-12 lets you request a hearing inside that window; if the vehicle is ruled a nuisance, or you default, a 10-day removal order follows. Then the city cleans the lot under section 69-13, bills you, and unpaid charges become a lien collected like a tax under section 69-14. A violation is a Class III offense, which under section 1-21 carries a fine of up to $1,000 or a civil penalty of up to $1,500. On a public street, Article XIV of Chapter 109 makes it unlawful to leave a disabled or abandoned car for more than one week, and police may remove it.
Cash for junk cars in Yonkers, NY: what Westchester changes
A Yonkers junk car is sold over the phone and collected where it sits, on the hill, in the driveway or at the curb, with the quoted cash handed over before the flatbed pulls away. Westchester is what makes the paperwork different. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 205 withholds the county clerk’s DMV agency in this county, so there is no county auto bureau to walk into; a lost title or a surrendered plate goes to the state office at 1 Larkin Plaza, where a reservation is what gets you through the door. Call 1-800-935-8652.
| Which counter handles your Yonkers title | The state DMV office at 1 Larkin Plaza, open Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, closed Saturday and Sunday. source |
|---|---|
| Why there is no county auto bureau here | VTL Section 205 lists Westchester among eleven counties where the clerk is not the Commissioner's agent, so the counter stays state-run. source |
| Reservation rule at that office | Reservations are strongly encouraged, and when an office has long wait times only people holding one are permitted to enter. source |
| Westchester charges riding on the registration | A $30 vehicle use tax per two years at 3,500 pounds or less, plus the $50 two-year MCTD supplemental fee. source |
| Westchester emissions position | Westchester falls inside the NYMA, so an OBD II emissions inspection may cost up to $27 rather than $11. source |
| The Yonkers clock on a lot | Section 69-11 allows five days from the Commissioner's notice; a nuisance ruling or default brings a 10-day removal order under 69-12. source |
| Yonkers penalty | A Chapter 69 violation is a Class III offense: a fine of up to $1,000 or a civil penalty up to $1,500. source |
| Dead car left on a Yonkers street | Chapter 109, Article XIV bars leaving a disabled or abandoned vehicle on a public street longer than one week. source |
Areas of Yonkers we tow from
Every part of Yonkers is in range, all 20.3 square miles of it. Downtown and the west side means Getty Square, Park Hill, Nodine Hill and the Hudson-facing blocks along Warburton and Riverdale Avenues. The northwest covers Runyon Heights, Homefield, Glenwood, Greystone and Nepera Park off North Broadway. East of the Saw Mill River we pick up in Dunwoodie, Lawrence Park West and the Central Park Avenue corridor, and in the northeast in Crestwood, Colonial Heights, Cedar Knolls and Beech Hill near the Bronx River Parkway. Trucks come in on I-87, the Saw Mill River, Sprain Brook and Bronx River parkways and the Cross County, with Yonkers Avenue, Tuckahoe Road and Nepperhan Avenue as the surface links. We also cover the neighboring towns and boroughs: Mount Vernon, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Eastchester, Hastings-on-Hudson, and Riverdale, Woodlawn and Wakefield across the Bronx line.
- Getty Square
- Park Hill
- Nodine Hill
- Crestwood
- Dunwoodie
- Colonial Heights
- Cedar Knolls
- Beech Hill
- Runyon Heights
- Homefield
- Glenwood
- Nepera Park
Official New York sources
- NYS DMV — Yonkers office hours and reservations
- NYS DMV — DMV office locations and the reservation policy
- Vehicle and Traffic Law § 205 — the eleven counties without a clerk-run DMV
- MV-202: Passenger Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule, use tax and MCTD fee (PDF)
- VS-77: Inspection Groups and Fee Chart, OBD II pricing inside the NYMA (PDF)
- Yonkers City Code Chapter 69, Weeds and Vacant Property
Last reviewed 2026-10-06 against New York state and Yonkers city sources. Fees change.
Frequently asked questions
Can Yonkers force me to remove an inoperable car from my own property?
Yes. Section 69-10 of the Yonkers City Code treats an inoperable or abandoned vehicle on any lot in the city as a public nuisance unless it is fully enclosed in a building and out of sight, held by a licensed dealer, dismantler or junkyard, or stored so it creates no hazard or nuisance. The Commissioner of Public Works serves notice under section 69-11 with five days to comply, a hearing can be requested inside that window, and a 10-day removal order follows if the car is ruled a nuisance.
What does a junk vehicle violation cost in Yonkers?
Chapter 69 violations are Class III offenses under section 69-23. Section 1-21 of the City Code sets a Class III criminal fine at up to $1,000 and a civil penalty at up to $1,500. Repeats get expensive: the same offense a second time within three years is punished as Class II, which runs $100 to $5,000 or up to 15 days in jail, and a third time as Class I. If the city cleans the lot itself, the bill becomes a lien on the property under section 69-14.
What is a lost-title car worth in Yonkers, and how do I fix the title?
The offer does not change, but the paperwork does. File form MV-902 with a $20 fee at the state DMV office at 1 Larkin Plaza with original proof of identity, or mail it with photocopies to the Title Bureau, PO Box 2750, Albany NY 12220-0750, or order online if your address is unchanged. No notary is needed. The DMV mails the duplicate and says it processes an accepted application within 72 hours. Book the pickup once the envelope arrives.
My car is from 1972 or earlier. Is there even a title?
No. New York does not issue a Certificate of Title for any motor vehicle of model year 1972 or older. Ownership for those vehicles is proven with a transferable registration, and you sell the car by signing that document over to the buyer. Titles apply to most vehicles of model year 1973 or newer. If you have neither document for an old car, mention it on the call and we will tell you whether the MV-35 route fits before sending a truck.
Who can I sell to without a title using form MV-35?
Only a DMV-registered vehicle dismantler, itinerant vehicle collector or certified scrap processor, and only if you are the owner, the car is worth $1,250 or less and it is at least eight model years old. The form, revision 6/22, requires a copy of your government-issued ID, and the vehicle can never be titled again after the transfer. It cannot be used to sell to a private buyer, a tow truck driver or a charity, so ask on the call how your pickup will be documented.
The car is on a hill in Nodine Hill or Park Hill. Can you still tow it?
Yes. Yonkers rises from near sea level at the Hudson to 416 feet, and our drivers set flatbed ramps on grades every day here. What helps is knowing which way the car faces and whether it rolls, because a car that will not roll on a slope is winched rather than driven onto the bed. Until pickup, keep the wheels turned into the curb; the city fines $50 for wheels not turned on a hill, and a rolling junk car is a worse outcome than a ticket.
Can I work on the car at the curb before you come?
Not in the street. Yonkers’ parking rules bar washing, greasing or repairing a vehicle on the roadway except for emergency repairs, and the penalty schedule lists parking for vehicle repair at $125. Pulling a battery or a stereo in your own driveway is your business, but tell us what came off so the quote matches the car. Also do not leave the car on a signed snow emergency route such as South Broadway or Saw Mill River Road when a storm is forecast.
How long can a dead car sit on a Yonkers street before the city tows it?
Under Article XIV of Chapter 109, it is unlawful to leave a disabled or abandoned vehicle on a public street or city property for more than one week, and the Police Commissioner can have it removed. A damaged car with no plates can be declared abandoned and disposed of 10 days after the city publishes notice, and the owner pays all towing and storage charges before getting it back. Report one through the police non-emergency line at 914-377-7900.
Ready to get rid of it? Call 1-800-935-8652 and we will quote your car in Yonkers over the phone, tow it free, and pay you cash at pickup.
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