Sell your car in Independence: running, dead in the driveway or with lapsed plates
In Independence, an inoperable or unlicensed car may only be stored inside a fully enclosed structure, and parking any car on the grass is prohibited. Whether yours runs or not, the cash offer online is free to ask for, and if you take it, the free pickup comes to the car.
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Meeting a buyer at Independence police headquarters
- Use the exchange spot. KSHB 41 reported on the meet-up spot outside Independence Police Department headquarters, set aside for exchanging goods bought and sold online, where every move is recorded 24/7 (KSHB 41).
- Look the buyer up first. An Independence police detective's advice in the same report: do your homework on the person you're meeting and see who they are before you go (KSHB 41).
- Or skip the meetup. With an online offer there's no stranger to vet. You get a week to accept the number, and pickup comes to your address.
Where we pick up around Independence
Pickup is free across Independence and the rest of Jackson County, and the car doesn't have to run. A car in a closed garage, at the back of a driveway or in an apartment lot is fine; say where it's parked when you book.
Keep it off the lawn until pickup. Independence prohibits parking a vehicle on grass or any other unapproved surface (City of Independence), so a car left on the lawn is already breaking the rule.
What Independence's code says about a car that doesn't run
The city's Property Maintenance Division enforces Chapters 4 and 14 of the city code, and its list of common violations includes this one: an inoperable or unlicensed vehicle may only be stored in a fully enclosed structure (City of Independence). That means a closed garage, not a driveway or an open carport.
“Unlicensed” reaches cars that still run, too: let the plates lapse on a car you've parked, and the same rule applies. Our guide to selling a car with expired registration covers the sale itself.
Cash for your car in Independence
A vehicle kept in violation of Chapter 4 or Chapter 14 may be towed, and recovering it is at the owner's or responsible person's expense (City of Independence). Selling it before it comes to that keeps the tow and the recovery bill off your hands.
Our buying partner makes offers on cars that won't start, have sat for months or aren't worth repairing, and the free pickup takes the car out of the garage or off the driveway. If it's mostly scrap value, our junk car page walks through that kind of sale, and selling a car that doesn't run compares the buyers who take one.
The license office on US Highway 40
- •17601 E US Highway 40, Independence, MO 64055. The Department of Revenue moved the Independence License Office here and announced that the new location would open on Thursday, October 19, 2023. (Missouri DOR)
- •Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. were the hours announced for the new office in October 2023. (Missouri DOR)
- •816-503-8215 is the office's telephone number. (Missouri DOR)
Asked by Independence sellers
Can I keep a car with expired plates in my Independence driveway while I sell it?
Not under the city's property maintenance rules. An inoperable or unlicensed vehicle may only be stored in a fully enclosed structure (City of Independence).
If Independence tows my car for a code violation, who pays to get it back?
You do. The city says recovery of a vehicle towed for a Chapter 4 or Chapter 14 violation is at the owner's or responsible person's expense (City of Independence).
Where is the Independence license office now?
At 17601 E US Highway 40. The Department of Revenue set its opening there for October 19, 2023, with weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. announced at the time; the phone number is 816-503-8215 (Missouri DOR).
Where can I meet a private buyer safely in Independence?
At the exchange spot outside Independence Police Department headquarters, which KSHB 41 reported is recorded 24/7; police in the same report advised doing your homework on who you're meeting (KSHB 41).
The Missouri side of a sale, from signing the title to reporting it to the Department of Revenue, is on our Missouri selling page. For what protects you after the handoff, see release of liability after a sale.