Sell your car in Manchester: running, rusted underneath or won't start
To sell your car in Manchester, NH, describe it online or by phone. You get a cash offer, and pickup is free.
Prefer a callback? Leave your number ↓
Offers powered by our buying partner — ★ 4.7 Trustpilot (205,000+ reviews) · ★ 4.5 Google (8,900+)
Offer, pickup, and the next car
- Describe the car. Use the form or call. Say whether it starts and where any rust is, from the rocker panels to the brake lines. You'll usually have the offer the same day you ask, and it holds at pickup when the car matches what you described.
- Book the pickup. Inside Manchester it's usually a day or two out, depending on routing; an address in Derry or Goffstown can add a day. Take your plates off before the truck pulls away.
- Price the next car's registration. The City of Manchester's online registration cost estimator takes the make, model, year, MSRP and weight of a car you're considering and shows the average and the highest amounts paid to register similar vehicles.
Where we pick up around Manchester
Pickup is free at any Manchester address, Elm Street to the West Side and the North End out to Lake Massabesic (03109). Outside the city it covers Derry, the largest town in Manchester's planning region, plus Londonderry, Bedford (03110), Goffstown, Hooksett, Auburn, Candia and Merrimack.
Old tires or a dead battery in the garage? Manchester residents can drop used tires, car batteries and motor oil at the city's Drop Off Facility, 500 Dunbarton Road, at no charge. A waste fee on Manchester registrations pays for it (explanation of fees). You need the $5 annual permit, sold at the facility. It's open weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on the first and third Saturdays until 1 p.m.
Cash for your car in Manchester
A car that won't start, or one with rust underneath, can still be sold as it is. Tell us it doesn't start and the truck brings a winch; the quote already reflects it. Rust gets an offer too, though rust in the frame, subframe, or brake and fuel lines lowers it more than bubbling on a wheel arch. If the car is past fixing, you can sell it as a junk car.
If your car won't start because the engine seized, or it overheats and blows white smoke from a failed head gasket, selling a car with engine problems helps you tell which one you have and whether the repair is worth it. A transmission that slips or shifts hard is covered in selling a car with a bad transmission.
Car trade-in value in Manchester, or a cash offer?
A dealer's trade-in figure and our offer answer the same question: what your car is worth today. Get both and compare them before you sign anything at the dealership. Our guide on trading in or selling privately lays out the difference.
The Tax Collector's counter, for your next car
- •In Manchester, registrations are handled by the Tax Collector's Office, an agent of the NH DMV (Motor Vehicle Registration), on the first floor of City Hall's West Wing. It's open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Tax Collector)
- •Bring proof of residency for each owner, such as a recent NH license, a pay stub, a utility bill, or a lease signed by the landlord; a roommate's letter doesn't count. A new registration also needs the bill of sale, and the lender's name and address if there's a loan. (documents required)
- •The office's drop box is at the West Wing entrance on the Market Street side, by the main door near the Tax Collector's Office. (documents required)
Asked by Manchester sellers
What is the Internet Purchase Exchange Zone at Manchester Police?
It's the public lot at the police station, 405 Valley Street, which Manchester Police invite residents to use when meeting someone from an online sale. Police staff are in the front lobby if you need help. Police suggest meeting between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., on the south side of the lot in front of the flag poles (Manchester Police).
I sold my car, and now there's a Manchester parking ticket on it. What do I do?
If the car left with your plates still on it, the city holds you responsible, because it's still registered to you. The Ordinance Violations Bureau says to bring your copy of the bill of sale to its office, on the first floor of City Hall's West Wing, and it will see what can be done (OVB FAQ). Its number is (603) 624-6546 (Ordinance Violations).
Can I put my plates on the car I buy next?
Bring the original registration for those plates to the Tax Collector's Office. It must still be valid, and a photocopy isn't accepted. If it's lost, the office makes a certified copy first, for $18. Lost plates cost $4 each to replace (documents required). Plates registered to someone else can't be moved to your car (city estimator).
What are Manchester's overnight parking rules in winter?
From December 1 at 1 a.m. to April 15 at 6 a.m., cars parked overnight on a city street go on the odd-numbered side in odd-numbered months and the even side in even months. A car on the wrong side gets a $50 ticket (parking fines). When a snow emergency is declared, no car may stay on any city street. Cars left there are towed to the city's impound lot by the Bridge Street entrance to Derryfield Park, and getting one back takes proof of ownership and $200 in cash within 24 hours. Text your ZIP code to 888777 for the alerts (winter notice).
Our New Hampshire page covers the title and plates for a sale anywhere in the state.