Sell your car in Santa Fe: running, broken down or inherited
We buy cars in Santa Fe for cash, and pickup is free wherever the car is parked, in the city or the county around it. If the car no longer runs, read the city's street and junk-car rules first; both come with deadlines.
Prefer a callback? Leave your number ↓
Offers powered by our buying partner — ★ 4.7 Trustpilot (205,000+ reviews) · ★ 4.5 Google (8,900+)
What to tell us, and when
- Say how it was kept. Garage, carport or street, the service records, and whether a second set of wheels goes with it. The cash offer is based on what you describe.
- Put a dealer's number next to ours. If you're checking your car's trade-in value in Santa Fe, remember that a trade-in figure is credit toward a car from that dealer; our offer is cash for this one. Our guide to trading in versus selling compares the two.
- Describe the way in. A gate code, a permit street, a long dirt road out in the county: mention it when you book so the driver knows where to pull up. It rarely changes anything.
Where we pick up around Santa Fe
Pickup is free wherever the car sits, inside the city or in the villages around it, from Eldorado, Lamy and Glorieta to La Cienega, north to Tesuque and Pojoaque, and down the Turquoise Trail to Cerrillos and Madrid. The city rules on this page end at the city limits; for the county's version, see the questions below.
Clear unpaid parking tickets before pickup day. Three or more unpaid city citations put a car on the boot list. To get a boot off, you pay every fine plus a $50 booting fee to the Parking Division at 737 Agua Fria St. (505-955-6581), and after 72 hours unpaid the city tows it (City Code 12-12-20). Low-income drivers can have unpaid citations cut in half once through the city's LIFE program, though not boot or tow fees.
How long a car can sit on a Santa Fe street
On a city street, a car left in one spot for 72 hours counts as abandoned unless it has a police sticker, and so does any street-parked car without a current plate. Stickers last 15 days and go only to cars that run and have a current plate. Once an officer tags a car, you have 10 days to move it before it can be towed (City Code 12-12-18). Moving the car restarts that count, which a car that won't start can't do, so get an unreliable car into the driveway while it still runs.
If you live in one of the ten residential permit districts, on streets such as Acequia Madre, Galisteo Street and East Palace Avenue, parking on the street takes an annual permit. It's free with proof of residency and current registration, but a car with outstanding citations can't get one (Parking Division).
Cash for your car in Santa Fe
Junk cars in Santa Fe have a legal definition. Under the city's Junk Vehicle Ordinance, a car that has been inoperable, wrecked or dismantled for 90 days or more is a junk vehicle. The code describes inoperable as extensively damaged, such as having two or more of these: a cracked or missing window or windshield, flat or missing tires, or missing wheels, motor or transmission.
The rule covers cars that can be seen from the street or from other property. If a case reaches court, a judge can order the owner to remove the car and pay the city's removal costs, court costs and fines. Selling it first is simpler, running or not; our page on how to sell a junk car explains how.
When it's the motor or transmission that took the car off the road, selling a car with a seized or blown engine and selling a car with a slipping transmission explain what the repair involves and when selling it as is makes more sense. For a car that was wrecked, see selling an accident-damaged car.
Street rules with a price attached
- •$27 is the fine for parking a car on a city street mainly to show it for sale. The same rule bars street repairs other than emergencies (City Code 12-6-6.6)
- •A Santa Fe parking fine doubles after 15 days unpaid. To contest one, file with the municipal judge at 2511 Camino Entrada within 30 days (Parking fines schedule)
Asked by Santa Fe sellers
Which MVD office handles titles in Santa Fe?
The New Mexico MVD, which many people call the New Mexico DMV, has its Santa Fe field office at 2546 Camino Entrada (1-888-683-4636), on the same street as police headquarters. Most MVD offices require an appointment, so book one before you go.
I'm settling an estate that includes a car. Where do I start in Santa Fe?
Informal probate cases are filed at the Santa Fe County Probate Court, 240 Grant Ave., open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (505-992-1636). The county lists a $30 fee for probate cases and sells $10 filing packets. Call us before pickup day and we'll walk through your situation. If the title names a beneficiary, see our guide to transfer-on-death car titles.
My car is in Eldorado or La Cienega. Do the city's junk-car rules apply?
No. Outside the city, Santa Fe County's own Junk Vehicle Ordinance applies. The county sums it up as any inoperative, wrecked, dismantled, abandoned, unlicensed or unsafe car or truck visible from public or private property. Its Code Enforcement takes reports only online, through the GeoCivix portal.
Can I keep a non-running project car in my yard in Santa Fe?
One, if it qualifies. The city exempts a single inoperable car at least 35 years old that is kept by a collector, if it's screened from public view by a solid fence or a well-fitted car cover. A tarp, trees or shrubs don't count. Cars kept inside a building out of sight are exempt, and so are cars owned by a service member on active duty.
Santa Fe police towed my car. How do I find it?
Call 505-955-5030, or 505-955-5042 if it was impounded for DWI or a revoked license (Santa Fe Police). Move fast: the city fines the owner $50 for a lawful tow and $10 for each day in storage.
Ready to sign? The title, plate and sold-notice steps are on our New Mexico selling guide.