Sell your car in Wilmington: running, storm-damaged or not running
Get a cash offer for your car in Wilmington, with free pickup, whether the salt air, a storm or a flood title has marked it. At Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure Beach, where parking is tight, we settle on a spot the truck can use when we schedule.
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Parking rules to know before a beach pickup
- Wrightsville Beach. Parking is paid every day from March 1 through October 31, and in those months truck-and-trailer parking is banned on Pelican Drive and Causeway Drive (Town of Wrightsville Beach).
- Carolina Beach. Paid parking is enforced from March 1 to October 31, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Town of Carolina Beach).
- No car on a Carolina Beach street past 24 hours. The town writes $60 tickets for any car parked more than 24 hours at a time and for oversize vehicles on town streets, so a dead car waiting there for pickup should not sit longer than that.
Where we pick up around Wilmington
Pickup is free anywhere in Wilmington, from downtown's 28401 out to Ogden and Castle Hayne, and in Hampstead (28443), Burgaw, Leland (28451) and Southport. Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach are covered too.
Got a letter from Code Enforcement? Look up the case by address under Search Public Records in the city's code-case system, or call Code Enforcement at 910-341-3266. Mention the date on the letter when you set up pickup, and describe the car as it sits, from surface rust to storm damage. When the description matches the car, the offer we put in writing holds at pickup.
Cash for your car in Wilmington
Cash for cars in Wilmington, NC covers old, wrecked and non-running ones, and we pick the car up where it sits, even a junk car that has sat in the back yard for years.
Sitting untagged doesn't take a car off the county's books. New Hanover County treats a car that isn't registered with NCDMV on January 1 as personal property, and it has to be listed with the county Tax Department that January; a listing filed after January 31 draws a 10% penalty (New Hanover County). Questions go to listings@nhcgov.com or 910-798-7300.
If a storm or floodwater got to the car, selling a car with storm or flood damage explains what a buyer has to be told, and selling a car the insurer totaled covers the payout and what buying the car back costs. For the car in the back yard that quit with a blown head gasket or a rod knock, see selling a car with a knocking or blown engine.
Car tax rates and the county tax office
- •New Hanover County's 2026 tax rate is 30.20 cents per $100 of value, and inside city limits Wilmington adds 33.15 cents (New Hanover County)
- •The county Tax Department is at 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 190, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays (New Hanover County)
Asked by Wilmington sellers
My untagged car was in the yard on January 1. If I sell my car in Wilmington now, do I still owe that bill?
Yes. New Hanover County says that if you owned it on January 1, the bill is due as billed even after you sell; the new owner lists it the following January (county FAQ).
Does New Hanover County lower the tax value of a storm-damaged car?
It can, if you ask and can document significant damage; high mileage counts too, but normal wear doesn't. The county values cars by year, make and model (New Hanover County). If you would rather sell it as it is, our guide to selling a flood-damaged car covers water damage.
I live on Wrightsville Beach. Does selling a car affect my re-entry decal?
Only if the decal leaves with the car. The town's vehicle tax decal doubles as your pass back onto Wrightsville Beach after a mandatory evacuation. It is due by April 1 each year, and the town stops selling decals once a hurricane warning is issued (Town of Wrightsville Beach). If yours does, get one for the car you keep at the parking office, 321 Causeway Drive, before a storm is on the way.
For signing over the title and returning the plate, follow our North Carolina guide.