One person’s eyesore, another’s ride for sale

Mike Trask, Las Vegas Sun

Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.

Liz Jordan spent her Sunday enjoying the beautiful fall day with a garage sale.

But it was at the end of her street that the big-ticket items were waiting for a buyer.

A 1994 Camaro Z28: Blue Book suggested retail value, $6,910. On Lamb Boulevard, $4,900.

Or you could go with the beat-up blue pickup truck . Or the used iced cream truck.

On the weekends, the streets of eastern Las Vegas start to look like a used car lot - albeit a low-end dealership specializing in junkers.

A red BMW that needs body work: $2,400. A Dodge Neon with two flat tires: $125. A Ford Ranger with ripped seats: $2,100.

But the sellers don't want to say much more about the rides. No seedy sales pitch, at least not one that's liable to be heard in public.

More than a half-dozen side street dealers did not return calls from the Sun asking for specifics on the cars.

Why didn't they want the free publicity?

Probably because what they are doing is illegal.

The Sun called the seller of the Camaro on his cell phone. He's a private party, he said. Then, while talking about the car, he stopped midsentence, "Wait, we're talking about the Camaro, right?"

Like much else in Las Vegas, if nobody whines about the rusting cars invading his streets, the problem isn't going to get any attention, because the city code enforcement office responds only to complaints.

"You know it's just wrong," said Dean Dupalo, an area resident frustrated by the roving car sales. "It's not right, something is off. It's different cars every week. It just irks me."

Here's how it works:

The cars sit parked on side streets - or in vacant lots - facing more - traveled roads. They have a cell phone number written across the windshield. Nearby, maybe in a truck, maybe on a lawn chair, a guy sits waiting for a call or for a curious shopper to stop by.

When they do, the seller tries to make a down and dirty sale. Few vehicles cost more than $5,000. Sure, they need a little work. Who knows what's wrong with the engine? Who cares? No credit? No problem.

Those in the know call it "curbing."

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles is responsible for enforcing the law against unregulated dealers, including those illegally selling cars from property that isn't a car dealership. It has conducted enforcement runs the past two weekends, placing notices on more than 200 cars.

"It's been going on for years," DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said. "The property has to be zoned commercial. The car has to be registered."

But the DMV offers enforcement only on vacant lots.

Code enforcement officers from the city and Clark County have cracked down lately, pushing the dealers off vacant lots. But that has not stopped the onslaught, because the fly-by-night dealers come back - sometimes on the street, which also is illegal.

As development spreads across the valley, these dealers may someday run out of places to park.

"It's gotten better," said Mike Modra, a supervising investigator at the DMV. "There's fewer and fewer places to put them."

Dupalo, even if he is a one-man show, is determined to shut down the lowbrow sales.

"It's my neighborhood," he said. "I've been here 26 years."

But Dupalo, 40, might not have much help. His neighborhood, he acknowledges, is relatively poor and unconcerned about such issues. Graffiti taggers strike nearly nightly. After dark most people don't want to leave their cars or houses.

"There's constantly four or five cars out there," said John Phlegar, doing yard work and pointing down his side street off Lamb. "It's a nuisance. It's annoying that people are using the street for a car lot."

But Phlegar wouldn't take credit for writing "This is not a car lot" on one of the cars recently. Neither would Jordan, although she chuckled at the move.

"I'm just so used to it that I don't even notice it anymore," she said.

It's tough to tell where all the cars originate. Metro Police's auto theft unit has run vehicle identification numbers and license plates to see whether they're stolen.

"We've gone down there and checked on the cars," Lt. Robert DuVall said. "Every time we checked we never had any hits."

Some in the neighborhood figure that some cars are owned by neighbors who are simply looking for a cheap way to sell their vehicles.

Malone said used car dealers in the area often take the cars off their property to try to make a fast sale on the street.

Or rogue salesman are buying the cars at auction and hoping to make a quick profit.

"We don't really know the answer," Modra said. But he does know once the cars get tagged, 99 percent of the sellers move them.

Sometimes, however, it's just to the next street.

Without a business license you can sell only two cars from your home, according to city and county code. If there is a complaint, Las Vegas will dispatch a code officer to issue a citation, which can lead to a $1,000 fine.

County officials do not move against sales of cars on the street, although they do tag and tow cars for sale on vacant lots.

And so the battle continues.

The DMV takes a special interest in the unregistered vehicles, such as the Camaro. "You can drive it around the area," the seller said. "But you're taking a risk."

And even more obvious should be that buying your car on a street corner is rarely the wisest financial decision.

"You're just rolling the dice," Modra said. "On occasion we've had people come and try to register the cars and they're stolen. There is no way to know who you're buying the car from. There's no way to tell if the car is a fraud."