Selling a dead or junk car in Newberg

What state law does with a parked dead car

There are two sides to it, depending on whose car it is.

If it is yours, the risk is a tow you pay for. A towed Newberg car that sits unclaimed 30 days can go to public auction under ORS 87.192 and 87.196, or be disposed of by local ordinance. If a certified appraiser sets its value at $1,000 or under, Oregon allows disposal after the registered owner and any secured party get notice and the car is photographed.

When someone else's car sits on your Newberg land, DMV says it plainly: "You cannot claim ownership of an abandoned vehicle on your property." ORS 98.830 permits a tow instead. A Newberg property owner posts a notice that stays on the car at least 72 hours and signs a form naming the vehicle and its spot. DMV provides no form and keeps the owner's name private.

Since we could not read Newberg's rules, ask City Hall how long a car may sit on a street or in a yard before the city steps in.

Tags that lapsed while it sat

A car that sat for a year usually has dead tags. There's no late penalty in Oregon. ORS 803.455 charges the normal renewal fee even when the registration has expired. Failing to renew is a Class D traffic violation. A Newberg seller does not have to renew just to sell the car whole. See sitting for years.

Taking it apart yourself has rules

Under ORS 819.010, anyone planning to wreck, dismantle or disassemble a titled or registered car gives DMV at least 7 days' notice. Newberg also caps a teardown visible from a public right-of-way at 30 days. Once a car is dismantled, its Oregon title goes back to DMV.

Junk status has its own trap. Oregon cannot title a vehicle that another state has declared junk, scrap, non-repairable or parts only. You can ask the issuing state whether junk status can be removed; otherwise the car can never be titled again. DMV also refuses a dismantler's bill of sale as a stand-in for the title. More on that in nonrepairable or junk title.

The DMV office we checked

Newberg sits in Yamhill County. We checked the McMinnville office at 2260 NE McDaniel Ln, some 12 miles southwest of central Newberg in a straight line. You can reach it at 503-472-2900. To mail Newberg title papers, use DMV Services, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem.

The sale itself

A Newberg seller signs and dates the back of the title, or does it on a bill of sale. When a Newberg title lists another person, the buyer needs at minimum a release of interest and a dated bill of sale with the VIN and each seller's printed name and signature. A lender on a paid-off loan signs its release. For 2011-or-newer cars below 20 years of age, both people sign an odometer statement. The Oregon DMV seller steps show no notary.

You then have 10 days to log the sale in DMV2U, naming the buyer and giving their address. The plates may come off first; they can move only to a car with the same owner.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or write online about your Newberg car. Newberg sellers can start on our offer form. Pickup works on a driveway in town, on rural acreage, or at a shop. Nearby pages: Sherwood, Wilsonville and McMinnville, with statewide rules on Oregon.