Selling a dead car from Redmond

The paperwork, done from Redmond

Redmond sellers put a signature and the day's date on the reverse of the title. A bill of sale is the fallback. When a lender still holds an interest, its release signature is needed. If the Redmond car dates from 2011 or after and hasn't reached 20 years, seller and buyer each sign a mileage statement. The seller steps DMV publishes name no notary.

Next, Redmond sellers have 10 days to send the DMV2U report, giving the buyer's name and home address. Oregon law frees a Redmond seller from blame for the buyer's driving, parking or abandoning once DMV has the sale report and the title is signed over. From there, the buyer gets 30 days to apply for a new title. Late fees are $25 from day 31 to 60, and $50 after that.

A lost title is the one thing likely to send you to Bend, because it must be replaced before the sale. A duplicate has no fee of its own. You pay the normal title fee, $101 to $192 based on the car's fuel economy.

Plates

You're free to pull the plates before the car leaves Redmond. Left on, they travel with it. Plates only transfer between cars with the same owner. Put them on anyone else's car and the leftover registration on both ends.

If the car just sits

Redmond's ordinances weren't findable online, so what follows is Oregon law, and Redmond might add requirements of its own. Statewide, abandoning a car on a highway, public property or private land is an offense, and DMV's owner of record carries the towing and disposal cost. A towed car not reclaimed within 30 days goes to public auction.

A lapsed registration doesn't pile up back fees. Under ORS 803.455, renewing an expired registration costs the same as any registration. Letting it lapse is a Class D traffic violation.

Totaled or junk-branded

Oregon uses "totaled" for a car an insurer declares a total loss or takes title to. It also applies to an uninsured stolen car that isn't found in 30 days, and to uninsured damage when fixing it would cost "at least 80 percent" of the pre-damage retail value. A total loss's title goes to the DMV or the insurer within 30 days. Keeping the car without plans to drive it? A salvage title costs $27. Oregon cannot title a car another state has declared junk or non-repairable. See insurer totaled it.

Getting an offer

Redmond owners can call (877) 421-6008 or send us a note online about the car. We drive out to it, near the Business Highway 97 arch or on land outside town. Bend is 15.4 miles south, and the Oregon page has state rules.