Junk, wrecked or expired: selling a dead car in Salem

When a Salem car is beyond saving, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, and there is free pickup anywhere in the US, from West Salem to the streets off Lancaster Drive.

Three kinds of junk car in the Salem code

SRC 50.025 sorts problem cars into three groups, and fitting any one is enough.

• Derelict. No vehicle license, or an expired one. Nothing mechanical has to be wrong.
• Neglected. "Missing critical parts required for the normal and legal operation of the vehicle, but has all of its body parts intact, including fenders, hood, trunk, glass, and tires." That's the car with a dead engine or no transmission that still looks whole from the curb.
• Wrecked. "Dismantled or partially dismantled, or having a broken or missing window or windshield, or lacking a wheel or tire." Parts of such a car count as well.

The same section lists "junk" among bulk solid waste. The definitions we read carry no deadline, so ask Salem's code staff what applies on your property before counting on time.

If you'd rather renew: Oregon charges the same fee to renew a lapsed registration as any other, so no back fees pile up. Driving with it expired counts as a Class D traffic violation.

Parking a dead car on a Salem street

A car that can't move racks up tickets fast in Salem's time-limited zones. SRC 102.125 makes "each multiple of the maximum time limits" a separate offense, so in a two-hour zone every extra two hours is another one.

Unpaid tickets end in towing. SRC 102.155 lets an enforcement officer tow and impound a car that is "parked in violation of this chapter," or a booted one whose "past due parking fines and immobilizer fees" stay unpaid by noon "of the day following immobilization." Owners can redeem it under the chapter's redemption section; otherwise the city disposes of it under the sections after that. For cars held up by fines, see tickets or registration hold.

Two DMV offices we checked

Salem straddles Marion and Polk counties, but titles are a state job, done by Oregon DMV. Distances run from downtown Salem as the crow flies.

• Salem North, 955 Lancaster Dr NE, about 2 miles northeast. Phone 503-945-5000.
• Dallas, 514 E Ellendale Ave, about 14 miles west in Polk County. Phone 503-623-4556.

The Oregon paperwork

Signing. A Salem seller adds a signature and date to the back of the title or to a bill of sale. Any lender releases its loan. For model years 2011 onward, until the car hits 20, seller and buyer each sign a mileage disclosure. DMV's instructions for sellers mention no notary.

Reporting. Within 10 days, a Salem seller reports the sale on DMV2U and adds the buyer's name and address. With that filed and the title handed over, Oregon's Vehicle Code stops pinning the new owner's driving, parking or abandoning on you.

The buyer's clock. They have 30 days to apply for title, then pay $25 extra up to day 60 and $50 after.

Lost title. Replace it before selling with Form 735-515. No separate duplicate fee exists; the title fee applies: $101, $106 or $116 for most gas cars by MPG, $192 for all-electric.

Plates. You may remove them. They carry their remaining registration only to another car you own.

Wrecked, totaled or branded

ORS 801.527 says an Oregon car is "totaled" in three cases. An insurer rules it a total loss or takes the title. It was stolen, had no insurance and wasn't found in 30 days. Or it was uninsured, and the repair bill would reach 80 percent or more of its retail value before the damage. Within 30 days of a Salem car being totaled, its title is sent to DMV or the insurer. Oregon charges $27 for a salvage title when you plan to keep it off the road and it has not been called junk or scrap. Oregon brands include Totaled, Reconstructed and Replica, and a flood brand from another state shows with that state's name. Oregon won't title a car some other state has ruled non-repairable, junk or scrap. More on salvage titles and wrecked cars.

Planning to strip it yourself? Oregon wants 7 days' notice to DMV before a titled car is dismantled, and the title is surrendered afterward.

Emissions

DEQ testing covers the Portland and Medford metro areas only. Salem is its own metro area, so a Salem registration isn't usually what triggers a test; DEQ's boundary lookup checks any address.

Around Salem

Keizer is 5.5 miles from downtown. Woodburn is 17.3 miles off, Albany 20.8 and McMinnville 21.5. For statewide rules, see Oregon.

Getting an offer

Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the form about your Salem car and its damage. Our driver collects the car at a house near the Capitol, an apartment lot in South Salem, or a shop on the east side.