Selling a dead or junk car in Mukilteo

The state's four-part junk test

RCW 46.55.010 lists four traits, and a car needs at least three of them to be legally junk:

• age: three years or more
• damage that is extensive, like a smashed windshield or a missing engine
• it appears it cannot run
• its value is no higher than its scrap

A newer car with a dead battery is not junk under that test. A rusted-out hatchback that is a dozen years old and has no transmission is.

A dead car you do not own

Plenty of homes here are rentals or share a lot, and Washington gives the person in charge of the land a way out. First, someone with authority, such as a police officer or the health department, looks at the car and can clear it for disposal. Then the registered owner and the legal owner each get a letter. If nobody claims a car on Mukilteo land for more than 15 days, the landowner may junk it or sign an affidavit of sale to stand in for the title. When DOL has no owner on file, the waiting period does not apply. Car abandoned on your property goes deeper.

Everett is where the title office is

For Snohomish County we checked the quick title office at 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. It sits about 6 miles northeast of downtown Mukilteo in a straight line. DOL listed no phone number, and the county may have other offices.

Seller duties in Washington

• Release. Release your interest on the Mukilteo car's title and hand it over, with an odometer statement if one is needed.
• Bill of sale. Both Mukilteo parties sign one, unless the title itself records the sale amount and day.
• Plates. Take them off. DOL warns that plates left behind keep pulling tolls, parking fines and camera tickets toward you. They can move to a similar vehicle you own, or go back to DOL.
• Report of sale. DOL wants it inside 5 days. It lists when you sold, who you are, who bought, and the car's VIN and plate. A wrecking-yard handoff needs one too.

The notary signature in a Washington sale is the buyer's, not yours. A missing title costs $39.50 to replace, and the new one arrives in 4 to 8 weeks. The Washington page has the rest, and so does after you sell.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or fill out the form for a Mukilteo offer. We can load it at a house, a condo garage or a repair shop. Nearby pages cover Mill Creek, Lynnwood and Everett.