Selling More Than One Junk Car at Once

More than one car is fine if the vehicles are registered in your name in Washington. If some are in another person’s name, are titled out of state, or belong to an estate or business, call us at (206) 941-0612 and tell us what you have, and we will tell you whether we can take them.

Some of those have their own guides:

• Clearing several vehicles from an estate or farm
• Selling an inherited car
• A car not in your name
• A car owned by a business
• An old car on family land

Do not sell a car you don’t have the right to dispose of, even if it’s parked on your land. A batch is not a shortcut. If a car was left on your property by someone else, start with this guide.

Before you call, make one line for each car. It will make the call short and your offers more accurate.

Each car gets its own offer, since year, condition, parts demand and weight all differ. Ask us how the offers are worked out, and see how we make an offer.

There’s no group form in what we have read. Repeat this for each car:

1. Ownership document

   Release your interest on the title or approved form, and hand it over (RCW 46.12.650). See how to sign a title.

2. Odometer disclosure, if required

   RCW 46.12.665 exempts “model year of 2010 or older” for now. Newer cars need it.

3. Plates off

   DOL says you are legally obligated to remove them. Label them, with a sticky note or tape, so you can match them later.

4. Receipt

   Ask for a receipt or bill of sale for each VIN, showing each car’s own price. One total won’t help you if one of the cars causes a problem later.

5. Report of Sale

   File one for each car within five business days. You can file online. DOL lists an $18 fee for a mail or in-person report. Count on a fee for each one, and check DOL’s page for the current amount.

The five business days exclude weekends and state and federal holidays under WAC 308-56A-525. Filing all of them the same day keeps it simple.

This one matters mainly for people clearing out a lot of cars or flipping them. The Washington Attorney General says anyone who sells five or more vehicles in a 12-month period must have a dealer’s license. RCW 46.70.021 says buying and selling five or more vehicles in 12 months without a license is a gross misdemeanor, up to $5,000 each and up to 364 days, and that a second offense is a class C felony. The Department of Revenue says you may sell no more than four per year without a dealer license, and its wording and period differ a bit.

We can’t tell you how these rules apply to your particular situation, such as clearing out your own long-held cars or a family estate. If you are at or near five, ask the Department of Licensing first. An attorney can give you a real answer if the numbers are significant.

If you buy cars cheaply and resell them for parts, you may have other license issues. See who does what.

• Tell us how many, and where each one is, on the first call.
• Ask whether they can go together, or will need more than one trip.
• Clear the path for all of them, and move the most accessible one first if you can do so safely. This guide helps with tight spots.
• Clean out each car. Our checklist works for one at a time.
• Keep each car’s documents in its own envelope, with the VIN written on the outside.
• Have the buyer’s name and address ready for all your reports.
• Be there to sign and get paid. Count each car’s payment against your worksheet.

We’re open 7 days, 8 AM to 11 PM, at (206) 941-0612. Use the pickup form if you prefer to write it out, and list every car. How it works explains the steps, which we repeat for each vehicle.