Selling a car in Queensland
Can I sell an unregistered car in Queensland?
Yes. Selling an unregistered car is legal in Queensland, and for a wrecking yard it is completely routine - a large share of the cars that come into our yard have not been registered for years.
Registration governs whether a car may be driven on the road. It does not govern whether you may sell it. A car sold to be dismantled for parts is never going back on the road, so the registration status does not stop the sale.
What you will need
Photo ID, and something that establishes the car is yours to sell. If the registration has lapsed, the old registration paperwork is usually enough; if you cannot find any of it, tell us, because there is normally a way through it and you would not be the first person in that position.
You do not need to reregister the car in order to sell it. Paying to put rego back on a car you are about to have dismantled would be money wasted.
What happens to the plates
If the car still has plates on it and the registration is current, the plates come off and go back to Transport and Main Roads rather than leaving with the car. If the registration already expired some time ago, this usually does not arise.
We will talk you through which of these applies to you when we arrange the pickup. It is a short conversation, not a piece of homework.
You may be owed money you do not know about
If the car is still registered and you cancel the registration, you may be entitled to a refund on the unused portion. That money is yours, not ours, and it is separate from what we pay you for the car.
We mention it because people frequently do not know it exists. It is worth checking with Transport and Main Roads before you cancel anything.
Will I still be responsible for it afterwards?
This is the fear that sits underneath the question, and it is a fair one. Nobody wants a fine or a toll notice for a car they sold months ago.
The protection is doing the paperwork properly at the point of sale, which is our job as much as yours. Once the transfer or disposal notice is handled correctly, the car is recorded as no longer yours.