Sell your car in Anchorage: running, hit by a moose or won't start
JBER sits inside the Municipality of Anchorage, and leaving it on orders brings up one car question: ship it, drive it out through Canada, or sell it here. Below are the military and processing-center rules that decide which fits, and what Anchorage police do with a car left unregistered on the street.
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The order that works at JBER
- Ask TMO what your orders cover. JBER's Traffic Management Office has desks at 8517 20th Street (Room 247, JBER-E) and in Building 600 (Room 145B, JBER-R), open weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's also the office to ask about shipping a second car at your own cost.
- Book the VPC turn-in for the car that ships. Appointments start on the hour, and the VPC asks you to arrive 15 minutes early, not an hour or two. It also runs a virtual turn-in briefing on Wednesday afternoons.
- Sell the other car last. Keep it until the shipped car is turned in, so you still have wheels for the final errands, and set its pickup for the days after turn-in.
Where we pick up around Anchorage
Downtown is 99501. From there, pickup runs north up the Glenn Highway through Eagle River (99577), Chugiak and Peters Creek, and south over the Hillside to Girdwood (99587), with the rest of the bowl in between. JBER sits inside the Municipality, so a car on base is in range too.
Studded tires are banned on Anchorage’s paved roads from May 1 through September 15. That is Alaska’s rule for everywhere north of 60° latitude, so a summer sale often leaves the winter set in the garage. Mention it before the offer. Include it and the number reflects it; keep it for your next car and we price the car as it sits. The same goes for the block heater cord, the roof box and the truck canopy.
Ship it, drive it out, or sell it here
Military OneSource counts a move to or from Alaska as an OCONUS move. On those, the government may pay to ship one car to your next duty station, or store one for the tour when the country you are headed to won't let it in. The limit is one: only one vehicle owned or leased for personal use ships at government expense. The Anchorage vehicle processing center (VPC), where a shipped car is turned in, is at 824 Orca Street and open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. What it checks at turn-in is listed further down this page.
A second car, or one that won't pass those checks, has three other ways out. You can pay to ship it yourself. You can drive it, which means crossing Canada: JBER's installation overview says family members 16 and older need a valid passport to enter Canada, and declaring firearms is mandatory. Or you can sell it here. If selling wins, the sale can close in days, not weeks, with pickup on base or off and payment before you fly. For the wider PCS picture, see our guide to selling your car before a PCS move.
Cash for your car in Anchorage
Not every car is worth shipping or driving anywhere. If yours is old, damaged, or hasn't started since the last cold snap, where it's parked matters. The Anchorage Police Department can impound a car that meets the definition of a junked or abandoned vehicle, and one driven or parked on public property with no registration, or with registration expired by a year or more.
So a dead car on the street is on a clock that a car in a garage isn't. You can get an offer on it as it sits, running or not, and pickup comes to where it is. If it's truly at the end of its life, start with our page on selling a junk car.
Whether the moose damage was fixed or not, selling a car with body or frame damage covers what a buyer checks and what you have to tell them, and if the insurer totaled it, selling a totaled car is the one to read. If the engine itself is done, seized or knocking, see selling a car with a blown or seized engine.
What the VPC checks before it takes a car
- •No windshield crack longer than 6 inches and none touching the frame; a filled chip bigger than a nickel means a new windshield first (Anchorage VPC turn-in notes)
- •A car with any leak is turned away (Anchorage VPC turn-in notes)
- •Fuel no higher than 1/4 tank, the federal limit for shipping, but not down to the warning light, and the car washed, vacuumed and wiped down inside, pet hair included, with personal items out (Anchorage VPC turn-in notes; Military OneSource PCS FAQ)
- •Electric cars charged to 30 to 50 percent, a rule the notes mark as Alaska only (Anchorage VPC turn-in notes)
- •Paperwork: orders, registration, amendments, and the title front and back if you have it (Anchorage VPC turn-in notes)
Asked by Anchorage sellers
Do you pay cash for junk cars in Anchorage, even one APD has red-tagged?
Yes, junk and non-running cars get offers too, but check the timing on the tag. APD says a reported junk or abandoned car that isn't a hazard gets a red-tag impound notice that gives more than 24 hours, and if the car hasn't moved, it's typically towed within a few days. One an officer judges a safety hazard can be moved within a few hours.
Will you buy a car that's hit a moose?
Yes, repaired or not. Say what was damaged and what's been fixed, and it's priced into the offer. If the hit is recent, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says reporting a moose collision matters even when it seems minor, and to call local police or 911 if you're in one. If you need a copy of an APD collision report, APD's crash page lets you get one online.
Can I sell my car in Anchorage if the title is with a lender in the Lower 48?
Yes. An open loan doesn't block a sale, and we can work directly with the lienholder on the payoff. Ask the lender for a payoff figure early, because shipping needs the lender too: the Anchorage VPC's turn-in notes ask for a lien release, whatever the destination, if you're still making payments. Our guide to selling a car that still has a loan on it covers the payoff side.
Which DMV office do Anchorage sellers use for anything in person?
The Anchorage DMV office is in the University Center at 4001 Ingra Street, Suite 101, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can book an appointment online, and it's closed the first Tuesday of each month from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. On the north side, the Eagle River DMV is on the first floor of the Parkgate Building, 11723 Old Glenn Highway, Suite 113. The state's locations page lists DMV business partners too.
Signing the title and reporting the sale work the same anywhere in Alaska; our Alaska page covers both.