Sell your car in Minot: running or not, on PCS orders or not
Describe the car online, get a cash offer, and choose where it gets picked up, at no cost: your driveway in town, an off-base rental, or a spot near the base gate. If orders are moving you off Minot Air Force Base, the base's own ways to ship, store or sell the car are set out below, next to this one.
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Before a winter pickup
- Keep it off a snow route. Under the City of Minot snow plan (October 2022), when the Public Works Director declares a snow emergency, every parked car has to come off the city's snow routes, Broadway and Burdick Expressway among them, and cars left there are towed and impounded.
- Expect limits on a cul-de-sac. The city piles plowed snow in the middle of cul-de-sacs and may restrict parking there until it's removed.
- Clear the end of the driveway. The same plan leaves a plowed-in driveway to the property owner, so dig a path to the car before pickup day.
Where we pick up around Minot
The driver comes to you anywhere in Minot (58701 and 58703), at off-base homes in Surrey, Burlington and the smaller towns out to Velva, Glenburn and Berthold, and on the base side at 58705. The base is 13 miles north on US 83, the same road that runs through town as Broadway. Heading north you pass the south gate first; the main gate, with the Visitor Control Center, is a mile farther on.
Parked downtown while you wait? The city's snow FAQ says overnight parking there alternates: no parking on streets Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 7 a.m., and none on avenues Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the same hours.
Your car and a move off the base
Start with the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron's Traffic Management Office at 527 Bomber Boulevard, the office that explains what your move entitles you to, the car included. It takes appointments online and walk-ins Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon, or call 701-723-1848.
On an overseas move, the government generally ships one vehicle if the installation you're headed to allows it. Shipping starts with turning the car in at a vehicle processing center. The PCSmyPOV site lists none in North Dakota or any bordering state; the closest on its list is the Denver VPC in Aurora, Colo. If the car is staying behind, ask TMO whether you can store it under the government's contract; Military OneSource says storage under that contract means no out-of-pocket monthly storage bill.
Selling is the third choice. The offer and pickup can happen in days, and the pickup is set around your out-processing. There's more on timing it in our guide to selling your car before a PCS move.
Cash for your car in Minot
Under Section 22-1 of the city code, a junked, abandoned, disassembled, inoperative or unregistered car can be reported to Code Enforcement. That office is part of the Minot Police Department. A car that is licensed, registered and runs is exempt, so one that died in the driveway last winter falls under it.
A car that won't start is priced as one that leaves on a trailer, and the pickup is planned that way from the start. Branded titles, flood brands included, get offers too. If what you're after is cash for junk cars in Minot, our junk car page explains how that sale works.
If a blown head gasket or a slipping transmission is what took the car off the road, selling a car with a blown engine or head gasket and selling a car whose transmission is slipping walk through those sales. For a car that was wrecked, start with selling an accident-damaged car.
If it won't start in the cold
- •The base's newcomer guide says most people will find an engine block heater a necessity, especially for a car that isn't kept in a garage (Minot AFB newcomers)
- •The base's Auto Hobby shop at 583 Tanker Trail lists a battery test at $4 and a battery charge at $10; it's open Tuesday to Friday, noon to 8 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (5th Force Support Squadron)
Asked by Minot sellers
Can the pickup happen on Minot Air Force Base?
The simplest handoff is off base or just outside the gate. Minot AFB no longer requires vehicles to be registered with the base, but a guest without a military ID needs a visitor's pass from the Visitors Center at 196 Missile Avenue, which issues passes 24 hours a day. A meeting spot in town, your off-base housing, or just outside the gate works and adds no cost. If you live in base housing, settle on the spot when you schedule the pickup.
Can I sell my car on the base myself?
Yes. Outdoor Recreation at 146 Missile Avenue runs a Vehicle Sale Lot, and its price list starts vehicle resale space at $25. It's open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; call 701-723-3648 to ask about space.
Where does the buyer title the car in Minot?
At the North Dakota DMV's motor vehicle site at 1600 2nd Ave SW, which NDDOT Motor Vehicle lists as a title-issuing branch. It's open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., for walk-ins or appointments (1-855-633-6835), takes mailed-in paperwork, and charges branch fees.
Will aftermarket window tint matter if I sell to someone at Minot AFB?
It can. The base's newcomer guide says North Dakota law and Minot AFB rules require front windows to let through at least 50 percent of light, and that tint added over the factory tint will most likely be illegal. Patrols ticket it on base, and Minot Police or the Ward County Sheriff's Office ticket it off base. The 5th Security Forces Squadron tests windows free, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., if a buyer wants it checked.
For the paperwork itself, follow our North Dakota selling guide.