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By Rick G. · Overturf KIA, Pasco

Trading In Your Car in the Tri-Cities: What to Bring

Last updated Oct 28, 2026

Forget one paper and you make a second trip. Here’s the short list, what Washington says, and what happens when your car gets looked at.

Checklist note: The Washington DOL items below come from dol.wa.gov (links and dates at the bottom). Rick’s practical list is good habits, not legal requirements. Your trade is appraised in person by the desk; nothing on this page is a value or a promise about your loan.

Quick answer: Bring your title, or your lender’s name and loan account number if you still owe. Add your driver’s license, current registration, current insurance card, and every key and fob. In Washington, all owners on the title sign to release it. The desk appraises your car in person at Overturf Kia in Pasco; nobody quotes a value by text.

Bring your trade

Who it fits

  • Tri-Cities drivers trading in toward a new or Certified Pre-Owned Kia
  • People who still owe on their car and aren’t sure what to bring
  • Couples with two names on the title
  • Anyone who can’t find the title and wants to know the next step

The trade is often the part that stresses people out. Not the new car. The old one. Where’s the title? Who has to sign? What if I still owe?

Ask yourself two things. If you show up without the lender info, how many extra days does that add before you’re driving the new car? And if the second key is sitting in a kitchen drawer, do you want to come back just to drop it off?

Hey, I’m Rick G. at Overturf KIA in Pasco. I can’t tell you what your car is worth from a text, and I won’t guess. What I can do is make sure you walk in with everything, so the appraisal is quick and the number is real.

Here’s what the visit is and isn’t. It is: we look at your car in person and walk you through it. It isn’t: a promise of a number before anyone sees the car, or a commitment to buy. If it doesn’t work for you, you say so.

Fresh write-up on the lot. MSRP plus today’s published incentives. No couch quotes.

What Washington DOL says (sourced)

These come straight from Washington’s Department of Licensing. Source links at the bottom.

  • A valid title. Washington DOL says a vehicle must have a valid title before it can be sold. Lost it? A replacement title can take 4 to 8 weeks. A quick title may be an option, at extra cost. Start early.
  • Every owner signs. Washington DOL says all legal and registered owners shown on the title must sign the Release of Interest to transfer the title. Two names on the title? Plan for both.
  • Report of Sale. Washington requires the owner to file a Report of Sale within 5 days when a car is traded to a dealer (weekends and state holidays excluded). A registered Washington dealer may file it for you, but DOL says it is the owner’s job to confirm it was filed.
  • Odometer disclosure. Washington DOL says this is required when you transfer a vehicle 20 years old or newer, unless it is exempt.

Rick’s practical checklist (good habits, not legal requirements)

  • Driver’s license for everyone on the title
  • Current registration
  • Current insurance card
  • If you still owe: lender name and loan account number
  • Every key and fob, plus the valet key
  • The owner’s manual (service history shows up on Carfax, so no need to dig up records)
  • Before you leave home: clear out personal items, unpair your phone, and remove garage opener codes and toll passes

If you still owe on your car

You can often trade in a car you’re still paying on. Bring the lender name and loan account number. The desk reviews your payoff and your appraisal together, in person, and walks you through the numbers at write-up. I won’t promise how your loan gets handled before anyone sees the car and the payoff.

How the appraisal works

  1. You bring the car and the paperwork above.
  2. The desk looks at it in person. Condition, miles, and how it drives.
  3. You get the number in person, with the write-up. No texted values, no phone guesses.
  4. You decide. Yes, no, or take time to think.

Your trade is appraised in person on the lot. That’s the only way the number reflects your actual car.

Shopping used too? See Kia CPO vs CarMax in the Tri-Cities. Cross-shopping a Sportage? Start with Sportage gas vs Hybrid vs PHEV or Sportage vs Hyundai Tucson.

FAQs

What should I bring to trade in my car?
Bring your title (or your lender’s name and loan account number if you still owe), a driver’s license for each owner, current registration, current insurance card, and every key and fob. The desk appraises the car in person.

Can I trade in a car I still owe on?
Often, yes. Bring your lender’s name and loan account number, plus your driver’s license, current registration, current insurance card, and every key and fob. The desk appraises your car in person, reviews your payoff and the appraisal together, and walks you through both at write-up. I won’t promise how the loan works out before anyone sees the car.

What if I can’t find my title in Washington?
Washington DOL says a vehicle needs a valid title before it can be sold, and a replacement title can take 4 to 8 weeks, with a faster quick title available for an added cost. Start that early. Source: dol.wa.gov.

Do both people on the title need to sign?
Washington DOL says all legal and registered owners shown on the title must sign the Release of Interest to transfer the title. Plan for every owner to sign. Source: dol.wa.gov.

Do I need to file a Report of Sale when I trade in?
Washington requires a Report of Sale within 5 days of a sale or trade, excluding weekends and holidays. A registered Washington dealer may file it for you, but DOL says it is the owner’s responsibility to confirm it was submitted.

Can you tell me what my trade is worth before I come in?
No. The desk appraises every trade in person so the number reflects the actual car. Bring it to Overturf Kia, 9575 St. Thomas Drive, Pasco, WA 99301, and book a time by email through the form.

Should I hold my trade back and keep it separate?
Keeping your trade out of the picture doesn’t change what it’s worth. The appraisal happens in person, so showing up without the car usually means a second visit. Title, lender payoff, and owner signatures also go smoother in one visit. You can still look at the new Kia’s price and your trade’s value as two separate numbers. Bring it by and decide with real information. No pressure.

Is the car titled in more than one name? What do I bring?
If more than one person is on the title or registration, plan on everyone being part of the trade. Every owner signs the release of interest forms with a wet (pen) signature, and every owner brings a photo ID. If one owner can’t come in, sort that out before your visit so we don’t have to reschedule. Bring the title or registration and your lender payoff info too. No pressure.

Offer: bring your trade, book a drive

  1. Bring your trade with the checklist above.
  2. Drive the Kia you’re looking at, as equipped. Browse at overturfkia.com.
  3. Fresh write-up on the lot. MSRP plus today’s published incentives. No couch quotes.

Checked Oct 7, 2026 (PT): Washington DOL, Sell a vehicle (valid title required; replacement title 4 to 8 weeks; quick title costs more; Report of Sale within 5 days, includes “Trade to a dealer”; dealer may file, owner confirms); Washington DOL, Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest (all legal and registered owners sign; Report of Sale within 5 days excluding weekends and state holidays; odometer disclosure for vehicles 20 years old or newer, unless exempt); RCW 46.12.650 (Report of Sale when traded to a dealership; dealer may file); WA DOL Vehicle Report of Sale form TD-420-062.