Year-round program pays Ventura County residents to turn in old cars
Tyler Hersko
Retiring an older vehicle can help improve the region's air quality and net residents $1,000, thanks to an ongoing program in Ventura County.
The year-round Old Car Buy Back Program pays residents $1,000 for turning in their 1997 or older car, truck or sport utility vehicle if it is legally allowed on the highway.
The program, funded by the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, helps improve the region's air quality by phasing out older vehicles that emit more pollution, according to Danny McQuillan, an air quality engineer with the district.
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"Removing these vehicles from roads is an effective way to reduce pollution being emitted in our county's air," McQuillan said. "These vehicles are older and don't have the advanced emission controls you see in contemporary vehicles. It's an easy way to improve the health of our citizens."
Although the state of California created the program in 2006, it was first adopted in Ventura County in 2017. The local program had retired 151 vehicles as of February, according to McQuillan. He noted that the program initially received $125,500 in 2017 and said his district supplied slightly more than $100,000 in 2018 and 2019 to keep the program going.
McQuillan said funds for the program come from the county's Department of Motor Vehicles fees. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District collects fees from DMV registrations, which are used toward various projects to reduce pollution in the region.
Participating auto dismantlers are in Oxnard and Santa Paula. An eligible vehicle must be driven under its own power to one of the two sites and pass an inspection.
State regulations require that members of the public, such as car collectors and enthusiasts, have an opportunity to purchase vehicles out of the program by calling a hotline prior to the dismantling date. A weekly list of program vehicles may be accessed via the Ventura County section of the program's website, www.oldcarbuyback.com.
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Oxnard resident Randy Johnson sold his 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee to the program in March and said it was an ideal way for owners of older automobiles to get some final value out of their cars.
The vehicle "was getting to the point where it would take too much money to fix it, and this was a way to do get rid of it without someone else driving it and risk getting hurt," said Johnson, 64.
"The pollution thing wasn't a huge factor, but I wanted to maximize my profit," he said. "If you can take advantage of it, this is a good program."
Ventura County residents interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to call 800-717-7624 to determine vehicle eligibility and acquire additional information.
Tyler Hersko covers business news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tyler.hersko@vcstar.com or 805-437-0312.