Purchasing a car from an individual: how does that even work?

"CalzoneGolem" (calzonegolem) 04/08/2019 at 09:24 • Filed to: None

0

31

Say I were to purchase this Taurus wagon.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I show up at seller’s with cash in hand. Pass him the $ and then what? I’ve only purchased cars from dealerships.

Would I have to tow the car even though it’s inspected? I live in a state that requires an inspection sticker.

Would I have to go to my town office to get plates for it?

What if the car was not inspected? 

shop-teacher > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:39

4

The way it works in my state, is you pay the seller cash, and they give you a signed title. Usually a seller will write up a bill of sale as well, but not always. You simply take the title to whatever office issues titles and license plates to register it in your name, and they’ll give you plates. You can drive the vehicle with no plates if you just bought it. Keep the signed and dated title with you, and then if you get pulled over you show that to the officer. Do get insurance before you drive it though.

Edit: A Taurus wagon I imagine will be as invisible to police as my Roadmaster wagon was.  I drove that thing for a month before I put plates on it.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:41

3

He signs the title over to you

You give him wad of cash

You drive home

You go register and title vehicle next time the DMV is open

Most states have some leniency built in to allow you to drive a recently bought vehicle home without it being registered and insurance coverage is the same way .

Arrivederci > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:41

5

Not sure of Maine’s laws, but in NC, here’s what you’d do:

- Meet seller at your (or his) bank to complete the transaction. Have him provide a bill of sale, damage disclosure statement and odometer verification. Sign the bill of sale in the presence of a notary at the bank and have it notarized, give him cash, he’ll give you the title.

- Take the title, bill of sale, damage disclosure and odometer verification, proof of insurance and checkbook to your local DMV and register the vehicle. Inspection in NC will come at your first renewal. The DMV will take your title for processing, and will send it back to you in a few weeks and provide you a license plate and registration card.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:41

2

Step 1, contact DMV or whom ever handles titles and registration and ask them, probably have the information on their website. But the short of it:

Hand seller money. Seller gives you bill of sale and or title. Put insurance on car. Take the car to inspection, if required . Assuming it passes, go to DMV or the like to transfer the title and registration from seller to you, things work faster if you have seller with you, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT . I’ve had a few surprises... like unpaid taxes or a scrap title... Anyway , DMV may have some specific paper work you need so check their website or call them. Don’t worry about the car having a current tag or registration, if you get stopped by the man just explain it is a new purchase, going to be inspected/registered. 

E90M3 > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:42

2

If he’s got the title then he signs it over to you and you drive off. 

Montalvo > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:42

1

There is a lot of grey area as to how to go about it. When I bought my mustang the previous owner offered to drop it off at my place since I was fairly close and he took his plates off. Did a final inspection and filled out the paper work. Then I made sure I had it on my insurance policy and got proof of insurance. Then made a trip to the DMV to register the car to get tags. It might vary depending on the state but you have a few days~week to get the car inspected with the temp stuff that they give you. Now how do you handle this situation? Honestly its clear cut legally but in reality there is quite a bi t of grey area and I am sure cops would give you a break unless they find something suspicious in the car. Basic structure of the deal should be transaction/paperwork->insurance->register->inspection

Ash78, voting early and often > Arrivederci 04/08/2019 at 09:46

3

This. A bill of sale can be pretty generic, just a word doc with everyone’s names, the VIN, make/model, odometer and the sales price. Absolutely meet at a neutral location, ideally at one of your banks so you can get a free/cheap notary while you’re both present.

If the seller balks at any of this, run away from the deal. This is all standard stuff.

(I’ll admit I’ve never heard of a damage disclosure until now)

Chuckles > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:52

2

In PA, I went and looked at a car. We made a deal, and then drove to a notary. Transferred the title at the notary and I paid him, and he gave me the keys. Notary gave me a plate and a tempory registration and I had 30 days to get it inspected.

CalzoneGolem > shop-teacher 04/08/2019 at 09:53

0

Yeah I’m guessing you’re probably right on the police visibility of this.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 09:55

1

I don’t know about ME but in MA there’s a transfer section on the back of the title. You fill it out with both your signatures and what the car was sold for and then take it to the DMV where they charge you tax and get you a new title in your name. The police will usually give you a grace period to get the car home if you show them that you just bought it. I would double check what your states laws are on transporting recently purchased vehicles though.

I don't know ME but MA gives you 7 days from registration before you need to get it inspected.

CalzoneGolem > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/08/2019 at 09:57

0

Well that’s reassuring. I nsurance shouldn’t be an issue.

functionoverfashion > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 10:05

1

I’ll second the “call your DMV and ask them” - each state is different.

Some places you can drive a recently-purchased vehicle home without plates, so long as you have the bill of sale with you.

When I’ve bought cars from individuals (or sold, for that matter) I always bring two or 3 copies of a generic bill of sale form, so each person gets one (one is an extra because mistakes happen). I’ve also always included a witness signature on my generic bills of sale because if anything were to ever happen, it’s nice to have another person’s signature on both copies ( I am not a lawyer, it just seems like a good idea) .

One good option is just to meet the seller at your DMV or whatever, that way anything that comes up with the registration process can be resolved with all parties present. This can really save a lot of headaches if you’re not totally sure about things.

In one case we delivered a car we were selling right to the buyer’s house. In another case I let someone take my plates and mail them back to me (I don’t recommend that as a general practice). In all cases, I called my insurance company ahead of time so they knew what was happening - buying or selling.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/08/2019 at 10:05

0

Yup. In Ohio, technically you have to leave the vehicle at the seller’s house until you can register and get temp tags since the plate doesn’t stay with the vehicle. What I did, and everyone else does, is borrow your brother's plates and drive it home sort of illegally. 

shop-teacher > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 10:06

1

Not only did I drive it for a month without plates, after six months I lost my front plate, and never replaced it.  Then for the last month I had it, I drove it around on no front plate with an expired rear plate.  Never saw a cop even turn their head.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > shop-teacher 04/08/2019 at 10:09

0

If you already have insurance on other vehicles, you should be covered on the new one while you drive it home. At least that’s how mine’s setup, I automatically have coverage for 30 days when I buy something because I already have insurance.

LOREM IPSUM > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 04/08/2019 at 10:10

3

That’s not “sort of” illegal, misusing plates is a misdemeanor in many areas. You’d be better off driving it plateless.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > LOREM IPSUM 04/08/2019 at 10:18

0

Unless you happen to have the same vehicle in the same color...........

CalzoneGolem > functionoverfashion 04/08/2019 at 10:21

0

Call my DMV? That’s way too sensible.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 10:23

1

I typically call my insurance with the VIN and let them give me a quote, then when I pickup the car I’ll call and leave a message telling them to start my coverage, and it’s all good.  If you need proof of insurance for plates, they can email that to you as well.  And you’re good to go.  The others have already covered the title thing.  Just check if you need the title to be notarized or signed in the presence of the DMV.  Ohio has some goofy thing like that where they didn’t want you to sign on the line until you were at the window so they could witness it.  It was odd, and Michigan doesn’t do that, but so be it.  A call or some internet digging would be a good idea, as each state does things a bit different.

ateamfan42 > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/08/2019 at 10:23

0

Most states have some leniency built in to allow you to drive a recently bought vehicle home without it being registered and insurance coverage is the same way.

If you want to be a little less sketchy from a legal standpoint, many states (including Maine) have a “transit” plate (or similar), which is a temp plate you can get at a DMV or town hall that is good for a one-way trip home on a certain date.

Also, at least in most states, you’ll need insurance on the purchased car, even for the one-way trip.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ateamfan42 04/08/2019 at 10:30

0

You have 2 days to get plates in Wisconsin (temporary or permanent)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Also, at least in most states, you’ll need insurance on the purchased car, even for the one-way trip.

Most insurance companies have a 30 day grace period from when you purchase a car to when it needs to be officially insured where they still cover it. But you should always check with your own insurance before proceeding. Same with the state laws.

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 04/08/2019 at 10:31

1

I think this varies from state to state as well.  Mine is set up that way too, but he’ll want to make sure before driving it.

LOREM IPSUM > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 04/08/2019 at 10:35

0

True, but God help you if you get in a fender bender. Dat vin tho.

functionoverfashion > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 10:36

1

hahaha, oh I forgot to mention, my usual technique when calling the DMV for anything out of the ordinary is to call and ask what to do, taking detailed notes. Then call again another time and ask a different person the same questions, taking detailed notes and comparing, then asking about the differences (which almost always come up). Maybe calling a third time, depending on the results of call #2. 

CalzoneGolem > functionoverfashion 04/08/2019 at 10:44

0

That sounds like a lot of work lol

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > LOREM IPSUM 04/08/2019 at 10:52

0

Oh no, it’s literally driving an unregistered, uninsured, falsely plated vehicle. Totally illegal. So don’t do something to get pulled over. I would onl y be comfortable driving lik e that for 15-20 minutes. 

Arrivederci > Ash78, voting early and often 04/08/2019 at 11:18

0

I didn’t hear about the damage disclosure until the Lexus I recently bought.

DMV worker: Do you have the damage disclosure?

Me: Uhhhh *fumbles through paperwork*

Fortunately (?) the car was a Houston car, so Texas made it come with a disclosure that it wasn’t involved in the flood, which was good enough for them.

Nothing > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 11:23

1

Call the DMV. I’ve sold a bunch of cars private party with no issue. Same with buying, depending on location, dollar amount, etc, I’ll meet at the bank and get cash there.

Prior to moving to my current county, things worked just like the above. However, this county REQUIRES a bill of sale. First county I’ve lived in that requires one, and actually requires the county bill of sale form that’s on the DMV website.

So the process itself is super easy, just c all the DMV and make sure there aren’t any state/county specific gotchas that would require you to chase down the seller to get another signature.

functionoverfashion > CalzoneGolem 04/08/2019 at 11:29

1

Well, I’m 45 minutes from the DMV office where anything complicated has to happen. Twice I had an instance where I went and was turned away because I didn’t have what I needed. In one instance, the documentation just isn’t consistent and I was even surprised at one thing they asked for even after three phone calls. I was prepared for that, but still. 

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 04/08/2019 at 13:42

0

Your state allows you to complete the inspection without a registration? Every time I have taken my car in for an inspection they wanted to see the latest registration before they even asked for the keys. 

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/08/2019 at 17:32

0

The C ommonweal t h (Kentucky is not a state) does not have inspections in my township . The last city I lived in it was required to be inspected and emission tested before the car could be titled and registered for use. Every state is different I guess.