Buy a car in another state

There are times in your life when you get the hang of a car which is out of state. But it doesn’t stop you from pursuing the buying that beauty, does it?

Before you do anything hasty and buy that car without giving a second thought. We would advise you to go through with this piece of article to make a rational and well-thought decision.

First of all, you have to know about the desired car that you’re about to buy from another state.

Is that car legal in your state or not? Does it pass muster the emission test? Is sales taxes or any other related taxes paid or not? Does the car have proper registration or not?

One more thing you have to keep in mind, where is the car you’re about to buy it from? Are you going to buy from the car dealer or a private owner? Because it does matter where you buy it from.

For starters, buying from a car dealer is easy and simple. They usually provide and render all the necessary paperwork and present the legal documents that are required for the purchase easily.

The same cannot be said for buying vehicles from a private owner. You have to do yourself a little digging on the car that you are about to buy.

Furthermore, once you have decided on buying a car from another state, you would require following these steps.

Make Your Budget

All your planning and scheming will go in vain if you have got a proper and adequate budget for your car. It’s imperative to have a certain budget before you think of buying any certain accessory be it may be a car, house or even a truck.

There are usually two ways to buy anything. First one is by making a full payment on cash via cheque, obviously.

The other one is buying on a lease. In this method, you usually have to make a downpayment upfront and the pay the rest of the amount in installments.

I for one would go with the former. Because there isn’t any tension for making payment on every interval once you have already paid the full amount.

Choose Wisely

You can’t go willy-nilly and buy the car without having done a little bit of analyzing and evaluating the vehicle. You would want to know why and for what purpose you are buying the car for.

If you are a family man, then see if the seat is suitable for your kids and child-proof. Adequate safety locks are always a must.

Go for Low-Maintenance

It’s always wise to go for the vehicles that have low-maintenance. The initial cost doesn’t matter much when your car will pay-off in the later years of its life.

However, there are many people who will go with lower initial cost. Then, they have to pay for the maintenance of wear and tear and depreciation.

Online Stores

For looking up for buying cars online, it is worth it to take a look at these fine online establishments, when you are buying a car from another state,

eBay is one of the resilient websites of the internet where you can buy just about everything including classic and vintage cars.

Craigslist could be a good place buy wheels online, if you can sift out the scammers.

CarMax is an online car store where you can get cars on very decent prices. If you’re short on cash. Have no worries. CarMax also provides lease and financing on cars as well.

Run the VIN

It’s always a good idea to run to VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) prior to making the purchase of the desired vehicle. Especially, when you are about to buy a car in another state. You don’t know where that car has been and how many accidents it has encountered.

For a quick check, you can visit autocheck and put the VIN and get the results instantly. You will have a complete vehicle history report easily.

 

 

The vehicle history report would include,

• Whether the car has a clean title or not. In case of a car may have been on a serious accident and had been totaled in the collision. However, it’s been repaired and made again into drivable condition. Insurance companies will put this had been totaled in their report with “salvage title”. The title is will ruin the resale of the vehicle, that could be a real problem when you want to sale the vehicle in the future.
• The vehicle history report the actual miles traveled. It matters if the seller resets the odometer to fool you. You can just view this report and find out.
• The number of times the vehicles have changed owners during the course of its entire running life.
• There are some reports who would also show the number of times it had went for repairs and even which workshop undertook that job.
• Finally, any serious accident will be recorded on this report.

(Source: DMV)

Asking Relevant Questions

A brief convo with the seller and will clear all your misconception about your vehicle. Be sure to as these important questions whether or not you buy a car in another state,

• How many times has the car exchanged owners?
• Is the car on lease or any pending amounts need to be paid?
• Provide the Vehicle History report and service records
• Is there anything else I need to be aware of?
• When can I bring the mechanic for a go over?

Take a Test Drive

You will not be able to make up your mind on buying the car until or unless you would have taken it for a test drive.

If you are taking it for an initial run, we advise you to hire a mechanic to take the test drive with you. The mechanic would be able to guide you if there is any maintenance or tweaks that need to be done.

If you are alone, then you have to be extra attentive and adhere to the following,

• First of all, examine that ABCs (accelerator, brakes and the clutch) are within reach or not.
• Check for blind spots if any.
• Rev up the engine to feel the sound of the accelerator.
• Observe the level of brakes. Are they adequate or not.
• Observe for any strange sounds or weird noises if there any.
• Always check the sound system. Stereo has to be in optimum condition. Well, that’s just me. =)

Take it to a Professional already!

If you are spending an ample amount money on it already. Why do you want to start penny-pinching now? Go and take it to a mechanic for an examination of this vehicle.

Especially, when you are about to buy a car from another state. It becomes mandatory for a professional to have a look at the vehicle for any oddities that you have missed or overlooked.

When you are buying a car in another state, you would see some car lots who put up signs like “best” “fully checked and verified”. They are still vague and ambiguous and could mean anything.

However, there now have been many car lots who have Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles. These vehicles have made easier for the buyers to take the buying decision without much thought or inspection hassle.

The essential feature of buying CPOs is that they are thoroughly inspected vehicles. There is no need to hire a mechanic and do a go-over prior to purchasing these vehicles.

Drive a Hard Bargain

There are many people who would think that it’s a hassle talking back and forth with the seller to get a decent bargain.

This could not be much of a hassle or a pain if you have done your research which you have now by reading this article.

By now, you would have a thorough knowledge of the market and the market price of the car. Even if the seller’s demand is high and not reasonable, you could easily counter it by referring to its competitor’s price and quotes.

You can also point out some of the features that are not included in the deal in order to lower the price of the vehicle.

We know that driving a hard bargain is not easy when you are up against these professional salesmen. However, we have designed a certain set of skills dealing with these fast-talking sellers. Here are the things that you could follow and do,

There are numbers of salesmen who would try to corner and want you to take the monthly plan. Even if you’re looking for one, never give away that for one second. Never reveal your weak points when dealing with them. Always try to bargain with the overall cost.

Do not show interest in the vehicle. Try to lowball the seller by offering with low quotes. When you don’t show interest in their precious item for sale. They will take you lightly which would give an edge to making a good bargain with less pressure.

Always go with the full payment that you have to pay, including all the hidden costs and fees. Don’t let them take you for a fool for one second. Have them to make it in written form, so there would be no chance for confusion.

Remember if they are not catering you properly and there aren’t progress on the deal you’re making. Then, there is no need to waste any more of your time. Walk out of there with no remorse and regret.

Sealing the deal

When you are about to seal the deal and the take the custody of your car. There are certain peculiarities that should be looking into and a few precautions that need to be undertaken.

First of all, add your newly added family member (in this case, your car) to your insurance policy. Make a cheque under the dealer’s name or pay in cash, whatever suits you best.

You also need to vigilant about the signature made by the seller. Remember to verify the signature and the transfer of ownership with registry website of the state.

If you have bought a car that is on lease with a private party. That has pending payments to be made to the lienholder (mainly the bank).

Then, it’s better to meet up and made arrangements for the transfer of ownership at the bank rather than doing on a one-to-one meeting with the seller.

Always read the contents of the contract thoroughly prior to signing the contract. Never sign it just for the sake of it.

On the signing of the contract at the bank, the banker or their representative may try to oversell or upsell you with obnoxious and costly fees.  

Sift out all the unnecessary fees and tell the banker to take them out of the contract. However, remember to leave the state sales tax, documentation fee and the registration fee on the contract.

Finally, whether you buy a car in another state or the state that you are living in. You would require to hire a reliable auto transport company to transport your vehicle to your designated place.

In order to that, you could sign up at Auto Transport City (ATC), and post your shipment there. There would be hundreds of car shipping companies who would be offering their shipping services to you.