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Buying a car out of state...

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SunnyD

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
With my van in the shop, my wife and I have been treated to a rental for the past week with another week to go and it got me thinking "new" (or new to me) car, so I started shopping. Unfortunately, there are no remotely good deals to be had anywhere near me so I have taken to the 'net to take a look. I've come across a small sampling in neighboring states that are just about within my price range, and even certified pre-owned as well.

My question is should I go this route, what should I expect in terms of the buying process?

#1 - I know buying a car sight-unseen is a bad idea in general. How about when we're talking certified pre-owned? If it were a private party sale, all bets would obviously be off.

#2 - Not exactly sure how registration is going to work in this case. Will an out-of-state dealer be able to handle plate transfers and such?

#3 - Sales tax... am I going to have to pay both state's sales tax, or just my own? (Probably can look that up on my state DMV/taxation site, eh?)

#4 - How likely would a dealer be receptive to concessions for an out-of-state buyer? We're not talking to 20 minutes over the state line - more like 300+ miles.

#5 - Is this just plain a bad idea?

Alright, there you have it. Go ahead and mock/flame away.
 
1) You need to see the vehicle in any case unless it is new.
2) An out of state dealer will be able to provide you with temp tags.

Depending on how far out of state they are; They might arrange for your plates or let you do what is needed in your own state by going to the DMV with the bill of sale and proof of insurance.

3) They will collect the sales tax on the vehicle and show on the bill of sale. If you state has a higher rate, you will have to pay the difference. Your state will then contact the selling state to get the tax $$. You may be able to file in the selling state for a rebate if your state is less. Probably not worth the effort.

4) Depends on the vehicle being sold and how long on the lot. Distance to travel does not play into his selling price.

5) Many others have done this - nothing wrong - just have your ducks in order(dealer will tell you what is needed) and be willing to walk away if not happy.
 
EagleKeeper said:
1) You need to see the vehicle in any case unless it is new.
2) An out of state dealer will be able to provide you with temp tags.

Depending on how far out of state they are; They might arrange for your plates or let you do what is needed in your own state by going to the DMV with the bill of sale and proof of insurance.

3) They will collect the sales tax on the vehicle and show on the bill of sale. If you state has a higher rate, you will have to pay the difference. Your state will then contact the selling state to get the tax $$. You may be able to file in the selling state for a rebate if your state is less. Probably not worth the effort.

4) Depends on the vehicle being sold and how long on the lot. Distance to travel does not play into his selling price.

5) Many others have done this - nothing wrong - just have your ducks in order(dealer will tell you what is needed) and be willing to walk away if not happy.
Click to expand...
this
 
i just did this a few weeks ago. i actually purchased a certified pre owned car as well. i verified it was a legit CPO car too by finding it on infiniti's actual website.

that said, i went up there already having negotiated over email for about a week and talked them down about $1k less than the asking price, which was about $3k less than KBB. i also had my insurance all setup before i went, which was to go into effect the day i purchased it.

i also went up there expecting to purchase it. when i got there, i noticed some minor wear/tear issues on the car, but that is to be expected on a 4 year old car (it was a 2008 g37s). but most of them yo had to look HARD to see, like 2 small paint chips on the rear bumper. but other than that, it was in great shape.

i test drove it then we started the paper work. took about an hour to do all of that after the test drive. i even got some extended warranties for like $1700 total more i think. made my payments like $30 more per month.

i got temp tags from them, but they are only 20 days which sucks. i had to get a VIN inspection done here (i'm in MD, purchased it in NJ) then mail that to them so they could finish the titling.

well then it turned out i had to also get it inspected, and i did. however, it failed because of the tint on the rear windows. i thought you could have whatever you wanted on the rears in MD, but for sedans/coupes you can't. only vans and SUV's. so i'm getting the tint removed tomorrow, then getting the re-inspection on thursday. then i have to mail the inspection certificate to them.

thing is, my temp tags expire on thursday heh. so i'm going to be a little screwed for a few days here, which blows.

as far as the tax goes, i paid MD state tax not NJ.

me personally, if it's a car you really want, go for it. i had the luxury of not "needing" a new car at all. i searched for about 2 months for the very specific one I wanted (2008 or 2009 g37s in manual, black exterior, black interior, low mileage) and I finally found one that met all the criteria. i hadn't even considered CPO until i saw this car. so i decided to plan a trip up there to get it. was a 2 hour drive up there and 2 hour drive back.

and since i didn't "need" this car, i decided to sell my old car privately, and made $3k more than I would have gotten on in a trade in.

i couldn't be happier with my decision 🙂
 
The easiest thing is to look up the motor vehicle bureau for where you will be buying and ask them, then ask your local bureau and they can tell you everything you will need.
 
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