4 Steps to Buying a Car From a Different State

on January 17, 2022 at 9:20 am

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, inflation, and other supply chain problems, cars are becoming harder and harder to come by. This means that shoppers are looking for alternative ways to find the car of their dreams at a price that they can afford.

For many people, that strategy involves buying a car from a different state. However, before you do this, there are several steps that you need to take to make sure that you are acting in a legal and smart manner.

Luckily for you, we are here to help you with just that. So if you would like to learn more then keep on reading and we will take you through everything that you need to know when it comes to buying a car out of state.

Why Buy a Car From Out of State?

There are actually a lot of reasons why you should consider buying a car from out of state. For some people, the closest dealership is actually located in a neighboring state.

For other people, you might just be able to find a great deal in a different state with different tax laws. Also, different cars are popular in different parts of the country.

And different towns are going to have different prices for the same kinds of cars. This is what makes the internet so wonderful. You now have the opportunity to look at dealerships and private sellers all over the country to find the right car for you.

1. Make Sure You Can Drive the Car In Your State

You may think that you can simply buy whatever car you want from any state and then just drive around where you live. However, this isn’t always the case.

First off, a car needs to meet the standards of the state where it’s going to be titled and registered. It also needs to be able to pass any inspection requirements of the state.

Some states have stricter tailpipe emission and inspection standards. Some states like California have very strict standards when it comes to emissions and what can be sold and registered.

If you plan on buying a car from a different state, make sure that you can register it in the state where you live.

2. Get a Vehicle History Report

Buyers who are looking to buy a used car in a different state should definitely make sure to get a vehicle history report early on in the buying process. A vehicle history report is going to tell you whether the car is worth buying. It will also be able to tell you if the car has been stolen and is a scam listing.

A lot of sellers will provide you with the report. But not all of them will do this. What you want to keep an eye out for is a history of major repairs or accidents, branded titles, and shady title histories.

You also should be concerned if the car has had many owners in a short amount of time.

3. Have Someone Look at the Car

If you are buying a new car from a licensed dealership then you don’t need to worry about getting your car inspected. But if you are buying a used car, then you should always have a trained professional look at the car, whether or not you are buying it out of state.

And it is better to get someone to look at the car before you travel all the way to where the car is out of state.

The person does not need to do a full inspection at this point. You just want someone now to check the VIN (vehicle identification number) and to look for recent or obvious damage. They should make sure that this is the same car that is being advertised.

Unfortunately, even though it is very easy to buy a used car online, it is also easy to get scammed. So you need to be very careful when buying something as expensive as a car over the internet.

4. Consider the Cost of Shipping or Driving

Before you buy the car, you also need to think about all of the costs associated with getting the car to your home state. This includes the cost of either shipping the car or driving the car back yourself.

Shipping the car can add several hundred or thousands of dollars. But flying to the car, driving it, putting in gas, and paying for lodging can also be expensive. Plus, you might have to take off work to drive the car.

Used car superstores can ship their cars to you. Sometimes it is free to have the car shipped this way. If you are shopping out of state because you are trying to save as much money as possible, then you need to think about the costs of getting the car to you after you buy it.

This helpful tool can help you compare quotes from different shipping companies.

The Importance of Knowing Steps to Buying a Car From a Different State

Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now understand the different steps to buying a car from a different state. As we can see, you need to be very careful when doing this so you don’t end up with any expensive problems on your hands.

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