Hi,

I am going to be purchasing a car soon from a private seller. I have never owned a car before and would like to know what I need. Basically it is a cheap Accord that I will be paying cash for. Assuming that I like the car after a little test drive. What other paper work will I need to bring? I am also curious how do I go about getting my plates, because it is not a good idea to drive the car home without any plates right? So should I get the plates before I actually buy it? Is there any paperwork I should expect from him? Just the basic details like that.

Thanks.

Hi,

I am going to be purchasing a car soon from a private seller. I have never owned a car before and would like to know what I need. Basically it is a cheap Accord that I will be paying cash for. Assuming that I like the car after a little test drive. What other paper work will I need to bring? I am also curious how do I go about getting my plates, because it is not a good idea to drive the car home without any plates right? So should I get the plates before I actually buy it? Is there any paperwork I should expect from him? Just the basic details like that.

Thanks.

You dont need to bring any paperwork, but he will be giving you the title for the car though. You can get your plates at the DMV.

It varies from state to state. In CA all that is required is that the previous owner fill out the applicable parts of the title and sign it over. Here, the plate are assigned to the car, not the owner; so by default you take the plates with you as they stay with the car. If the previous owner wants to keep them, he/she has to fill out paperwork to transfer the plates. Even so, you just drive it to the DMV or AAA and get new plates, pay your registration and you're done in a couple minutes.

In PA you have to have things notarized. Its common to meet at AAA and use their notary which is like $5 for members. In PA its assumed that the plate stays registered to the person. Its common for them to surrender the tags, but its another form to fill out to transfer the tags to you.

It would really help us if you tell us what state you're in.

According to Brigs' profile, they live in Canada. I'm not sure what the procedure is in another country, but I would start by contacting the proper agency that issues license plates ("Canadian DMV?") and see what they need to do. I'm sure somebody there should be able to walk them through the process and tell them what they will need in order to register the vehicle in their name, i.e. title, proof of insurance, any tax documents, etc.