buying a used car from a private seller

Submitted by 10poundtimebomb t3_y9lt1a in Washington

First time buyer here, I've taken a look at local DOL guides and I'm a little confused on what to expect and go through exactly. I'm curious if anyone could help break the process down into laymen terms? I have vague idea but there are parts I'm unsure of and would like general opinion or tips on what to expect/do when buying directly from someone instead of a dealership.

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aarons6 t1_it6almb wrote

you hand them money.. they sign the title and hand it to you with the keys and you drive away to the DOL to re register the car in your name.. if the seller is nice they can go with you.

if they dont have the title, then you meet at the DOL and get an affidavit of sale. you can also register the car on the spot.

you arent entitled to anything like if buying from a dealership. they dont have to give you your money back if you change your mind.. so check the car out before buying it. if it breaks down its on you to fix. there is no warranty.

also there will be taxes you have to pay.. this is not included in the sale price. even if you put zero on the receipt the DOL will ask for money. this is paid by you and not the seller.

i do believe washington state has passed a law saying the seller has to keep the licence plates.

too many people were buying cars and not registering them and getting tickets the seller has to pay for.

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MaintainThePeace t1_it6c2g0 wrote

>also there will be taxes you have to pay.. this is not included in the sale price. even if you put zero on the receipt the DOL will ask for money. this is paid by you and not the seller.

Get a "Declaration of Buyer and Seller Regarding Value of Use Vehicle Sold" document signed by buyer and seller as well.

This is the only place were the sale price actually matters.

Otherwise the licenses place will try and tax you on their value database, which was 10x the price I bought my last car for...

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aarons6 t1_it6ce3z wrote

you have to be careful with this. if you say the car is not road worthy or it needs to be fixed they might make you get it inspected.

last time i was at the DOL for my renewal the guy in front of me bought a car from somewhere and put down its for repair and it was really cheap. they denied him a title and said the car was for parts only.

Washington state does not allow you to fix a crashed car you purchased.

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MaintainThePeace t1_it6ctnb wrote

That is true too, but for me I bought a completely road worthy classic truck fo 4k, the states database said it was working 54k.

Even if the truck was pristine, it wouldn't have been worth 54k, so I have no idea were they got that number from.

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aarons6 t1_it6d400 wrote

classic cars i understand. after a few years the KBB doesnt work anymore and they cant get a real value.

if im buying a 2018 toyota and try to tell the DOL i paid only 2k for it they will certainly wonder why it was so cheap.

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also a vehicle can be gifted one time in its lifetime for free.. just once tho..

so if you are buying a car that was bought new and never been transferred and you know the seller really well, this is an option. it does mark the car as a gift in the system i think and you might not be able to trade it in.. not sure tho.

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[deleted] t1_it6b66k wrote

>you arent entitled to anything like if buying from a dealership. they dont have to give you your money back if you change your mind

I'm pretty sure we don't have a cooling off period in Washington anyway. A dealer might, depending on the circumstances, accept a car back, especially now that prices are going up. But it's not required.

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aarons6 t1_it6b8nn wrote

dont places like carmax give you 7 days?

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edit, actually no, its 30 days..

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but when i got a new car the dealership let me drive it around for the weekend before i opted to buy it.

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upthedownstair_ t1_it6cuyw wrote

Title is supposed to be signed by both parties and notarized, or signed at the dol.

Ymmv on how strict each individual dol office is with this.

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