A car title transfer in any state is easy enough. The buyer gets the title from the seller and takes it to the DMV/DOT. The buyer pays the requisite fees and the title is printed up in the new owner's name. Except for a potentially lengthy wait, the only trouble you typically have is trying to make time to get to the DMV/DOT office.
What happens when you have to transfer a title to a vehicle in a different state? Is it that much more difficult, or are you just assuming that it will be complicated? For the most part, it will go down something like this.
Your Dealership Buys Cars from a Lot in Another State
A private buyer and seller from separate states could work out a deal, but usually, the buyer is a dealer and the seller is another dealer in another state. If this applies to you, you have direct access to the websites for the DMV/DOT in your state as well as the state from which the purchased inventory comes. You buy the vehicles and then the vehicles are shipped to you either with the titles in hand or separately in an envelope to your dealership before you receive the shipment of vehicles.
You Can Transfer the Titles Now or When a Customer Buys the Vehicle
Based on what the laws in your state stipulate, you may be able to keep the title as-is until a customer purchases the vehicle, or you can transfer the title right away and then transfer it again later. When a customer buys the vehicle, a direct transfer between the ownership of the vehicle in the previous state connects the two in the vehicle's history. If you transfer the vehicle right away into your dealership's name and then into the buyer's name later, there are two transfers that need to be done, one of which you will pay for and the other that the customer will fund. It is usually best to transfer titles as dealerships and owners change hands since all of that history is tied to the VIN number of each vehicle and helps buyers determine who to talk to about the vehicle's prior owners and uses.
Clean Titles Required
It is important to note that if a title is missing to a vehicle, you cannot purchase it from another state. Either the owner has to go get a duplicate title and then give the duplicate to you, or choose not to sell the vehicle for anything other than scrap. Clean titles with no liens are required when vehicles are crossing state lines.
Share20 May 2019
After my car died and I was stranded on the freeway a few years back, I knew that I had to do what I could to avoid similar issues in the future. I began working hard to identify different issues with my car, so that I could prevent problems. I began working with a mechanic to get help, and he taught me a lot about going through my car and being able to evaluate different things that were problems. It was really interesting to explore the possibilities of different car failures, and before I knew it, I could tell when my car was struggling. Read more about the early signs of car trouble on my blog.