If you're asking yourself, “What paperwork do I need to sell my car privately,” you'll need to check your state's DMV website for any specific requirements. In general, you'll need these documents:
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- The vehicle history report
- The vehicle's warranty
- Any maintenance records
- The “as is” form
- A bill of sale
- An odometer disclosure
- Your vehicle's title
If you're planning to sell your car privately in 2021-2022, you'll need to understand what paperwork should be involved. Once you have all paperwork sorted together, you should experience a smoother and faster car selling experience.
While you might already know that you'll need your vehicle's title for selling a car privately, there are some other papers that you need to consider and learn about to prevent dealing with unpleasant legal situations.
This article summarizes all that you need to know to answer the question, “What paperwork do I need to sell my car privately in 2021-2022?” While this summary highlights almost every document you'll need, it is still your responsibility to go through your local DMV website and get an idea about any specific requirements that might be different in your state.
What paperwork do I need to sell my car privately? 2021-2022 review
Did you know that this might be the best timing for selling your car privately? Yes! With a huge car shortage, plenty of private buyers are looking for any vehicle, and if your car is not in good condition, you still can make a good amount of money!
One of the first and most important steps in selling your car privately is putting together a required paperwork list. Let's look at what automotive experts recommend as the minimum paperwork you have to prepare for selling your car privately:
1. The vehicle history report
While it's not a requirement to prepare your vehicle history reports, it shows how honest you are when selling your vehicle veered. The vehicle's history report is a document that highlights everything that has happened to the vehicle since the first owner.
In this report, there should be information about car accidents, major repairs, etc. When your upfront with a buyer, you build strong trust and show that you have nothing to hide about this vehicle. The vehicle’s history report is more recommended if you're trying to sell a car in good condition where you might be asking for a higher price.
Having a history report in hand shows the potential Buyer that you've been taking good care of your car and that your ask price should not be too high for the vehicle's condition.
2. The vehicle's warranty
In most scenarios, people were selling used cars privately might not necessarily have a valid warranty anymore. However, if for any reason you decided to sell your car privately, knowing that it still has an effective warranty, you must have paperwork to prove that.
Asking a higher price for a vehicle with a valid warranty will not be hard when you have the paperwork on hand.
3. Any maintenance records
If you have any documentation showing that you've been taking good care of your car, that documentation can be extremely useful when selling your used car privately. Although you're not legally required to provide these maintenance records, they can be very helpful to make an argument and negotiate the price with the potential Buyer.
Maintenance records can include information about oil changes, tire rotation, tire replacement, or any upgrades you've done to your car. For example, if you decided to add a certain accessory that might be expensive, it is worth highlighting.
The maintenance record can be as simple as a receipt or a detailed report from certain services.
4. Selling as is
When selling your car privately, you want to make sure that you protect yourself and secure the deal without any unpleasant consequences. The safest way to do this is by selling your vehicle “as is.” This means that once the Buyer signs the contract, he can't come back and say that the vehicle has major problems, and I don't want it anymore.
Having this document can protect you from very difficult situations that might get you in huge trouble. For example, many scammers might take the car and crash it and then come back to return it.
There are plenty of available online forms that you can download freely, including the “as is” component. However, if your state requires a specific bill of sale or certain documentation, you must download that from your local DMV website and use it.
5. A bill of sale
If you're living in certain states, your state might require a specific form for a bill of sale. That's when you must go to their local DMV office and download this form before you meet with a potential buyer.
However, if your state does not require a specific form, you can download any free online form that has sufficient information to sign and the buyer sign to complete the deal.
6. An odometer disclosure
It might sound a little bit weird to have a document showing the odometer reading. However, if you don't already know, there are some legal scenarios where you must have this document along with any car sale transaction.
This applies to vehicles weighing more than 12,000 pounds and is ten years old. This is part of the truth in the mileage act. In the odometer disclosure, you'll find the following information:
- Your vehicles make, model, year, and V IN
- Information about the Buyer, including the signature, name, and address
- Your signature
- The current mileage reading
- A final signature from a notary public
7. Your vehicle's title
Your vehicle's title is a very critical component in any car selling procedure, especially if you're selling your car to a private buyer; you must have the vehicle's title. The title includes information about the previous owners, and it will be used to transfer ownership.
For some reason, there might be a situation where you don't have a title because he lost it or any other reason for when that happens, it might be extremely challenging to sell your car to a private buyer because who wants to deal with all this headache in the paperwork?
However, you might want to consider selling your car to cash cars Buyer who guarantees to buy your car even if you don't have a title. Cash cars buyers accept your car and can deal with all people's work if you prove that you are the vehicle's legal owner.
On the other hand, if you still would like to sell your card to private buyers, you might want to obtain a title replacement. Since you're the legal owner of the vehicle, you can visit your local DMV office and request information about obtaining a title placement. Typically, they'll ask you to prove paperwork showing that the other legal owner pays a certain fee.
Note that obtaining the title replacement requires some waiting time that might range from one day to a couple of weeks. Therefore, before making a final decision about selling your used car privately, come all consider this waiting time.
How to sell my car to a private party?
Asking yourself, “what paperwork do I need to sell my car privately” is not the only question you'll need to understand and answer to sell your car successfully. There are other critical questions that you need to consider, including:
1. How much is my car worth?
Another critical piece of information is understanding how much money to ask for your car. One place to start with is Kelley Blue Book online tool. It provides you with a way to enter your vehicle information and instantly understand the expected cost. In addition, you can list on whatever location you decide to go with.
2. How to prepare my car?
You also need to prepare your vehicle and clean it up by removing all trash and having it ready. Finally, depending on your vehicle's asked price, you might want to invest a little bit in waxing or detailing the car to encourage the Buyer to purchase your vehicle.
3. What is the best website to sell my car privately?
Once your vehicle is ready and your paperwork is put together, you need to cite where to post your vehicle to get the fastest car selling service and receive the highest prices.
Many online platforms like Craigslist, eBay Motors, order Twitter, cars.com, and others. We recommend that you go through all these websites and understand the main pros and cons of each one before making a final decision.
4. How to screen the buyers?
Not every Buyer is legit, and that everywhere is serious. Therefore, we advise that you spend time before deciding which Buyer to meet with and have a test drive your car.
5. How to negotiate the price?
When you meet with a potential buyer, be prepared to negotiate the price. If you would like to stick with your ask price, you'll have to have some proof like paperwork showing the maintenance and any additional details to show that your vehicle is in good condition and deserves the price that you're asking for.
6. Should I let the buyer test drive my car?
Of course! Automotive experts always recommend having the potential buyer test drive your car because this allows them to see all the details about the vehicle and get convinced about purchasing it.
It is important to note that before you allow the Buyer to test drive your car, you should confirm proof of funds and see that the Buyer is serious about purchasing your vehicle.
7. How to finalize the deal?
Finally, you would make sure that you sign all paperwork to finalize the deal without any issues to prevent dealing with any legal complications.
After signing all paperwork, you and I keep them in a safe place if something happens to the vehicle.
8. Is there anything I must do after selling the car?
Of course! Before having the Buyer drive a car, consider taking the final look and confirm that you didn't leave any personal belongings that you don't want them to get into the wrong hands. Many times, sellers forget important items like their phones, important paperwork, and other elements.
Once you finalize the deal and remove your personal belongings, you must go to your local DMV office and cancel the registration, so you don't hold liable for anything that happens to the vehicle. For example, if the buyer used the vehicle for a crime or any other illegal issue, you should not be concerned as long as the registration is canceled.
Then, you should also cancel the insurance policy because you don't want to keep paying for a vehicle you don't own. Many insurance companies appreciate it when you let them know about selling your car. They might even provide you with future discounts for your next insurance policy.
What paperwork do I need to sell my car privately? Final thoughts
This article provided you with a summary of all paperwork you need to prepare and put together before selling your car privately. The paperwork includes the vehicle history forwards, the warranty, any maintenance records, a bill of sale, although we turn to school here, and the vehicle's title.
If you're ready to sell your car today, you might not want to waste your time and effort looking for a private buyer because there is always a much easier way to get your vehicle removed in no time!
Cash Cars Buyer is willing to remove your vehicle within one to three days only! Cash Cars Buyer is one of the top-rated car removal companies in the nation that guarantees to pay you the top dollars and provide you with free towing despite your living location around the United States.
Our process is very straightforward and doesn't take more than a couple of days to get your car removed safely and for the most money.
All it takes you is to:
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