Private Party Car Sale Help/Tips Needed

[Bigfootwolff]

This will be my first time to both buy and sell a car to and from an individual rather than trading a car in and getting a new car from a car dealership. I am buying my daughter a car from an individual and then I’m going to sell her current car to an individual. The questions are the following:
1). What documents do I need to get from the seller, besides the blue title and bill of sale? Once I have the needed documents I believe I am then supposed to take them to our local county tax office to have the vehicle registered and titled in my name.

2). Similar to the above, I believe I will just need to provide the buyer of my daughter’s car with a signed blue title and bill of sale, but just want to confirm nothing else is needed on
my part.

Regarding payment, I am planning on purchasing the car for my daughter with a cashier’s check, and was planning on requiring the buyer of my daughter’s car to also pay with a cashier’s check. Estimated value of her car is $11,000, so I am concerned about accepting that much in cash both for safety and potential counterfeit currency reasons. The question is, how do I verify the cashier’s check is legitimate and not a fake. Should I meet the buyer at his/her bank and have the cashier’s check prepared in my presence, or is there another recommended method of payment I consider before I hand over the title and bill of sale.

Finally, I am open to any suggestions you guys can offer when considering everything from advertising, disclaimers (i.e. “as is, no warranty”), meet up locations, letting buyer test drive it, take the car to a mechanic for inspection, removing license plates, and any other recommendations you guys can think of. I just want to avoid any pitfalls that some of you may have experienced.

[Smeone]

1. Cashiers checks are WORTHLESS.....they are more worthless than a regular check and they are about the biggest scam going now

in the past a cashiers check was a check that was written on a BANKS account and not an individual's account or if it was not that way then the bank 100% held funds equal to the amount of any and all outstanding cashiers checks on that account until they cleared.......they no longer do this......the person can draw a cashiers check in front of you and while you are going to your bank they can be at a branch of their bank two blocks away from the one you met them at cleaning out their account......at some of these banks they can probably turn around and clean out the account at the same branch after you walk out of the door

I am sure some will say I have some details wrong on the above about how it was in the past and I might.....but I can 100% guarantee you this......taking a cashiers checks is the absolute 100% best way to get scammed in a sale of anything period and yes even worse than a simple personal check

again lets be clear.....verifying funds at their bank....MEANINGLESS.......watching the check be cut at their bank.....MEANINGLESS.....because 10 minutes after you have left (or less) none of that matters period the end

honestly the best way to do it is meet at their bank and get cash......not out in front of the bank, not next to the dumpster next to their bank, not around the corner from their bank.....meet at their bank and watch then withdraw CASH from that bank......that takes care of 99.99% of the fake money issues (because yes banks these days do not even fully guarantee the money they give you is not counterfeit) .......make this CLEAR to the buyer.....YOU WATCH THEM GET THE CASH AND HAND IT TO YOU.....if they "meet you out front because hey I got here early"......they can go back in with you and get DIFFERENT cash from the bank or YOU LEAVE.......if they send you a quick text and say that something came up, but lets meet in the middle of the food court at the mall, at the police station, at the fire station, in the library......tell them you are going to meet them IN THE BANK AND WATCH THEM GET CASH OR DEAL OFF

2. bank transfers can be equally tricky......you will want to ASK YOUR BANK about what method they have for you to use to make sure it is 100% legit the moment it hits your account......that is one of the issues with cashiers checks......your bank will "clear it", but then 2 weeks later they will let you know that the bank it was drawn on denied it......that is part of the whole "hey the car was $10,000 and I sent $12,000 you can please pay the shipper $1,500 and keep the $500 for your trouble"....well guess what you had your car stolen and you paid $1,500 to the scammers friend to pick up your car and your car is already in haiti (and probably already burned out or wrecked)

so if you do not want to meet INSIDE the buyers bank to WATCH THEM GET CASH then you need to ask YOUR BANK what transfer methods are 100% legit from the moment it hits your account......I personally do not like zelle because it provides you no security if you make a mistake or if something is sent wrong.......but your banker might suggest it and if they say that once the cash hits your account it is yours no matter what then have the buyer send a penny to make sure it is the right account (your account) and then send the rest......do NOTHING until you have verified after that how ever your banker says to do that the cash is in your account.....no "hey the penny went through the other must be taking longer"......YOU CAN WAIT

paypal not a chance......they never take the side of the person in the right for disputes they are junk for buying sub $100 garbage on ebay and nothing else (or for sending to REAL friends and family instead of stupid zelle)

3. collect the plates.....the buyer will hate you for this.....COLLECT THE PLATES......Texas allows it now, there are way too many toll roads and other "pay by plate" things out there.....COLLECT THE PLATES......not to mention the entire insurance, liability, and uninsured driver issues.....COLLECT THE PLATES....PERIOD.....also there is a state website that you can go to and further make sure that the car is out of your name and marked as sold......I sold a truck before all of that was available and it was in a business name (so it was subject to property taxes)......it went to "retirement" in Ojinaga, Mexico.......14 months later I got a tax bill......I told the state look and see if it has been registered in the last two years and get back to me and they were nice enough to take out off my business name as I had shut the business down as well

4. as for buying I would have it looked over thoroughly almost more important that mechanical is by a body person that can spot a wrecked and rebuilt car......thoroughly search the interior for signs of rust in seat hardware, and mud or water lines under the dash or other areas that are hard to clean from a flood car including in trunk and under where the spare tire goes in the trunk (if there even is one)

getting a carfax through a friend that might have an account can help, but not 100%.....if a car has been titled in a couple of states in less than a year.....strong potential the title was "washed" through a state that does not brand a title as rebuilt of salvage.....RED FLAG

5. for selling you can always meet them at the mechanic they choose to have it looked over......of course look it up online and make sure it is legit......no one taking a car to a hoot rat mechanic to get it looked over would bother with that they would just get their hood rat mechanic friend to come with them to look it over (and maybe scope you and your house out for a future robbery).......so meet somewhere SAFE to have it looked over if they are bringing "their guy" to look it over......and if you are taking it to "their guy" make sure their guy fixes cars instead of selling weed and meth with come junk cars around the lot as a cover story

6. meet somewhere safe for BOTH.....buying you have cash.....to get ripped off......selling you have a car and a title.....to get ripped off......remember many people will buy a "curb stoned" car......that is a car with an open title IE the title is signed by the seller, but not transferred into the new buyers name (see my truck story above)......so if they rip you off for the car and the title (even if they do not force you to sign it right then) they have the car and a title.....they could care less if you tell the cops in all 50 states because they will sell it to someone else cheap showing them that title and meeting them next to the dumpster at McDonalds and they will be long gone when that person goes to register a stolen car.....plus they will put a fake paper tag on it for a bit for a marching car (until those finally go away in 2 years) and ride around in it for a while or they will steal one or both plates off a similar car somewhere and ride on those for a week before they sell it on to the buyer that gets ripped off.....they are going to run from the cops in it if the blue lights come on and get 2 months in county and 18 months probation even if caught so what do they care.....they will claim they were not the ones that stole if from you a friend "borrowed it" to them.....the cops will not even try to check the story

do not get greedy, do not get in a hurry, "that buyer" is not the only one out there, and "that car" is not the only one out there......lay out your plan and FOLLOW IT......make it CLEAR TO THEM how it all goes down.....if they do not like it MOVE ON and read about them on the news "jackin" or "getting jacked"

[Smeone]

...

[Smeone]

getting an error

[CabezaBlanca]

Make sure you get a signed title and a 130U form. That is what’s needed to make the title transfer at the tax office.

[CabezaBlanca]

Make sure you get a signed title and a 130U form. That is what’s needed to make the title transfer at the tax office.

[60 Deluxe]

If you are worried about cashiers checks and cash, use electronic transfer from bank to bank, not some third party like Venmo or Paypal. It will cost about $15 per transaction. At least that amount is what my bank charges when I move money or receive money.

[Tokio]

We sold one a couple years ago. Buyer showed up with cash. We went into our bank and they counted the money for me and deposited it in my account. Bank was also able to give the buyer a bill of sale as well as helping us sign over the title.

[hft47]

Find a car dealer that will do what is called an "in and out" for both cars. They do all the paper work and it is a safe place. Costs about $200 for each transaction.

[Texas Grown]

Like CabezaBlanca said, get a Form-130-U. It acts as an application for new title and a bill of sale to satisfy the tax office. It must be filled out, and signed by both the buyer and seller.

Here is a link to Form-130-U : https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/...iles/130-U.pdf

The title its self should be signed on the front by the person who's name it is in, usually on the left side under their printed name. If the title has a lien on it, it should be noted on the front, usually on the right side and mid to lower. If the lien has been released, it will be signed on the front by the lien holder. On the back is where the owner signs the title when the owner releases the title to sell the vehicle, usually towards the top box if it's an individual. There will be a place there for the buyer's name as well as other info needed.

Be sure to check the serial numbers on the title front with the serial numbers on the vehicle. The vehicle VIN plate is usually located on the dash top inside the windshield on the driver's side towards the base of the windshield corner. Go check your current vehicles now to become failure with where they are. Sometimes VIN plates are also located inside the driver's side door jamb/frame, on the door or the car frame.

[Johnny Dangerr]

I am looking for a used car...

[Johnny Dangerr]

I am looking for a used car...

[mooney_ag]

I would take a picture of their dl. Signed title. Bill of sale. Completed 130-u and a completed vehicle transfer notice (vtr-346). The vtr-346 can be done on line but immediately after sale. If they don’t register the car right away it is technically still yours. The vtr-346 is a record of transfer basically for the seller. It gives you the ability to fight parking tickets, tolls, other incidents that may arise.

even if you take the plates the vin is still yours until they register it. There are a lot of fake temp tags these days.

[Bigfootwolff]

Great information guys, thanks for the advice!

[32drawlength]

Appreciate this info