Buying a truck need some advice.

[mclemore102]

I have found a 01 ford lightning that i want to buy. But he still owes money on it so i assume his bank has the title. He said i could fly up there and then drive it back but i don't think i can get off work long enough to do that. Has anyone bought a car from out of state? How did you get it here? I really need some advice on the best way of going about doing this transaction.

[FordNut]

I have found a 01 ford lightning that i want to buy. But he still owes money on it so i assume his bank has the title. He said i could fly up there and then drive it back but i don't think i can get off work long enough to do that. Has anyone bought a car from out of state? How did you get it here? I really need some advice on the best way of going about doing this transaction.
I've done it a couple of times, once I went in a trade-in and left in the new vehicle, another time I drove a rental and returned in the new vehicle.

[wchain]

Find a mm.net local member to go check it out. A lot of times tehre are companies that will go and do an inspection for you. How many miles are on it? Lightnings, like marauders, tend to get driven by people that like to 'get on it', so make sure its been well cared for before you take taht plunge!

[mclemore102]

It has 65k miles on it. it's a red 01 and he wants $15k for it. I guess i might as well try to get off work and fly up there. That way i can get a long drive back in it.

[rdvldog1]

I actually bought my MM long distance. I flew to the closest big city and rented a car to the dealer. Then I just settled into my new baby for the 2000 mile drive back to California. It was a blast, and I did it all in one weekend. I left California on a Friday afternoon. Arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas at 1030pm Friday night. Rented a car from Avis and drove to the Oklahoma/Arkansas border to stay the night in the little town I bought the car. I woke up early on Saturday and made it to the dealer around 1000 am. Left Arkansas about noon, on Saturday, and arrived in Southern California at 8 on Sunday. Overall, it was tiring, but well worth the effort. Good Luck.

[DeepSea117]

I have found a 01 ford lightning that i want to buy. But he still owes money on it so i assume his bank has the title. He said i could fly up there and then drive it back but i don't think i can get off work long enough to do that. Has anyone bought a car from out of state? How did you get it here? I really need some advice on the best way of going about doing this transaction. There's a 10-day payoff amount he has to get from his financial institution responsible for the loan. It's better if he gives you the number to contact them, so you can get the info directly. You should explain you want to pay off the lien on the car, for Mr. So and So.

I did an out-of-state purchase and paid via a cashier's check. You have to figure out the state's policies for transferring a title. More likely, he'll want you to pay off his lien, and whatever amount he wants on top of that. I'd secure it with a money order for $500 bucks, and don't sign it. Upon inspecting the car in person and it meeting your approval, you should have your financial institution agree to cut a cashier's check in your name to the seller's financial institution, not to the seller. Who knows what the seller may do with the money.

Once that clears, and it may take a couple of days, then you can sign the money order over to the seller, and pay the rest of the funds. I'd use a cashier's check for this as well--always create a paper trail.

On top of this, I'd look into getting a contract written up, as well as a receipt, which he acknowledges the sale. I also took photocopies of their ID's with mine, to verify that we were all present. You can have this notarized at the bank when they issue you a cashier's check. All this is done to make sure you don't get the short-end of the stick. Take your time and even ask someone at your bank how to go about this, because rushing and not getting forms signed or missing some documents can hold you back.

Make sure you check on your state's DMV to verify the requirements for registering an out-of-state car. Let me know if you have any questions if you go through with the purchase, as the things to do I listed were for a best-case scenario. I didn't quite get the best-case scenario for this transaction. Remember, this is $15 G's of your hard-earned money, and you wanna make sure you CYA.

[DeepSea117]

Oh yeah, I transported my car...do NOT go through American Auto Transport. Take pictures of the vehicle and document all damage before AND after, if you decide to ship it back. Me, I'd rather drive it, if it were close enough. I bought mine in Minnesota, and took a real big leap-of-faith (the guy didn't have any idea how to take pictures and upload them onto the internet.) I bought a one-way ticket, and waited it out.

Also, some states will still give the title to the owner, even though the owner still owes money on it.

[hitchhiker]

I have used DAS Dependable Auto Shippers a couple of times with good results.

Good luck on your purchase.

:D

[PJR]

I'll second checking with the MVD. Depending on your state you will have to pay excise tax when you register/title. Every state has a different percentage. I drove to Colorado and purchased my Marauder from a dealer. I waived paying the Colorado tax on the purchase, and paid the tax in New Mexico, it was cheaper.

[mclemore102]

Well i don't know if the deal is going to go through or not. He wants me to come get the truck and go ahead and pay him for it but he will have to send the check to the loan company which is out of state and then send it to me. Which the whole process will take a couple of days. I really don't like the idea of driving the truck home with no title or nothing stating it was mine.

[DeepSea117]

Well i don't know if the deal is going to go through or not. He wants me to come get the truck and go ahead and pay him for it but he will have to send the check to the loan company which is out of state and then send it to me. Which the whole process will take a couple of days. I really don't like the idea of driving the truck home with no title or nothing stating it was mine. Does he have the title? If he does, it can be signed over to you, preferrably at the DMV.

His loan company should accept payment from you, but if not, you write him a cashier's check for the pay-off, and another cashier's check for what he wants on top of that. You should get the title, and have it signed-over to you by him, as well as a set of keys. A receipt acknowledging the sale should be signed by you and him, and you should have copies of all other documents made.

Get through the transfer process at the DMV, so a DMV official can be present at the transaction/signing off. Whatever happens, the title is now in your name, you already have the keys, and he gets his lien paid off. When you call and the place who financed the loan tells you it's paid off, you can give him the second cashier's check for what he wants on top of the lien, and sign the money order over to him as well, then you take the truck and the rest of the keys. It may take a few days for the checks to process.

Private party transfers can be a pain, but you can save so much more. Keep working at it, if you want it.