Selling Tips
32 articles in this category
Gifting a car to a grandchild: title, taxes, and paperwork
Michigan and Texas name grandchildren in their family transfer rules. Wisconsin does not, yet a true $0 gift still goes through tax-free there. Here is the paperwork for each.
Can you sell a car with an open safety recall?
Federal recall law limits dealers selling new vehicles and rental companies, and its text does not reach private used-car sales. Here is how to check, fix, or disclose an open recall.
How to sell a golf cart privately
A standard golf cart usually changes hands with a bill of sale, while a street-legal low-speed vehicle has a title. Here is how to tell which one you have and what to write down.
Selling a totaled car that still has a clean title
An insurer can write a car off while the paper title still reads clean. Here is how branding, disclosure, and the bill of sale work when you sell that car.
What to do when a buyer backs out after signing a bill of sale
The paperwork is signed and the buyer has gone silent. What that signature is worth depends on whether money changed hands, and on how far the title transfer already went.
Can you sell your personal car to your own business?
Selling a car you own personally to your LLC or corporation is a real sale. Here is how to handle the bill of sale, title, price, tax, and insurance.
Can you sell a car with unpaid parking tickets or tolls?
Unpaid tickets and tolls usually follow the registered owner, so a sale is often allowed. Some states block renewals or certain transfers, and sellers must report the sale.
The best time of year to sell a boat
Used boat demand swells before the season opens and thins out once the water cools. Here is how to weigh a spring asking price against a fall sale and a winter of storage bills.
Release of liability: the step most private sellers skip
Handing over the keys does not take your name off the vehicle record. The filing that does is free, takes five minutes, and is the difference between a toll notice you ignore and one you pay.
What is curbstoning, and how to spot an unlicensed car dealer
Curbstoners sell cars for profit while posing as private individuals, which strips away the disclosures a licensed dealer owes you. Here are the tells and the checks that catch them.
Car sales tax on a private sale: Where you pay the most (and least)
Private car buyers pay tax at their own DMV, not the seller's. The rate you owe swings from zero in five states to 7.25% in California. Here is the state map.
How to handle the test drive when you sell your car privately
The test drive is the riskiest moment in a private car sale. License checks, insurance questions, route planning, safe exchange zones, and what to do if the car comes back damaged.