Ask to see the title. So many buyers agree on a price and hand over the money only to discover the seller doesn’t have the title. That should be the first question you ask before you test drive the car and count out the bills. If they don’t have the title, run away! A seller does not have the right to sell a vehicle when they don’t have the title readily available.

To find the VIN, search the area in front of the steering wheel between where the dashboard and the windshield join. There should be a little plate with the number stamped on it. Another place to look is in the door frame. You will usually find the number printed on a sticker or plate attached to the jamb. Some legal forms, such as titles or registrations, will have the number printed in the box marked Vehicle Identification Number. Make sure the document you are looking at matches the car you are about to buy. Call us or text us with that number.

Once you are satisfied with the price we quote you and you are happy with the performance and looks of the new car, have them print and sign their name in the seller portion on the back. Then you complete the buyer portion and fill in the date. Make out two bills of sale and insist that both parties sign and date them. Include the time as well. Why? That’s when your insurance becomes effective. With a signed title and bill of sale in hand, call us, and we will activate the coverage before you leave the scene of the purchase if you are buying insurance for the first time. If you already have a policy, you can drive away confident that you are automatically covered until you get home. We don’t recommend this last one, but you do have that automatic coverage. If I were you, I’d still call or text us to put the car on the policy before you get behind the wheel. Then the company app on your phone will show proof you have coverage if you get in an accident or are pulled over by the cops on your way home.