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How to Buy a Car Out of State and Have it Shipped to You

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   How to Buy a Car Out of State and Have it Shipped to You

Shopping for a car has changed dramatically in recent years. Long gone are the days of spending your entire weekend going from one car lot to another looking for the right car. These days you have the ability to shop online right from the comfort of your home. With thousands of vehicles available all across the country, you can search for the exact car you want. Online car shopping allows you to save time and eliminate the stress of haggling with a dealer. If you are interested in purchasing a car in another state, here are a few things you should do to ensure you get the right vehicle safely delivered to you.

Get a Vehicle History Report
If you are buying a car that you haven’t seen, the first step should be to order a vehicle history report. This will tell you when and where the vehicle was purchased and if it has ever been in an accident. It will also inform you of any cosmetic or mechanical damage. You also want to make sure the vehicle has no existing liens listed on the report.

Get a Pre Purchase Inspection for Used Vehicles
Before you purchase a vehicle from another state is it important to have it inspected. You can arrange to have your vehicle inspected by a local mechanic. Even if the dealership claims that it is a certified pre owned vehicle that has been fully inspected, it’s important for you to conduct your own inspection. This will protect you against buying a vehicle that is unreliable or in need of repairs.

Pay the Taxes
Even if you are purchasing a vehicle from a state with no sales tax, you are required to pay taxes in the jurisdiction where you will be driving the car. If you purchase a vehicle from a dealer, this process should be fairly simple, as the dealership should be able to collect any necessary taxes on behalf of the state where you live.

Have Your Vehicle Shipped to You
Since your vehicle is located out of state, it can be convenient to have it shipped directly to you. This is a convenient way for you to get your vehicle without having to schedule a road trip. Some car dealerships offer their own shipping, but if not, you should start researching a reliable auto transport company and discuss your budget and individual needs with the shipping company. Then, simply arrange to have your vehicle picked up from the dealership and schedule a time to have your vehicle delivered. Upon delivery, inspect the vehicle thoroughly to check for damage.

Once your vehicle has arrived, be prepared to have your vehicle registered in your state. If you purchase a vehicle from a dealership, they should provide you with all of the necessary paperwork to have your vehicle registered. If you purchase a car from a private seller, make sure they provide you with a signed title and bill of sale so you can prove that you are the owner of the vehicle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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