Cheap Vehicle Insurance, What You Need To Know When Buying a Vehicle
Before buying a vehicle, it is important to know your rights and responsibilities. There are various agencies that can provide you with information regarding the vehicle purchase process; however, there are things you can do to protect yourself before signing a contract.
1) Be aware that there is no “cooling off” period on vehicles purchased from a dealer unless you obtain a contract cancellation option, which is available when buying specified used cars from a licensed California dealer.
2) Know the value of the vehicle you wish to buy. Check the value with a vehicle pricing guide, newspaper ads, Internet, or by comparison shopping.
3) All California dealers must have a National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) report to show you. For a private sale, you may obtain a NMVTIS report at www.vehiclehistory.gov for a nominal fee.
4) Read and understand your purchase contract. Do not sign anything you do not understand.
5) Read and understand the manufacturer’s warranty and any additional warranties (service contracts) offered by a dealer.
6) You may want to compare interest rates to make sure you are getting the best rate possible.
7) Understand DMV fees that are being charged to you. Note: Fees are subject to change, for the most current information visit our website at www.dmv.ca.gov.
8) Understand that on vehicle documents an “or” between co-owners’ names indicates one owner can sell the vehicle without the other’s signature. When a slash (“/”) indicating “and,” appears between the owners’ names, the signature of each owner is required.
9) Understand the restrictions when buying an out-of-state vehicle.