Buying my first car...help please

[pandalove182]

Dear Forum members,

I have had alot of help figuring out whether or not if I should buy a new car and I have decided to purchase it the first week of february but this is the first car that ive ever bought and I dont know exactly what to do:

1. Ill be buying this car in west virginia but I live in Illinois, which state do I pay sales tax for? Where do I pay sales tax?

2. Do I need to purchase a temporary license plate to drive it home? How much would that cost?

3. I will most likely be using a currency exchange to get my registration and titling fees, but what do I need to know about that?

I'm a younger guy and im new at buying a vehicle. This car will be purchased from a private seller and from the pictures it looks good, so I just need to know what steps I need to take, saying that I do purchase this vehicle

Thanks

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by pandalove182

Dear Forum members,

I have had alot of help figuring out whether or not if I should buy a new car and I have decided to purchase it the first week of february but this is the first car that ive ever bought and I dont know exactly what to do:

1. Ill be buying this car in west virginia but I live in Illinois, which state do I pay sales tax for? Where do I pay sales tax?

2. Do I need to purchase a temporary license plate to drive it home? How much would that cost?

3. I will most likely be using a currency exchange to get my registration and titling fees, but what do I need to know about that?

I'm a younger guy and im new at buying a vehicle. This car will be purchased from a private seller and from the pictures it looks good, so I just need to know what steps I need to take, saying that I do purchase this vehicle

Thanks

I can't help out on the specifics, but your mom and dad can. I was completely clueless when I got my first car, I knew how to bargain and read about what to look for. But things like getting the tags and what not? Not a clue. So when I got my car a month ago I went through the same thing. I bought from a dealer and they got my plates for me but that won't quite work for you. I think you have to pay sales taxes where you are going to be registering the car but don't hold me to that. And by currency exchange, I assume you mean handing over a cheque (or better yet, a fat wad of bills)? If so, give the agreed amount and you are done. The seller would prefer to have a certified cheque rather than a personal one. Go to your bank, tell them how much, and they'll give (sell) you one. I don't know how much that will cost you.

Now that I haven't answered your questions, I will pose a few myself. You plan on getting it in Virginia but live in Illinois and have only seen pictures. Have you driven similar cars (model, year, trim level)? Doing so will give you a feel for what would feel right for that car when you go out to buy it. Also, do you know what the common issues are with that particular car (so you can ask if it has been fixed). Do you (or your father, brother, sister, a friend, etc) know how to check a car to see if its had body work done? Even if you do, its a good idea to bring somebody else too. An extra set of eyes never hurts.

Hope that at least clears things up as much as it confused yyou.