Car Selling Guides — Fees, Titles and State Rules

Selling your car

Timing, trade-in or private sale, and the paperwork that goes with handing over a car.

What is my car worth?Pricing guides give you a starting number. Matching real listings - same year, trim, miles and condition - gives you…
Selling a leased carSome leasing companies only take a payoff from you or their own dealers. What lenders' own pages say, how lease…
Selling before a PCS moveWhat the military pays to ship or store a car on a PCS, when selling makes more sense, and how a spouse can finish…
Selling a truckSelling a truck is mostly like selling a car. Here is what changes for work trucks, diesels, lifted trucks and high…
Trade-in vs selling your car privately: the real mathHow a trade-in offer is built, which states give a sales-tax credit for trading in and which do not, and a worked…
The best time to sell, from 70 years of dataBLS price data says late summer, not spring - and the swing is small enough to change the advice entirely.
Selling with a loan on itHow to sell a car with a lien: getting a 10-day payoff quote, who actually holds your title, how lenders release the…
Car loan calculatorThe monthly payment, interest year by year, what a budget buys, and what is still owed before you sell.
Selling without the titleNo title? Here's what legally transfers a car, which states never titled older vehicles, and what a replacement title…
Do you need a bill of sale?What a car bill of sale does and does not do, which states publish an official form or require it filed, and what to…
What protects you after the saleSome states want a notice of sale in 5 days, some want your plate back, and some want nothing. What actually cuts you…
Taxes when you sellLosses are not deductible, the sales tax is the buyer’s, and five states charge none - the sourced answer.
Title transfer fee calculatorPick a state and see what the transfer costs, split into what the seller pays and what the buyer pays.
When the title is another state’sYou sign the title you hold — but its home state still sets the rules for signing it. The notary trap especially.
Detailing before you sellThe used-car trade grades condition in public documents. They name offensive odor as a defect four times and never…

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State-by-state rules

Titles, plates, notaries, inspections and registration fees: the rules, state by state.

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Damaged, broken or junk cars

When something is wrong with the car: fix it or sell it, branded titles, and what a junk car is worth.

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VIN, history and inspections

VIN and plate lookups, recalls, history reports, and what to check on a used car.

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Car trouble and repairs

What a noise, a no-start or a worn part usually means, and what the fix involves.

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Maintenance and fuel

Oil, fluids, tires, wipers and fuel: what to check and when.

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Electric cars

Batteries, range, charging costs, incentives and sales.

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Costs, prices and market data

What a car costs to own, how values fall, warranties, and long-run price and fleet data.

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Crashes, theft and fraud

Figures on crashes, risky driving, car theft and odometer fraud.

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Guides

Selling your car

State-by-state rules

Damaged, broken or junk cars

VIN, history and inspections

Car trouble and repairs

Maintenance and fuel

Electric cars

Costs, prices and market data

Crashes, theft and fraud

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