Buying A Car In Minnesota: What To Know
Photo by Tom Conway on Unsplash
Buying a new or used car in Minnesota can be an exciting time for someone. Only one problem, when it comes to registering and titling your new car it can either be a task or a nightmare. To help you avoid it becoming a nightmare, let’s look at buying a car in Minnesota: what to know.
There are mostly two different major ways you will be buying your next new car, you will either go to a dealership and purchase one there or you might find one you like from a private owner. Whichever way you decide to go, the car still has to be insured, registered, and titled.
Buying a car in Minnesota from a private owner
Buying a used car from a private owner does add some risk to the car buying experience. We’ve all heard of the dishonest used car salesman, that’s really just an 80s thing and has mostly become a myth. But the dishonest private seller can be very much real.
CarFax or AutoCheck Reports: These reports have been around since the early 80s. They can be obtained for almost any car via. Internet by the public for a small fee. It’s really the owner’s responsibility to have one available for you. These reports can help put your mind at ease when you’re looking at a vehicle wondering what it has been through.
Some cars can look brand new, but in reality are junk on wheels. Here is what a CarFax or AutoCheck report will show you with the correct VIN# for a car:
● How many owners it’s had in the past
● Estimated value of the car
● Estimated mileage
● General maintenance schedule
● Was the car owned privately, a fleet vehicle, salvage vehicle, etc.
● Accident report, if any
● Where the car was bought and areas where it was titled
● And much more
Visual Inspection: You don’t have to be an auto expert to do a visual inspection. A quick walk around the car will tell you little, but looking under the car for any dark puddles will tell you a lot.
Anything green or dark brown usually indicates a major problem that may not need to be addressed right away, but down the road, you will end up spending a lot of money for repairs.
You also want to inspect the inside. Do a sniff test, the interior should not smell funky or rotten. If anything, it should smell like air freshener or nothing at all.
Check the storage spaces, underneath the seats, under the floor mats, the trunk or rear storage space, and all other places that might hold some hidden secrets. Don’t expect these places to be super clean, you’re just looking for any anomalies that might indicate the car is hiding problems.
OTHER CAR SHOPPING APPS ARE OUTDATED
You won’t realize how outdated other car searching apps are until you try the CoPilot car shopping app. CoPilot does the hard work for you by searching all of the listings in your area and intelligently creating a personalized list of the best buys in the area that match what you’re looking for.
Mechanical and Test Drive: A test drive of any car you are going to potentially buy in Minnesota is extremely important. The two most important things about buying a car are: Is it mechanically sound and does it fit you and your lifestyle?
As long as you’re a licensed driver, there should be no reason why a seller won’t at least let you take the car you’re interested in around the block for a quick test drive.
You want to make sure that when you hit the gas, the car accelerates properly with no funny noises and vibrations. You also want to make sure when you hit the brakes, the brake pedal feels right and you stop smoothly with no funny noises or vibrations.
The next thing you’re looking for is handling and steering. You don’t want to hear any clunking noises when you hit a turn, the steering wheel shouldn’t be too sloppy, and the suspension should feel the way you want it to feel. All suspensions ride differently and they can be changed, just make sure nothing feels or sounds broken or out of whack.
Paperwork for Title and Registration: You like a car and have decided you want to make a purchase, now you have some more work to do. First you need the seller to fill out the back of the title in all the required sections, and that gets handed over to you upon purchase.
A lien release if there is a lien on the title is needed, and although it’s not mandatory in the state of Minnesota, a bill of sale is nice to have.
There is a grace period for you to drive your newly purchased car straight home before you go to the Minnesota DVS. But before you go to DVS, you need some paperwork put in place to make your trip an easy one.
● Proof of Insurance
● A filled out vehicle title
● Completed Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle form (PS2000)
● Any lease agreement and lienholder documentation
● Titling and Registration fees (will vary)
● Purchase price sales tax 6.5%
THE BEST USED MINIVANS ON THE MARKET
When it comes to hauling a lot of people and cargo, the minivan is hard to beat. We’ve factored in reliability, affordability, and functionality to create this curated list of the 8 best used minivans on the market today.
Buying a car from the dealership
Buying a Car in Minnesota: What to Know
If you want to skip the trip to the DVS and the possibility of getting screwed by a private owner than a dealership visit is the best bet for you. The dealership will have plenty of brand new and new/used cars to choose from, all of which will be in excellent running condition.
Usually the only paperwork you need is your photo ID and possibly a second proof of identification. After that, the sales staff takes care of everything else. When you decide on a car you like, make sure before you sign anything that you and your salesperson have worked out all the details to your liking. And don’t be sacred to ask, a salesperson will bend over backwards for you to make a sale.
When it’s time to sign the paperwork, make sure that all of the agreed upon terms and conditions are included. And make sure to get a copy of every piece of paperwork that pertains to the deal for your own records.
You can also benefit by going to a dealership over a private owner by knowing you have a safe place to go when you have something wrong with your vehicle. Between the warranties and a possible return and trade policy, you will have your backside covered when you purchase a vehicle from a dealership.
When buying a car in Minnesota it’s like buying a car anywhere else. Use your common sense, try not to go over budget, and find a car that fits your lifestyle best.
THE BEST USED SUVS UNDER $10,000
We looked into price, reliability, features, and more to create this list of the best used SUVs under $10k on the market today. Take a look - some of the best used SUVs have gone mostly overlooked or forgotten.
Get a curated list of the best used cars near you
The CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a car. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll search the inventories of every dealership in your area to make you a personalized list of the best car listings in your area.
Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars five years or newer with low mileage — CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.
The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices — just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.
