Buying A Car in Utah: What To Know
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If you have ever had a bad experience buying a car, it’s probably because you didn’t prepare for such a big purchase. No matter how you look at it, you are purchasing a piece of property and that takes time.
With the right amount of preparation, you can make your new car purchase an enjoyable one. For a little better experience, let’s take a look at buying a car in Utah: what to know.
Buying a car in Utah from a private owner
Every state has a slightly different procedure when it comes to how to title and register a new car purchase. But one thing that doesn’t change throughout the U.S. is the process you must follow as a private citizen purchasing from another private citizen.
You want to be truthful when purchasing from a private seller, but that doesn’t mean the seller wants to be truthful to you. This makes it extremely important that you keep your head on straight and do your due diligence before you purchase any cars from a private owner.
CarFax or AutoCheck Report: This is important. CarFax and AutoCheck reports have been around since the early 80s so there is no reason for anyone to be selling their car without one unless they are trying to hide something. A CarFax or AutoCheck report will give this type of information:
● Accidents - how many, where was the damage, when did it occur
● General Maintenance - what was done, when, and how often
● What Kind of Car - Private, Fleet, Salvage, flood/fire car, etc.
● How Many Owners
● Location of Car - the report will let you know every place it was titled in the US
● Mileage - an estimate of many miles should be on the car
● Value - an estimate of the Blue Book value of the car
OTHER CAR SHOPPING APPS ARE OUTDATED
You won’t realize how outdated other car searching apps are until you try the CoPilot car shopping app.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.
Visual Inspection: You probably think a visual inspection is what pulled you to the car in the first place, but that’s not good enough. You want to get the seller to open up the trunk so you can make sure it hasn’t been leaking for the past few years. You also want to look under the hood. You just want to look for obvious hacks like Duct Tape or Zip Ties.
Then on the inside, you want to do a smell test, it shouldn’t smell funky or fishy. Look under the seats, in all the storage compartments, inspect the interior real well, and anywhere else you know should at least be clean. There is always going to be some wear and tear, but nothing should be torn up.
Mechanical and Test Drive: There are a lot of people that will buy a car without taking it for a test drive, you should never do that. Even if you don’t currently have a driver’s license, let the owner take it around the block with you in the passenger seat.
You want to make sure the engine and transmission runs smooth, suspension feels smooth, everything works, accessories, and everything else. Any problems you have after you buy a car, they are officially your problems and could cost you big money.
You should also ask the owner when was the last time the car received a tune-up. All private owners should have a fresh tune-up on a car before they go to sell it. This includes spark plugs, air filters, an oil change, and even new tires if needed.
Paperwork for Title and Registration: To be prepared to head to the DMV with your new purchase, you need to make sure you get a couple of things from the seller. First and foremost is the title.
No matter what the excuse is for the seller to not have the title to a car, that should be your Q to walk away. You need to secure the title with the seller correctly completing the back portion of it, and you need a bill of sale which should include:
● Your name and address
● Seller’s name, address, and signature
● Year, make, model, and color of the car
● Vehicle Identification Number (VIN#)
● Proof of any liens that were extinguished on the vehicle
● How much the car was purchased for
You will also have to fill out a Vehicle Application for a new Utah Title (Form TC-656). This can be found at your local DMV office or online at the DMV website. Plus you will need the current or last registration. Which you should get when you receive the title from the seller.
THE BEST USED LUXURY CARS ON THE MARKET
Buying a used or CPO luxury car is one of the smartest buys you can make - you can get a lot of car for not much money. You can pick up a three-year-old luxury car for about half of what you’d pay new. Check out this list of the best used luxury cars on the market to find the best deals.
One last thing you’ll need is an Inspection Certification for emissions and safety. This is only if it’s not updated by the previous owner.
Taxes and Fees:
● Title transfer $6
● Temporary license plate if needed $6
● Registration fee: based on vehicle and county
● Sales and use tax: based on the price of purchase
Buying a car in Utah: What to know
Buying From a Dealership
When shopping for a car at a dealership, you’ll find that you do get to avoid all the hassles of going to the DMV. All dealerships have no problem taking care of the extra paperwork for you. All you have to bring is a valid photo ID and an idea of what you are looking for. You really don’t want to go to the dealership without an idea, only because you might end up leaving with something you don’t want or need.
Once you have found that perfect vehicle for yourself, make sure anything and everything you sign and all other paperwork that is part of the transaction gets photocopied, and you get a copy for your own records.
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.
Also, before you drive away, make sure that everything you signed for is on the car or done to the car. If you negotiate a certain type of floor maps, make sure before you leave the property, you have those floor maps. And no matter what, all cars should be tuned up and detailed before you take that car home. If you don’t ask, you might not get that service, but if you ask, to make a sale, you are sure to get what you request.
Make sure you use your common sense, no matter if you go through a private owner or a dealership. Think about your budget, think about your wants, your needs, and think about if the car makes sense to your daily lifestyle. If you don’t take these thoughts into account, you might end up with a car that ruins the car buying experience in Utah for you.
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.
