How To Buy A Used Car In Maryland
Photo by Seth Hoffman on Unsplash
If you don’t know the process on how to buy a used car in Maryland, that’s okay - it’s pretty easy. If you have already bought a car in a different state, then this process will be even easier because it won’t be much different.
Deciding What Kind of Car You Want
Unless you’re rich and money isn’t a thing, impulse buying is not something you want to do when buying a car. You want to crunch some numbers and decide how much money you can realistically afford on a car. When crunching those numbers, don’t forget to add in insurance prices, gas prices, and maintenance prices as well.
You also want to factor in your location. If you’re looking for a daily driver and you live in Maryland with a big family, a Corvette might not be your best choice in cars.
If you live in a big city and parking stinks, you might not want a heavy-duty truck with monster wheels on it. You have to be real with yourself, or might end up with a car you thought you’d love, but you actually end up hating.
GET THE SAME INSIDER INFO THAT DEALERSHIPS USE
The CoPilot app is the smartest way to buy a car. Built using the same technology as dealerships use, we’ll show you everything you want to know about each listing - like how long it’s been on the lot, or if there are similar vehicles at a better price nearby.
Do You Need Finical Help? Will a Dealership Be Your Best Choice?
If you’re like most people, you will probably need or want financial help. That pretty much makes a dealership the best place to shop for a car. Dealerships will work with you even if you have some credit flaws on your record. They have lenders they work with every day to help out people with good credit, bad credit, or no credit at all.
Salespeople work every day to sell cars, so it’s in their best interest to work with you as much as possible. You just want to make sure if you do go for a loan that the interest rates are reasonable no matter what your credit score.
Letting the Dealership Do All the Work
When you decide to shop at a dealership, your job on how to buy a used car in Maryland has just gotten a lot easier. For the most part, the job of dealing with the MVA/DMV, finical institution/lenders, warranties, and everything else dealing with the transfer of ownership should solely rest on the salesperson or dealership itself.
Your job is to find the vehicle you like. One that fits you perfectly, and all terms and conditions fit your budget. Just like any salesman selling anything, they are going to have an agenda, but your job is to not get sucked into what they’re selling. And that’s why you need to have a pretty strong baseline idea of what you want and need just as much as you need that baseline for what you don’t want and need.
When you have found that perfect car and signing time comes, here are some things you need to remember. Never sign anything until you know the vehicle you’re signing for is exactly what you want, and all the terms are correct according to what you and the salesperson have discussed.
Once you are happy with all the terms and conditions, every piece of document you read and signed must be copied and handed to you so you have everything for your own records.
Every vehicle will have some type of temporary insurance on it so you can get your car home but that’s it. You must put your own insurance on your car before you take it anywhere else. If you already have something set up, you can do that right at the dealership, but never drive your car without your own insurance unless it’s from the dealership and straight home.
IS GAP INSURANCE WORTH IT?
Gap insurance can prevent you from making payments on an already-totalled car, but is gap insurance worth it? We break down what gap insurance is, if it’s worth it, and more - simply and with plenty of examples.
Buying From a Private Owner
How to buy a used car in Maryland from a private owner? This is where it can get a little tricky. First, you can’t just trust the owner on everything they say. Make sure the owner has the title to the vehicle and the VIN numbers match. Next, you want to look at the vehicle report. These can easily be brought up and printed out on the internet through the DMV website, CarFax website, or AutoCheck website. Although there are other sources, I wouldn’t trust them.
Always test drive a vehicle before buying. Make sure it rides the way you think it should, has the power you believe it should have, and make sure the brakes fill correctly. You don’t have to take a car to its limits, but make sure it handles regular driving duties and a little more without any problems. If the owner disagrees with a test drive or won’t let you give it a good look around, you need to just walk away. A buyer should be open to all requests.
All vehicles being registered in Maryland must have a vehicle inspection done by a professional. Now between the buyer and the seller, someone most likely will have to pay to have that done, so one way or another, you’ll have to figure something out between both parties. The law does not state what party has to have it done, but without a vehicle inspection, you will not be able to get the vehicle registered.
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.
Paperwork You Need Before You Register Your Car
If you test drove the car, seen a vehicle report, visually decided it has no problems you can’t handle, then it’s time to start the buying process.
First, both the seller and the buyer will have to fill out the designated areas on the back of the title with the correct information. All areas are pretty straightforward.
A notarized bill of sale (form VR-181) will have to be filled out if the purchase price is not on the title or the vehicle was bought for more than $500 less than the value listed in the National Publication of Used Car Values.
Next, you will want to find out if the owner has a lean on the vehicle. This means the owner was helped out by a financial institution by loan, lease, or something of that sort. If so, a Notice of Security Interest Filing (form VR-217) will have to be filled out and presented when the registration is being taken care of at the MVA/DMV. This form just states that the lender agrees that all finical obligations have been taken care of properly.
The last things you will need before you are able to register your new car are proof of insurance and the most updated vehicle inspection papers from a professional automotive technician or institute.
Don’t Drive Your New Car Until Everything is Complete
If you didn’t know how to buy a car in Maryland, this process probably seems like a lot. But if you make sure everything is done properly, it’s really not that hard. Just don’t get too impatient and drive your vehicle without registering the vehicle first or having insurance on it. Either problem or both will give you more problems than you need.
Once you’re ready to start shopping, 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.
