Selling a car privately

[LoraJ]

I am thinking of selling my car privately rather than trading in. I have been looking up how-to guides, but cannot determine whether the person gets charged sales tax or not and how to deal with that.

The DMv mentions something about if you do not charge sales tax, you have to put on your tax return that it was a gift?

Also, if I want to keep my old plates, do I tell the dealer of my new car?

 

[sbell111]

I think that your DMV is not giving out the correct information.

In my state, the buyer pays the sales tax when he registers for a certificate of title.

 

[sbell111]

Please see this link. The buyer will pay the sales tax when they register the car.

 

[Hercules10]

IF they register the car the buyer pays the tax.

It's good you're selling yourself. Get much more then a trade-in deal.

Make sure you document the sale. Get a bill of sale and have the new buyer sign it along with an odometer statement or whatever else is needed in your state. Get everything notorized. Sounds like a hassle but it's not. You'll appreciate the documentation when you get a notice about parking violations on it 2 years after you've sold the vehicle.