I found an amazing car online that I simply had to own. I did not have the time to go and purchase the car in person because it was in a different state, and I did not want to take time off of work to go and get it. I was able to buy it online and take care of every aspect of the experience online. The following guide walks you through the things I did to make the car buying process as easy as it could be.
I Applied for a Car Loan Online
The first thing I did was apply for a car loan. I could not afford to pay cash for the car, so I had to apply for the loan. I was able to get a great interest rate for the loan and did not have to put any money down for approval.
I Went to the Sister Dealership
I went to a local dealership that worked with the dealership that had my car for sale. The local dealership was able to handle the paperwork for me so that I could pay for the car and then make arrangements to have it shipped to that dealership directly. This ensured that the car arrived as quickly as possible, and I did not have to pay transportation costs for the car because the dealerships would ship to one another free of charge.
I Traded My Old Car In
To save money on the overall cost of the car, I decided to trade my car into the local dealer. The dealer had to inspect my car from top to bottom and then tell me the amount that they were willing to pay for the vehicle. I did not have to agree to accept the amount that they were offering, but I had no use for the vehicle once I bought the new one, so I accepted it.
I Inspected the Car When It Arrived
Once the car arrived, I took the time to look it over thoroughly. I had the local dealership take the car to their shop and thoroughly inspect it before I took it off of the lot. I made sure that the car was up to par by having a friend that was a mechanic come and look at it as well. Once I felt confident that I was purchasing a quality vehicle, I went through with the purchase.
I Purchased Insurance for the Car Online
Once I knew the information for the car, such as the year, make, model, and VIN, I was able to sign up for insurance online. Since the car was financed, I had to opt for full-coverage for the car. This is to make sure that if the car is damaged, it will more than likely be repaired by the insurance company. Finance companies usually require this because if someone gets into an accident and the car isn't worth anything, it might not get repaired by the insurance company. This would make it very difficult for them to get their money back.
I Have the Car Registered in My Name Online
My insurance company was able to register the car in my name for me, as well. I did not want to leave the lot until everything was taken care of. I was able to have a copy of my insurance and vehicle registration sent directly to my email so that I could show it to an officer if I was pulled over on my way home. I did not want to claim that I was driving a car that belonged to me with no way to prove it.
I Had My Plates Transferred Online
I had custom plates on my car and did not want to give them up. My insurance agent was able to have the plates transferred to my new car for me. I was able to take them off of my old car and put them directly onto my new car right away. This allowed me to never have to drive around with temporary tags on my vehicle.
I Renewed my Registration Online
My insurance company helped me keep track of my registration by alerting me when it was time to renew it. I was able to go online and have the insurance company handle everything for me. The registration came to my email, and new stickers for my license plate came in the mail a few days later. It made the entire process quick and easy.
Purchasing a car was much easier than I thought it was going to be. I had the car paid off within a few years and was able to keep driving it for almost a decade. Having my insurance company help with all of the intricate details of car ownership made it much easier to ensure that I did not forget to do something along the way. I always want to follow the letter of the law to ensure that I do not accidentally do something wrong that leads to me having to pay fines or losing my license.