I was just wondering if anyone has ever bought a car from out of state. Im thinking about buying a TL in Florida (I live in Texas). I was wondering if you should haggle the transport costs into the cost of the car or do it seperately?

I was also wondering how the paper work and inspection of the car was done long distance?

thanks

 

It may be cheaper to just drive it back to TX. One thing to look into is taxes. Will you have to pay Florida taxes (registration) and then Texas taxes the following year? How about sales taxes too?

 

Probably cheaper to fly out and drive back. I bought my TL in Tampa and drove back. Air fare was $68! You will not have to pay FL taxes (at least I don't think so, if you don't buy it on site). You also run the risk of damage by the trucking company.

 

you can have the car inspected by SGS automotive or Carchex for about $100. It's well worth it.

 

What part of Florida is the car from? THat can make a BIG differance in the overall condition.
Roads made of potholes, and salt air- blowing sand-

its about $750+++ to have it shipped that distance, with the possible damages related as noted above---rising fuel cost may skyrocket that price.
Do the math on driving it yourself or having a friend do it,
airfare+ gas at $5 a gallon- the miles-/ 25 & 30- mpg ==

The price of the car is the price of the car. You dont haggle shipping into a deal- what do they care where you live.
Is this an acura dealer or a licensed used car place? Private party?
Its difficult to negotiate on a car you are not standing in front of to say- well the lower edge has a scratch in the paint-
Look up your state DMV motor vehicles website for rules on inspection and license fee for out of state vehicles.
You should only have to pay sales tax in one state. As long as the registration is current, you will be able to drive it back, just call your insurance co, tell them the VIN and its on your policy as of then.

Unless its an extremely hard to find color combo-trans- etc,
buying from a distance is tricky at best. Trusting someone else to check it out- are they acura specialist? do they know which recalls on ps and TSBs on the trans are current, has everything been complied with?

The best deals are often found by driving down the street in your own town.

 

What part of Florida is a biggie. Like Texas we are a very looooonnnnnnggggg state. Much closer to you is the Panhandle vice, say Miami.

 

YEs, I have bought several cars from out of state, from a couple different states. You will not have to pay any taxes in the other state, if you don't register the car there. Your taxes are due to the DMV office in your home state when you register the car. Most every dealer I've talked to actually pointed out that it is illegal for a dealer to collect sales tax on a car being registered in another state, because it violates federal inter-state commerce laws.

I have not haggled shipping costs, but everytime I have done this, we agreed on the shipping price before we even talked about the car. I have seen others independently contract out the shipping ahead of time, so that the dealer doesn't even get involved, as the shipper works for you, not them.

In either case, when they deliver the car to you, you DO NOT have a right to refuse delivery, as any issues you may have with the car, will be between you and the shipper, not the dealer, as usually the dealer outsources the shipping, so they are not in "posession" of the car, the shipping company is.

Although in my experience, the dealers will work with you, as I asked them ahead of time, and they said if there are any issues, that the shipper's insurance will take care of it, but that the dealer will step in if necessary. When my cars were delivered, the shipper always did a thorough walk-around with me.

For the record, I've not had any issues.

 

ok, thanks guys for your responses. They have enlightened me greatly.

Here is some more information on the car I'm looking at.

Its a 2005 Silver Acura TL with Nav and Ebony Interior. The color combination I like the best.
Its got 13,xxx mi and is certfied (its an Acura dealer, Phil Smith Acura) Im working through. They are currently asking $25k.

I've been looking for TL's for almost half a year here in Texas and we dont have any deals close to that. The car is also located in Pompano Beach, FL.

But as one of the previous posters said, the thing Im worried most about it the condition. As its really hard to deal without seeing the car in person.

Do you guys think its worth it?

 

25k is a little high on the price. I'm sure you could get it down to 23-24 easily.

Good info on carchex!

 

NADA has the book value for retail at $26,625

But I think on this car 25k out the door or drive out would be a good deal.

Other than that what do you guys think it would take to make it worth deal with another car in another state.

 

What part of texas are you in? Cuz one of the cars I bought was from a dealer in Dallas, Texas, which I found had some of the best prices around. (Granted this was 3 years ago)

 

I actually live in Dallas, I'm open to hear what dealer you are talking about.

Thanks

 

not true. I'm from Massachusetts and i bought my car from OHIO. Apparently these two states are part of a small group where the taxes are somehow recouped thru some backdoor process. I had to pay sales tax in Ohio, which fortunately for me was the same as MA. Had it been 3%, i would have had to pay the remaining 2% (MA sales tax is 5%) in MA. After paying the tax in Ohio, i was given documentation to that effect. When i went to my insurance co., they gave me a "Tax Expemt" for to show that i had already payed the 5% to Ohio and that i did not have to pay again in MA. The lady at the registry had NO IDEA how to conduct this type of transaction. She tried to tell me that i had to pay AGAIN in MA and then try to get the Ohio tax back from the dealer. Yeah right, i'd have a better chance at a threesome with Rita G and Stacy Dash!...sooo anyways, i had to put my foot down and explain to this woman that i WAS NOT leaving without plates, so call "whoever you gotta call to make that shit happen"...by that time i had the attention of the entire registry...
After about five phone calls and various people stickin their nose in it, i walked with my plates....and only paid the tax once to Ohio, leaving MA to get it back however they do that

I also paid for the shipping (Ohio to MA) $500 insured. This was last October. I thought about driving it back, but at the time i thought it was too close to being outta warranty and i wanted to extend it. I didn't know that it had been extended from 50,000 to 52,500. So i got it shipped with no problems and now i am a happy 3G SSM 6MT W/ Navi owner...

 

thank you avs and JAH for providing real life, factual information!!!
While the rest of us can offer inspectors or shippers or info based on buddies experience,
the BEST info comes from personal experience.
Thank you for the excellent input~

 

Did you pay cash, or did you finance the car?

Every state I've been to, (tho admittedly, I've never been to Ohio, except for the airport), I was able to get state exemption forms, to get a refund of all the sales-tax that I paid, since Oregon does not have a Sales Tax.

This is similar to why when you buy something online from a store in one state, they don't charge you sales-tax if you live in another state. Because it violates interstate commerce laws to do so. (That's how they explained it to me). They are only required to charge you sales tax if they have a presence in the state you live in, in which case they must charge you the sales tax rate of the state in which you live.

Similarly, when you go to Canada, you get get exemption forms at the border crossing when you return to the US, to get a refund on the VAT tax paid in Canada. (Up to a certain amount, IIRC).

I've done all of the above several times. There have been times when I was in another state, at the mall or store, or whatever. They had no idea what I was talking about when I inquired about getting a refund or not getting charged sales tax. They even told me that what I said was not possible. Sure enough, I acquired the exemption forms, and got a refund on the sales tax I paid.

Note: The above only applies to items not consumed in the state purchased.

I've only had to do what you described in terms of state income tax. By chance does Ohio classify cars as property? Because I know around here, cars used to be considered property, and thus you used to have to pay property tax on them, in which case, inter-state commerce laws go out the window.

 

Note: (Since I can't edit the last post)

Did you actually go to the other dealer in person? Cuz when I did all my transactions, we did everything by FedEx and Fax/Email, so I was never physically at the other dealer. That may have something to do with my experience (I'm thinking), cuz than the whole transaction is very similar to when you buy things mail-order. I also bought all those cars new, so maybe that had something to do with it as well.

When I bought things in other states in Person, I had to get the exemption forms from the state tax office.

 

I live where 3 states come together, so buying out-of-state is common. When I bought mine in Ohio the Ohio dealer put an Ohio temporary plate on it, and I drove in Indiana and Kentucky with that until I got Indiana plates. I didn't have to pay sales tax in Ohio, but I had to pay a "use tax" in Indiana equal to the Indiana sales tax.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a used car sight unseen unless I didn't care what might be wrong with it. I would set up the deal beforehand and fly in to close the deal after I had driven the car and looked it over. If it's certified you can probably skip the independent inspection. You're also missing a great experience, driving your new TL from South Florida all the way back to Texas.

 

How long did the deal take mailing back and forth all the transactions?

Shftl: You are right. Best case scenario for me I think would be to set up the deal beforehand and fly out there and inspect the car and drive it back. But I'm just worried is something falls through, I'm stuck in Florida or stuck paying for a really expensive ticket back to Texas.

 

I financed it. I had the check and all paperwork ready provided i still liked the car after my inspection. i originally saw it online, but i KNEW that if i didnt see it before i took delivery, i'd be stuck like chuck. It only made sense for me to fly out and check out the car. If i didn't like it, no love lost...just money on airfare. NO WAY i'd buy it based on internet pics and the dealer "fluffing up" the amenities of the car. i already KNEW i wanted a TL 6MT/ Navi. it was just a matter of whether ot not i wanted HIS. It's clear that you have had WAY MORE experience buying products outside of your home state. There may have been avenues that i could have pursued to keep from paying the ohio state tax. but he (the dealer) made it clear to me that he was bound by some laws or rules to collect from me. I'm not sure if that would have been the case if i brought my own plates or used temp Ohio ones. but since i knew that i WAS NOT driving back i didn't take the time to find out.

 

Does anyone know of any reputable shipping companies that offer some decent prices?

 

Well guys,

I just got done talking to the dealer. They claimed that the car is in immaculate condition (owned by an older lady). The car is certified and 13,xxx miles.

They said they can guarantee the condition of the car and the shipping cost of the car would be $800. They said they can start at $22,900. Im thinking $23,500 shipped to my door would be a good price.

What are your thoughts?

 

just curious if you ever bought this car?

I am thinking of buying one from Jim Smith Acura also?

 

That doesn't sound too bad...We buy cars from Dallas a lot. Tx is quite a bit cheaper than OK...and only a 3 hr trip to save a couple grand. Personally I wouldn't buy a vehicle without looking at it, kicking the tires, playing with everything, moving the panels in the trunk, looking at all the little crevices, thoroughly checking everything out...but that's just me...Good luck, sounds like a pretty good deal. I bought my 05 SSM/Black Navi, 6spd in Richardson a couple months ago for $22,9 and it had 45K mls...

 

I'm in Georgia,and I bought my TL from a Porsche dealership in Dallas. It was on both E-bay and Autotrader. I took the risk because they have 100% positive feedback, and are a high end dealership. All paperwork was handled via fedex, and was quire simple. I had the car shipped for $525.