How to Sell a Car in California

Woman handing over car keys
If you’re a San Diego driver wondering about how to sell a car privately in California, you should know that the State of California legally requires you to take a few additional steps. Learn about how to sell a car in California the legal way, and then, about how Hello Mazda of San Diego can make a very complex, time-consuming process quite simple. When you’re done reading, contact our associates to take the next step! And if you’d like to trade in your car, apply for financing and explore our inventory!

 

How to Sell a Car Privately in California

California has a few additional requirements for private car sellers than many other states. If you’re wondering about how to sell a car privately in California, you’ll need to complete the following steps:

Complete DMV Transfer Forms

The first step of how to sell a car in California is for the seller to complete a Release of Liability and Notice of Transfer form. You can obtain these forms from your local DMV or simply fill them out online. The Notice of Transfer form indicates that you’re transferring the title of your car to a buyer, and the Release of Liability form relinquishes you from any responsibility for future traffic violations or lawsuits associated with the car. You have up to 5 days after the sale to submit these to the DMV. You’ll also need to fill out a Title Transfer form, once the sale is complete, and you’ve removed your license plate.

Get a Smog Certification

For the next step of how to sell a car privately in California, National City drivers will need to visit a smog testing site. Bear in mind that your smog certificate is only valid for 90 days, so be sure that you have your vehicle certified within a few weeks of the sale.

Get an Odometer Reading

You’ll also need to get an odometer reading, so you can have a third party officially verify that you haven’t tampered with the odometer and that the mileage is reflected is as advertised. In fact, the California DMV requires Escondido drivers to have their odometers read on the day of sale.

General Requirements Unrelated to California Law

  • Gather any documents related to valid warranties
  • Gather service history
  • Take extensive photos of the vehicle
  • Advertise the vehicle on forums and automotive trading networks
  • Find a buyer.

Why Sell Your Vehicle to Hello Mazda of San Diego?

When you sell your vehicle to Hello Mazda of San Diego, we can streamline the vast majority of these steps. You won’t have to think much about California law, as most, if not all of these steps, can be taken care of at our dealership. And when you consider the time and resources you’ll put into finding a buyer and facilitating a sale, it’s quite likely that you’ll yourself some money by selling your car to us. After all, we provide market value for your vehicle! Just call our associates at 619-344-0015 to begin the process! And if you’re interested in trading your car in, be sure to value your trade with our trade-in value calculator! Don’t forget to check out our car-buying tips for other helpful reads while you’re here!

 

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