Posted on June 2, 2010.
Car sales in California - Registration, DMV Questions? OK, so I'm about to sell my car in CA. If I understand correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that the tags and permits change to the new owner.
A few questions:
A) I complete release of liability form and DMV bill of sale form, is there anything else that I must complete and submit?
2) Registration fees:
Say, for simplicity, that the fee I paid for my car earlier this year was $ 120. Now there are exactly six months this year, then I ask the buyer to the table over the balance of 60 million dollars, or do I get a refund of the DMV? How does it work exactly?
Anything else I need to know?
Thank you!
All you really need is the release of liability. The buyer usually claims the bill of sale when they register the vehicle in their name. The release of liability is all you need to submit to the DMV to let them know that you no longer own the vehicle and are not responsible for her more.
Regarding the fee, I suppose you could do that, but I've never done this and have not known anyone else to do either. Most people do not even worry about it, let alone thinking about it. I mean the person bought the vehicle from you and he has six months or left on the recording. The DMV does not give you any kind of refund as I know.
Halsca Good point! I completely forgot about the smog check (and we're a smog station lol) If the car is over 4 years, you'll need a smog check before selling, you can not legally sell it in the state. Many people will sell the vehicle and leave the smog check-up to the buyer, but if something goes wrong it is the responsibility of sellers, so always take care of yourself first.
You also need a smog certification, you can not legally sell the car without one. A smog certification is good for 90 days.
The DMV will not give you a refund on the unused records. The buyer must re-register the car anyway, here you have no luck.
