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What You Need To Know When Buying A Car Out-Of-State

Buying a vehicle out-of-state involves a little more work and steps than purchasing from your local dealer. While you may be able to find a better deal or a very specific vehicle that isn’t available locally, you’ll want to do extensive planning before you take the plunge.

Aston Martin | Akron, OH

One of the first things you’ll want to do, according to Car and Driver, is get a vehicle history report. This can be easily requested from the dealership or may even be readily available on the dealer’s website similar to our vehicles here at Perfect Auto Collection. The vehicle history report will help you identify any red flags that may be present with the vehicle. The report will also aid in your negotiations to make sure that you get a fair deal. The vehicle history report can tell you if there are liens on the title that will need to be satisfied before you bring it home. Otherwise, you may be legally responsible for them.

Regardless of how good the vehicle history report may look; we advise you to get a PPI or Pre-Purchase Inspection. This is the second step on our list. The PPI will identify any issues that may have not shown up in the history report. You’ll want to use a local mechanic that is independent of the dealership to ensure that you get an unbiased report. If possible, you’ll also want to make sure that the vehicle passes your state’s emissions test. Your state’s department of motor vehicles can provide information regarding the required inspections tests for your vehicle. 

Next is sales tax. The state you will pay sales tax to depends on whether you reside in a reciprocal or non-reciprocal state. For instance, if you live in Pennsylvania and purchase a vehicle from Perfect Auto Collection here in Akron, Ohio, you will pay Pennsylvania the sales tax on your vehicle. However, if you live in one of the 7 reciprocal states (Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, or South Carolina) and purchase from
us, you’ll pay sales tax to Ohio (the state you purchased in). Most of the time, you can work the sales tax into your deal vs paying it outright if you wish. Your local department of motor vehicles or your tax professional can also provide you with more information on this.

Like we mentioned on our page What To Bring When Purchasing A Vehicle, you’ll need proof of insurance. This is no different when buying a car out-of-state. Depending on your current policy, you may have a provision that covers new vehicle purchases for a certain amount of time before you officially add it to your policy. However, without this, you’ll need to add the new vehicle to your policy right away. Also mentioned on our page, New vs Pre-Owned: Which One Is Right For You?, if you finance your purchase, your lender may have specific insurance requirements for the new vehicle. You’ll want to make sure that your policy meets those requirements so that your loan can be funded. Since you’re purchasing in a different state, it’s important to review your policy and make sure that it meets your state’s insurance laws.

Want more information? Contact our team! At Perfect Auto Collection, 80% of our business is done with out-of-state customers, so we have a lot of experience and can make sure that you go through all of the proper steps. We’re always happy to help whether you buy from us or not.

What people say about us

Todd Long was extremely professional & knowledgeable about the vehicle that I was interested. He was very patient on explaining the needed details... on the Bentley Continental GT…even provided the CARFAX. He the went the extra mile to virtual show the vehicle and ensure my experience was very satisfying. He has been great on following-up to ensure everything is locked-in and total satisfaction.read more
Love the selection these guys have to offer! Todd was great help as well as everybody else I spoke with. Will be shopping here again🤩
What an amazing team to work with. We highly recommend working with TODD, so make sure to ask for him! We are out of state and this man did any and... everything we needed him to, including a very detailed overview of the car via FaceTime. Good people, good help, couldn’t ask for more!!⚡️ Thank you sir!!😉read more
Recently traded in my vehicle + purchased a vehicle! Todd was awesome to work with! The whole staff + the owner was very friendly. They gave me a... great price for my trade in + made our deal happen fast and efficient. Can't wait to buy another car from Perfect Auto Collection!read more
I was shopping for Mercedes s65 amg dealing with Todd Long he was an amazing sales person and definitely went way out of his way to help me out... doing everything virtual so I’d never have to leave the house giving me the 360 view of the vehicle on FaceTime(which was awesome, also answered every one of my 1000 question’s) and appraisal for my car the whole 9. Unfortunately I end up buying the Mercedes from a different lot due to the amount of owners on the one they had available but if they had the vehicle that I bought at their lot Todd is the man to go to!!!! definitely highly recommend,very professional and very punctual. Thank you so much for your time and wish you nothing but the best my friend take care. Hopefully you can help me get my wife’s car in the near future. Thanks again🙏-Andrewread more
Richard got me in car I loved not just wanted . He walked me around the whole collection with knowledge on most aspects of everything I was asking... about . Tod also helped me out big time. Very pleasant place with amazing staff . Highly recommend.read more
Had a great and pleasant experience working with Todd over at Perfect Auto Collection. Made my first out of state car buying experience a breeze. He... video called me and showed me all the ins and outs of the car I chose. Also pointed out any, if any, imperfections. I’d definitely recommend him and the rest of the team at Perfect Auto Collection to anyone who’s in the market! 10/10!!read more
Working with the Perfect Auto Collection team was an awesome experience. I live in Illinois and travel for work but Todd Long and team helped me... purchase an amazing car. I would definitely recommend Perfect Auto, Todd, and Mike. I will be buying from them again. Thank you Perfect Auto Collection!read more
I bought my car from Perfect Auto Collection in Sept. '22 and could not have been happier. I was hesitant to buy a car (the most expensive I've ever... owned) sight-unseen from 700 miles away, but Todd and the team made the whole experience flawless. From our video walkarounds to coordinating financing, text updates to shipping, everything went quickly and smoothly. Todd had great follow-up, and I honestly feel like the experience was better than I had when shopping locally. And when the car arrived.... just wow. It was everything it was represented to be and literally better than I expected. And while I won't be in the market for another car anytime soon, when the time comes, PAC will be the first dealership I call!read more
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