Plain-English walkthroughs of the paperwork, the payment, and the scams — written for people doing this once, not for the trade.
Exactly what belongs on a car bill of sale, in what order, and the mistakes that make one worthless. Plus a free version both parties can e-sign from their phones.
7 min readA step-by-step checklist for selling or buying a car privately: what to do before you list, at the meeting, at the handover, and in the week after. For both the buyer and the seller.
8 min readThe twelve patterns that show up in nearly every private car sale scam, for both buyers and sellers, and the exact questions that expose them.
5 min readWhether you actually need a bill of sale for a private vehicle sale, what it protects on each side, how it differs from the title, and how to find your own state's requirement.
7 min readWhich payment methods are actually final, which only look final, and which are never worth an exception. Plus how to structure the handover so you are never the one going first.
6 min readZelle, Venmo and Cash App are built for people who already know each other. What that means for a car sale, the fake-confirmation scam they enable, and what to use instead.
6 min readWhat escrow actually means, why fake escrow sites are a common car scam, when real escrow is worth it, and the simpler alternatives that solve the same problem.
7 min readHow a private-party title transfer actually works: what the seller signs, what the buyer files, release of liability, liens, deadlines, and the mistakes that void a title.
Every state sets its own requirements for bills of sale and title transfers.
Browse all 50 state guides