Considerations buying a car in Chicago to take to Brooklyn.

May 1, 2012 7:26 PM

Living in Brooklyn, what do I need to know about buying a new car in Chicago and bringing it back?

My SO in Brooklyn is looking for a new car (Honda Pilot), when she was with me in Chicago recently we did a lot of test driving and she was amazed at how great an experience it was -- great experience WRT how she was treated here in the suburbs. Buying a car as a single mom is not a pleasant experience in her neighborhood.

What should she know if she decided to buy the car here in Chicago and drive it back? We know that she will have to pay sales tax when she transfers her plates, are there other things she would need to know about making a buy from a distance? I am assuming that there might be service considerations.

posted by cgk to travel & transportation (1 answer total)

If she is buying a car and registering and insuring it in NYC, she will end up having to have to pay the NYC/NYS sales tax. I think if she tells the dealer in Chicago about all of that, the dealership should be able to take care of the paperwork and taxes at the time of purchase. If she pays just the Chicago taxes, she might have to pay interest in sales tax (in arrears) when she returns to NY. She can have the car serviced at any Honda dealership across the country. It is manufactured by Honda and any Honda dealership will honor the service agreements made at time of purchase. She might try to go to a Honda dealership she might like better in Brooklyn. I live in Brooklyn and there are two close by me. There is also a big one on Staten Island (depending on where she lives, it is a bus ride away with the bus stopping right in front of the dealership.) She can also try Queens. It would be a lot easier than driving it home from IL. Good luck!
posted by Yellow at 6:34 AM on May 2, 2012