Inter State Car Buying Questions.

May 24, 2007 7:55 AM

Buy a car in Florida for use in Georgia - How do I save on Title/Tax etc?

Due to some weird conditions, I have to buy a used car in Florida for someone who live in Georgia.

How would the title+tag+registration+sales tax work out?

Do I have to transfer it to my name after buying it here in Florida, and then transfer it again to my friend's name in Georgia? I mean, I surely need a tag for the drive to Georgia, right? :)

Would this mean I end up paying taxes, and the fees for the title twice over?

What would be the cheapest way for me to buy the car here in Florida and for someone to use in Georgia?

Given:
1. I will pay cash for the car
2. The person the car is intended absolutely cannot buy the car in Georgia
3. I will be buying from a "private party"

posted by carthik to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

From the Georgia Department of Revenue

Sales Tax - Effective January 1, 2006 - When a Georgia title is applied for a vehicle that was purchased from an out-of-state/country dealer or business, Georgia sales tax must be paid at the time of application or proof must be submitted that the sales tax has already been paid. A Georgia title and license plate will not be issued until any sales tax due is paid. The amount of sales tax due is based on the vehicle’s purchase price or the vehicle’s fair market value if a sales invoice is not submitted.
posted by oh posey at 10:03 AM on May 24, 2007

I live on the border between GA and SC and this sort of thing is very common. After buying the car you have a certain number of days to get the title and registration transferred so you should only have to do it once, after the car goes to GA; the bigger problem may be that you are buying the car on someone else's behalf. You might need to somehow indicate that you are acting as an agent for that person in order to convince the state that you are not buying the car and then selling it to someone else. Anyway, the GA government has a lot of info here, as well as contact info.
posted by TedW at 10:18 AM on May 24, 2007

You can drive around with a "Tag Applied For" sign in the window for up to 30 days. You are going to need some sort of bill of sale or something to show when that period started in case you are pulled over.

I am not sure about your friend's situation. Is the car going to remain in your name? Can they go to the tag office and register the car after you transfer it to them?
posted by bkeene12 at 10:40 AM on May 24, 2007

Response by poster: Thank you, but doesn't this assume that the person who sells me the car here in Florida does NOT want to keep their old Tag?

What if they want to keep their tag - so effectively the car I buy will be tagless, right?

Thanks for all the tips, and links :)
posted by carthik at 7:26 AM on May 26, 2007