Car paperwork, step by step

Buy, sell, donate or register a car without the paperwork stress.

Plain-English, step-by-step guides to transferring a title, registering a car, donating or trading one in, financing basics and a first-car checklist.

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One step at a timeClear order of what to do, sign and bring.
Know the paperworkTitle, registration, bill of sale: what each one does.
Avoid costly mistakesCommon trade-in, donation and financing pitfalls.

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Explore Car Transaction Guides

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01

Car Title Transfer

Transferring, signing and fixing a car title, with or without a loan.

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Car Registration

Registering a new or used car, documents and why registrations get rejected.

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Car Donation

How to donate a car, the paperwork and the tax basics in plain English.

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Car Trade-In

Trade-in vs private sale, trading in with a loan and getting a fair value.

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First Car Checklist

What a first-time buyer should check, test and do after buying.

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Car Financing Basics

APR, loan terms, pre-approval, and loan vs lease basics.

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Featured reading

Start Here: Car Paperwork Essentials

The questions drivers ask when they buy, sell, donate or register a car.

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Latest Car Guides

New step-by-step guides on titles, registration, donation, trade-ins and financing.

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