Folks!

I'm planning to get a used car sometime in the near future and I was wondering what the legal procedure for doing so was so. I mean, I get in touch with the vendor (not a company but most likely a private), check that the car is in the condition I want..

a) Then what happens? I mean, I can't just hand the guy the check and drive away, can I? What's the deal with the plates / ownership / insurance and things like that?

b) Also, as far as I understand it's illegal to drive around without any form of insurance, so if I buy a car from someone who lives in another town and drive back home, what happens if I get pulled over? How do I make sure that I already have the insurance, considering I'm not even sure I'll buy the car?

Thanks a lot!

No one (in their right mind) will take a personal check. Talk to your insurance agent about the insurance part. As for registration in IL you get a bill of sale and you have 24 hours from that time until you have to register it, so you can drive it home and to the DMV (or where ever) to register it and pay the taxes.

No one (in their right mind) will take a personal check. Talk to your insurance agent about the insurance part. As for registration in IL you get a bill of sale and you have 24 hours from that time until you have to register it, so you can drive it home and to the DMV (or where ever) to register it and pay the taxes.

Cool,

but what about licence plates and things like that?

Insure the vehicle ASAP. Call your provider with the VIN handy. After I bought my past vehicles, I was on the gas station payphone with Progressive within 15 minutes after purchase. You get plates from the place that handles vehicle registration (city hall, county courthouse, etc.). Proof of insurance and either the title or registration is needed to get plates. You can get temporary paper plates there also, I think. You can get those if you buy a vehicle with no plates or have to wait for custom plates.

No one (in their right mind) will take a personal check.
Go to your credit union or bank and get a cashier's or certified check.

Talk to your insurance agent about the insurance part. As for registration in IL you get a bill of sale and you have 24 hours from that time until you have to register it, so you can drive it home and to the DMV (or where ever) to register it and pay the taxes.
Either do that or call your local DMV office to get instructions on what you need to do and bring in with you to register the vehicle. Some states do not have a local number to your DMV's office, rather they have a "centralized" toll free number that goes to a call center, so you would probably need to look it up in the phone book. Some states allow your insurance company to fax insurance cards directly to the DMV office you are registering your vehicle at. That can be a time saver.

For any newbie car buyers out there, here is a resource I recently built to give people more insight into ACTUAL car prices:

Link removed by Moderator - unauthorized advertising

You can see real prices that people paid. Hope this helps.