Walk It Through: A Car Changes Hands
A used car sold across a driveway, a new one that keeps going back to the shop, and what goes on the glass and the bumper.
An owner sells an old sedan to a neighbor for cash and hands over the keys.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One car out and one car in. Dealer sales, liens on a title, odometer statements, inspection rules, used-car warranties and inheriting a car are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Assignment of titleThe seller's signed assignment and warranty of title on the certificate, made when the vehicle is delivered. As between the parties, a transfer is not effective until the seller assigns and the buyer applies for a new title.
- Sunscreen deviceFilm or other material added to a vehicle's windows after the factory. On the side and rear windows, combined with the glass, it must let through not less than twenty-seven percent of the light.