Originally Posted by mmarshall

Not only that, but it's getting riskier and riskier nowadays dealing with total strangers trying to sell your old car on the private market. There is the risk of robbery, carjacking, strangers coming into your home, the issues of who is going to drive back with who's license-plates/registration, illegal plates themselves, check-bouncing, not having someone who can legally witness and sign over a title, and, in some cases, having to report any cash/check purchase over $10,000 to the FBI. Then, you have to go to the DMV and do THEIR required paperwork/transfers......to put it bluntly, it's both risky and a pain in the a**.

Unless you know the people you are dealing with and/or have access to a Notary Public or legal witness, even if you don't always get the full trade-in value you might want for your old car, it's usually easier and better to simply do all of this at a car dealership. They will have a safe/secure environment for the inspections/test-drives, temporary (or even permanent) state license-plates, temporary registration, a Notary Public or other person who can sign-over titles, state and emissions-inspection facilities if needed, Car Fax reports, the ability to verify credit-worthiness or the credibility of a check/bank-account, and the ability to report a 10K+ purchase to the proper authorities. That is why so many transactions today are done at new/used-car dealerships, and why companies like Car Max have grown so explosively.