[tturedraider]

Howdy, y’all.

Would any of y’all know if an out of state buyer in a private party sale from a California seller has to pay California sales tax if he comes to California to pick up the car from the seller? I’m guessing in this situation the answer is no, but I know that when buying from a California dealer if the out of state buyer takes possession of the car within the state he has to pay California sales tax, so I’m a little concerned. We are talking about California after all. Please tell me my concerns are unfounded. Thanks!

[Bc2005]

In most states you pay sales tax as part of registering the car. The seller has nothing to do with it. If you don’t register it in California I’m not even sure how you would pay the tax there. However, if you somehow do pay sales tax in California, make sure you keep all the paperwork because your home state should give you credit for taxes paid in another state.

You are apparently in Illinois. I would ask your DMV what to do, since that is where you owe the tax. If the car is being shipped you probably don’t need anything but a bill of sale and the title. If you plan to drive it you may need some type of temporary registration if the old owner keeps the plates.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by Bc2005

In most states you pay sales tax as part of registering the car. The seller has nothing to do with it. If you don’t register it in California I’m not even sure how you would pay the tax there. However, if you somehow do pay sales tax in California, make sure you keep all the paperwork because your home state should give you credit for taxes paid in another state.

You are apparently in Illinois. I would ask your DMV what to do, since that is where you owe the tax. If the car is being shipped you probably don’t need anything but a bill of sale and the title. If you plan to drive it you may need some type of temporary registration if the old owner keeps the plates.

Thanks. I appreciate the effort. I’m already very familiar with all of this. There’s a reason I posted this in the California forum. They don’t do things the way the rest of us do.