How It Works
Sell Your Car For The Best Value Today
How To Get A Real Cash Offer – with free pick up and same day payment
How To Sell A Car To Cali Car Buyers
3 Step Process To Sell Your Car For Cash
Step 1 - Get Your Offer
Tell us about your car. Submit your vehicle details like photos, VIN or CA license plate number, and the mileage. Our process relies on transparency- please let us know if there are any damages or mechanical issues. We value your time and have created a process that can have your car sold same-day and get you cash.
Step 2 - Scheduling
Once an offer is accepted, we will schedule a time that works best for you to pick up your vehicle. If you prefer to drop off your car, we accept drop offs as well. We have a convenient vehicle drop off location in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles and we can coordinate a ride home for you too!
Step 3 - Payment
No bank drafts with Cali Car Buyers! Get paid with a cashable check, wire transfer, or any other guaranteed funds. Have a loan? We pay your positive balance directly to you same-day even though you do not have the title.
- Everyday Cars
- Luxury Cars
- Exotic Cars Up To $150,000
Get A True Real Cash Offer - Sell Your Car The Best Way
How To Sell A Car In Los Angeles
The 3 Important Steps To Sell Your Car
Selling a car in Los Angeles can be a complicated process. It’s important to protect yourself from all legal responsibilities and potential scams. The steps and process for selling a vehicle are different in every state. Learn how to sell your used car or truck privately in Los Angeles.
Whether you live in the beach cities, Pasadena, The San Fernando Valley, Beverly Hills, or downtown Los Angeles, if you are thinking about selling your used car or truck, you’ve come to the right place at Cali Car Buyers. With an estimated 15 million registered trucks and cars in the state of California, it is no wonder that thousands of private car owners from the Golden State have all sorts of options including Cali Car Buyers to sell their car. Below, we’ve outlined the steps and a few forms required for how to sell a car in the state of California so you can sell your car quickly for the most cash.
Most U.S. states consider the vehicle title a legal document which is why it is advised to use the legal names of both parties (buyer, seller, and any other joint owners) involved along with legible handwriting using a black or blue ink. Mistakes, errors and using white out may void the document so be careful and take your time filling it out. A lost, missing, or destroyed certificate of title in The State of California DMV can take weeks to receive a new duplicate.
Step 1: Review and gather the California DMV forms
Step 2: Get a smog certification if your car isn’t exempt
Step 3: Submit all forms and report the Title transfer to California’s DMV
Step 1: Review and gather the California DMV forms
When a car changes ownership in California (whether by being sold or by being inherited, given as a gift, etc.), the DMV considers this a vehicle transfer. The DMV uses certain forms to document transfers. You’ll always need the following documents to change vehicle ownership and complete the sale in the state of California:
- The original California Certifical of title OR California Certificate of Title or Application for Duplicate Title or Paperless Title (REG 227). There’s multiple other cases where a Application for Duplicate Title cannot be used. Please contact us if you have a unique situation regarding your title and Cali Car Buyers can help buy your car quickly and take care of all DMV documents.
- Signature(s) of seller(s) and lienholder, if any
- Signature(s) of buyer(s)
- Transfer fee
You may also need:
- Determine if you need a smog inspection certification (not applicable to all vehicles).
- Vehicle Emission System Statement (SMOG) (REG 139) form. You can locate a STAR smog testing station here.
- Use tax and/or various other fees
- Bill of Sale REG 135 (PDF) form or a Power of Attorney REG 260 (PDF) form. The Bill of Sale does does not need to be notarized. There are special circumstances where a notary is needed. Please reach out to Cali Car Buyers so we can help determine based on your situation.
Step 2: Get a smog certification if your car isn’t exempt
In CA, most cars require a certification from a STAR smog testing station. When you transfer ownership of a gas-powered vehicle that is four or less model years old, a smog certification is not required; however, a smog transfer fee is collected from the new owner. When a gas-powered vehicle that is more than four model years old or a diesel-powered vehicle that is a 1998 year-model or newer and has a GVW of 14,000 pounds or less is sold, the seller must obtain a smog certification for the transfer unless biennial smog certification was obtained within the last 90 days. The most popular type of vehicles which do not need to be smog tested include:
- 1975 and older year-model and gas-powered.
- 1997 and older year-model and diesel-powered.
- Electric-powered vehicles
- Natural-gas powered vehicles
- Motorcycles
- Vehicles which are less than four years old
When selling your car for cash to Cali Car Buyers, a smog inspection is not needed. We take care of all requirements so you can accurately and legally sell your car.
Step 3: Submit all forms and report the transfer to California’s DMV
After reviewing all the paperwork and forms, file them with your local California DMV office. The DMV agent will register and log your vehicle transfer in the official records. The seller of the vehicle has five days to report the transfer. You will need the car’s license plate number, the last five digits of the VIN, and the new owner’s name and address. Buyers have 10 days to report the transfer. Reporting the sale or transfer of a vehicle or vessel to the DMV does not constitute a transfer of ownership. The record is not permanently transferred out of your name until the DMV receives a completed application for transfer of ownership and payment of appropriate fees from the new owner. This is extremely important to do and must be done. Not all private party buyers actually transfer the vehicle to their name and become the new registered owner. Often times, this leads to the new “owner” driving the vehicle for years while the true DMV registered owner is still under the previous owner.. While you can submit your paperwork by mail, if the forms are not filled out correctly this can delay the transfer of ownership which is why most buyers and sellers meet at a local DMV office.
There are many tips, tricks, and guides when you are looking for answers on how to sell your car. However, the basic principles to selling your car for cash can be summarized by the following tasks:
- Sign, date, and have records of all paperworks
- Properly submit and process all paperwork with the Department of Motor Vehicle
- Release liability to the new owner so you are not legally responsible for the vehicle.
How To Sell Your Car Is Easy With Cali Car Buyers
At Cali Car Buyers, when you need to sell your vehicle – whether it is a car, truck, or luxury car such as a Rolls Royce, Bentley, or Lamborghini, we take care of the entire process. Some sellers are willing to deal with the nuances of the DMV and dealing with privately selling your car including doing test-drives, dealing with the prospective buyer and there method of funding, and answering questions and quite frankly, spending there precious time trying to sell a car. But with Cali Car Buyers, we have years of industry knowledge, deep understanding and the team to handle all DMV procedures, and the instant funding to provide top dollar offers. Best of all, we do it all with your valuable time in mind. We buy cars for cash in all sorts of unique situations and out-of-state titles. Majority of our customers have tried to sell privately but were faced with challenges like scams when selling your car. We truly make it easy to sell your car for top dollar cash. Our offer is a guarantee that we will buy your car, no tire-kickin’ with Cali Car Buyers!
FAQ
Who is Cali Car Buyers?
Cali Car Buyers is a used car buyer in Los Angeles. We have over 10 years of automotive industry experience specializing in purchasing cars. Our business is not like your traditional dealership and that is why we are able to successfully compete in a fast-paced used car market in Los Angeles. We buy cars for cash directly from the private-party market and have developed a process that ensures safety, security, and a true top dollar cash valuation for any make and model. We buy cars quickly, efficiently, and take care of every single step. We are licensed and insured in the State of California and with the Department of Motor Vehicles. We are also family owned and operated. We have bought thousands of cars and spend over millions of dollars per year buying directly from private sellers. We would not be able to do that if we were not competitive and offering top dollar for cars with ease and simplicity.
Is Your Offer Real or Estimated?
Our offers are as legit and real as they can be. Yes, we give you a guaranteed cash offer to buy your car virtually. Our process to buy your car takes out the guesswork as a buyer and we pay the exact offer we have made. Now of course, any misrepresentation of your car will result in a cancelled sale because no one would like to be misled, right?
What Documents Do I Need To Sell My Car?
The most crucial document we need is the Certificate of Title. We bring all other documents needed to properly record the sale of your car. We take care of it all!
How Do You Determine My Car Value?
Not all cars are the same- Crazy right? There’s a lot that goes into providing an offer, which is why using free online valuation tools is not entirely accurate. We value based on true current market transactions, software that we have licenses for, your car’s history report, options, condition, and various other data. We manually review and provide true cash offers, which is why we are able to buy your car for top dollar and take out the “estimated offer” – no guesswork with Cali Car Buyers. We really want to buy your car!
How Do I get Paid?
Real money with Cali Car Buyers! We provide a cashable check, guaranteed funds, wire, and ACH. No added fees, the offer we make is the offer we pay!
What Kind Of Cars Does Cali Car Buyers Buy?
We buy all makes and models! Whether you have a Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, or a Bentley Continental, Rolls-Royce Ghost, we will buy it! Sell any car easier, faster, and better with Cali Car Buyers. We are buying cars every day and as such, we would love to buy your car today, not tomorrow!
What If I Owe Money On My Car?
No problem for us! Have a loan? We pay your lender directly and close your account. Best of all, any positive balance is paid directly to you, the seller, at the time of pick up. We do not hold funds back until a title is received and you should not get paid later, you should get paid for your car you are selling today.
Will You Beat My CARMAX Offer?
Absolutely! We will compete with any certified dealer offer. However, we do not compete with online offers because they are self-appraised, not dealer appraised. There’s also the hidden fine-print that the online offer can possibly not be the final check. Cali Car Buyers is one of the tiny few online car buyers that will buy your car for cash sight unseen! No need to spend your time- our offers are competitive and aggressive. Get your offer today!
