When buying a car you should always receive an auto
bill of sale with the vehicles details on it, and signed by the seller.
This is proof that the vehicle was legally sold to you, and the title has
been transferred to you. It's also important for the seller to keep a
copy of the bill of sale because it has the agreed upon purchase price of
the vehicle. Having one will prevent any disputes later on.
Every state that I’m familiar with in the U.S. requires an auto bill of
sale form to register and tag a new vehicle you've purchased. Since some
states require additional information, it's a good to seek out a state
specific fill able form if you plan to prepare it yourself without a
lawyer. These forms are easy to find and fill out, so a lawyer is not
necessary.
Once you've found a fill able bill of sale form online for your state
then all you need to do is fill in some information. This information
includes the vehicle identification number (VIN), the purchase price of
the vehicle sold, the full name of both the buyer and the seller, the
address of both the buyer and seller, and then it needs to be signed by
the seller. Depending on the state you live in there may also be a line
on the form for the buyer to sign also.
Documenting the purchase/sale of a vehicle is vitally important in this
day in age. That’s why it’s standardized everywhere now. It's the
only way to give your vehicle purchase protection under the law in an
organized way. Thankfully, we have kept them simple enough so that anyone
can create a bill of sale without the aid of a lawyer. Car lots across
the U.S. keep stacks of these forms around and create lots of them daily,
but I bet you've never seen a lawyer around the lot. That's because a
lawyer isn't necessary, don't even think of wasting your money paying
some one to prepare one for you.