The procedures and approach for selling a car online vary by state. Discover how to sell your used car or truck in Montana confidentially.
If you reside in Glacier Country, Missouri River Country, Yellowstone Country, Central Montana, Southeast Montana, or Southwest Montana and want to sell your old automobile or truck privately, you've come to the perfect location. With over 350,000 registered trucks and vehicles in Montana, it's no surprise that thousands of individual vehicle sellers in the Treasure State have utilized cashforcarsinc.com to sell their vehicles. We've explained the five stages and papers needed to sell a car in Montana so you can sell your automobile fast and for the maximum money. Remember that most states regard the car title as a legal document, so use the legal names (no nicknames) of both individuals involved as well as legible handwriting in black or blue ink. Mistakes, typos, and the use of White-Out may render the document null and worthless, so be cautious and take your time filling it out. The Montana Department of Transportation website includes an excellent landing page with suggestions for selling a vehicle in Montana. It offers a link to a very useful Selling Your Vehicle in Montana Checklist that walks you through each stage. The buyer should fill out and sign a Buyer's Acknowledgement of Delivery of Vehicle and Title at the bottom of the checklist for you, the seller, to keep. This step is optional, but we encourage it so that you have proof of sale and delivery of the car to the buyer.
Step 1: Allow the buyer to have a third party assess the vehicle
Many private automobile buyers pay for a pre-purchase vehicle check performed by a skilled and certified auto technician of their choice. Although the buyer pays for the inspection, the seller and buyer must agree on the date and location of the inspection. If the inspection reveals any problems with the vehicle, you should save the report for your records as the seller. Although Montana does not require this inspection and there are no documents to fill out, it is a good idea for the buyer to have the inspection completed prior to the purchase.
Step 2: Organize and collect all vehicle papers
Find all maintenance records, the owner's manual, and other vehicle-related papers. If you can offer the buyer extensive and thorough maintenance documents, it will give the buyer confidence that the automobile has been properly and regularly maintained. You should also think about providing a car history record from a provider like CarFax or AutoCheck.The title certificate is the most critical document to have when selling an automobile. If a lien exists on the title, the lienholder must release interest in the vehicle before it may be sold. This can be accomplished by either the seller paying off the vehicle or the lienholder obtaining a letter of lien release. If you are unable to pay off the automobile, you must file a Release of Security Interest or Lien (Form MV37A) signed by your lienholder with your county treasurer's office. Paperwork Required Before Selling Your Car: Everything You Need to Know About
Step 3: Create a Bill of Sale
For private automobile acquisitions in Montana, both the buyer and seller must sign a bill of sale. The official form for this is MV24, which records information such as the vehicle's purchase price, odometer reading, and VIN. This document must be signed in the presence of a notary public by both the buyer and the seller. If you don't know where to look for a notary, Montana provides a useful online notary locator where you may search for a notary by city. When the buyer has a notarized bill of sale in hand, the procedure of registering it in the name of the new owner may begin.
In response to an increase in odometer fraud cases in Montana and around the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) odometer disclosure standards were revised in December 2020, affecting some private car purchases in Montana: Any vehicle of the model year 2011 or newer (2012, 2013, etc.) that is transferred between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2030, will require an odometer disclosure. Beginning January 1, 2031, every vehicle less than 20 model years old will be required to have an odometer disclosure. Previously, the NHTSA only mandated disclosure for the first ten years. Cars manufactured before 2010 are exempt from odometer disclosures. Montana's official DMV website includes this Odometer Disclosure Statement.
Step 4: Change the title
If the vehicle's title is lost, stolen, or severely damaged, you can obtain a replacement/duplicate Montana title by completing Form MV7. With that paperwork and a $10.30 charge, you can obtain a duplicate title by submitting it to your local county treasurer's office.
When privately selling an automobile in Montana, both the buyer and seller must fill out the applicable areas on the back of the title. This information contains the buyer's and seller's legal names, addresses, and signatures, as well as the date of the transaction and the odometer reading. When this is filled out correctly and legibly, the buyer can easily transfer registration and obtain a new plate. The car title must be signed over in front of a notary by all vendors named on the title. Owners can have their signatures notarized in the absence of the buyer. The buyer has 40 days from the date of sale to execute the ownership of car title transfer.
If the title shows more than one owner, the following number of signatures will be required based on the link between the names: Furthermore, all individuals specified must sign.
Alternatively, either vendor can sign; just one signature is necessary. Alternatively, both vendors must sign. If no connection is specified, the default will be "and," and all owners (sellers) must sign.
If you want to give an automobile to a relative, you can transfer the title using the identical procedure described here. It's largely the same process for inheriting a car, but you'll need to file paperwork about the inheritance with the county along with the title of the vehicle in issue.
Step 5: Take off your license plates and cancel your insurance
Before passing over the car to the buyer, the seller must remove the license plates. If you do not, you may be held accountable for any infractions that occur after the buyer takes ownership of the car. After the sale, you have the option of keeping your license plates, destroying them, or transferring them to another car you own. For further information about changing plates, contact your county treasurer's office.
If you have a classic automobile or personalized license plates that you wish to transfer to the buyer, fill out Form MV100. This is a statement of fact in which all rights to the plates are relinquished. Make sure to cancel your insurance as soon as you remove your plates so you don't have to pay to cover a car you no longer own.Visit the Montana MVD website for further information.
The Easier Way to Sell Your Car
Now that you've learned everything there is to know about selling a car in Montana, it's time to determine where to list it. Cashforcarsinc.com makes it simple to sell your car. With ready-to-sign state documentation, encrypted chat, and more, our platform provides all the tools and recommendations you need to make the transaction a breeze.
