Buyng out of state and far away- OK to do?

I bought my Subaru out of state in 2000. I had to jump thru a few DMV hoops to get it registered in California (from NV). I paid no sales tax, until I got to California. The biggest deal was getting something called a Certificate of Origin?" , (sort of automotive birth certificate). I started registration process the same day I arrived home, but due to paperwork foul-ups, I was charged a $120 late registration fee, when I finally got the papers together. As for dealer perks, what are those? I bought my Prius 50 miles from home (in California) and never needed to go back. Most normal servicing is done right in my driveway, and there have been no warranty issues, recalls, or reason to waste my time at the dealer. If you are not a DIYer, there are lots of options besides overpriced dealer service.

 

I bought my first Prius in 04 from a toyota dealer in West Virginia. No problems in fact since he was close to Pa. just on the west side he took care of all the tags ect. He even arranged to have it delivered to me for $200. 2 of his drivers bought it out to me and then went back in a Corrola they came in. But anyway any Toyota dealer can arrange financing ect. for you. Depending on where you buy it you might have to drive it back on a Temp. tag and register it yourself. In that case you don't pay the dealer the tax, you'll have to pay the tax when you register it. It's really just your inconvience to go get the car but then you'll have EXACTLY what you want.

 

Since you live in New York, I suggest you consult with your motor vehicles department to determine what is required to register a new vehicle purchased out of state, and to determine whether you will receive credit for sales tax and licensing fees paid out-of-state. I suggest that you also consult with the dealer where you are thinking about buying your car, to see what local sales tax and licensing fees will be assessed for a non-resident purchase.

Don't worry about having your car serviced by a dealer near your home, as the service department is a profit center and your service business should be welcomed. You can receive Toyota warranty service at any dealer in the US and Canada.

 

Bought mine in Chicago in order to get a discounted price: flight from Tulsa to Chicago, cab from O'Hare to dealership, transacted, drove home to Tulsa. It really wasn't a big deal.

Dealer sent paperwork with me to use for local tag/tax processing.

Founder of this site, Danny, did the same thing from South Carolina (maybe North Carolina?). Anyway, many have done this.

Be very detail oriented with the dealer so there are no surprises or delays when you get there. Have the sales contract in hand and the VIN verified before you go. Be very specific about exactly what you want, ie. dealer prep, test drive, alignment, inspection, accessory installation...

Confirm, verify, double-check.

 

Bought my Tundra out of state in 2002 to avoid the Gulf States Toyota distributor markup and lack of availability of options I wanted. No problem at all, saved several thousand dollars and a lot of headache not dealing with Gulf States. Picked it up on vacation.

 

We bought our last car (Lexus) from a dealer 200 miles away. Never gave them a penny and they delivered the car to our door for our approval. Absolutely perfect. Took the car to the local Lexus dealer for the first free oil change and they greeted us with open arms. Even offered us their license plate frame.
They make tons of money on service so I don't think you have anything to worry about.
I am probably going to by my '09 Prius tomorrow exactly the same way. $650 under MSRP, No dealer fees, and they will be bringing the car to me. Dealer is about 300 miles away. ($200 refundable deposit on this one.)
Good Luck.

 

Back in the day, when Priuses were hard to find, a lot of people traveled great distances to buy one. There's nothing wrong with that. Every Toyota dealer is required to provide warranty service, regardless of where you bought.

Personally, I prefer to patronize local businesses. But if the car you want is not available close in, go for it. I lived in North Dakota when I bought mine. Now I live in Spokane. Even though I did not buy from the local dealer, I am treated well there.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Patronizing local businesses is fine, being financially raped by them is not. The local dealer in the region I'm in now is the first one I've ever conducted successful negotations with. In the previous 18 years I've never gotten a local dealer within $2,000 of a fair price and have walked on them. (Toyota was the worst, but I had trouble with local Honda and Nissan dealers as well.) I won't quibble over a few hundred, but once they think they are entitled to $500 or more for being local, they've lost my business.

What I've found is that once you are out of your local dealer's region, the others seem eager to give you their best offer up front. They realize they've only got one shot at your business.

 

When calling a dealer on the phone always ask for the "sales manager". Tell him your seriously interested in a Prius with whatever pkg. you want and ask "how much over invoice" will he sell it to your for. Always work from invoice up instead of msrp down. Unfortunatly with the demand for the Prius being what it is you might not get much other than msrp anyway, but at least you can try.

 

our prius came from northern CA 500 miles away to the south. our 4004 Lexus was delivered to our Mt home from PA, 2k miles away. Prior to these, our Range Rover came from Corpus christi. Tell your local dealers your best price and see if they'll match it. if not then you know you got your best price, even though you have to pay for shipping. Shop on!

 

Have them email or fax a copy of the final agreement. Then you can confirm what the out-the-door cost will be. You'd hate to get a nasty surprise after traveling 400 miles.

 

Nothing wrong to buy Out-of-State, as long as the travel distance (or transportation cost back to NY) is reasonable.

Does Maine DMV (or the dealer) offer the Temp License Plates for you to drive back to NY for registration?

I know some states won't offer Temp Plates for new cars. If they don't, you have to prep the NY plates + Insurance docs before you go pick up the car. Contgrat and Good Luck!

 

Just curious! I'm in the southeast so probably not affected, but a question for our members living in states with special reguirements such as California. What considerations, if any, may need to be reviewed if buying a car from out-of-state from state that does not meet your state-of-residence requirements? This is/may be a different question than if moving from out-of-state.