Buying and selling a vehicle can be very exciting, but you need to be prepared.

Research your purchase to get the safety features you want, the style you admire, and the right price for your budget.

Be sure to factor registration fees into that budget.

Top Buying a Car

Set aside emotions when you buy a new (or used) car. As a negotiator, you must be objective to get the best deal.

Search the Internet, talk to friends, read magazines before deciding on a car, and then practice your negotiating approach.

The bill of sale is your binding contract. Read it carefully to make sure it contains the proper price, terms, and warranty.

Top After you Buy

After you buy a car, you'll need to register it. There are many motor vehicle forms available online to help with this.

First, you need to transfer the title from the seller to you, and then pay the local county property taxes. You can't take possession of the car without the title. See our Registration FAQs section to learn how to obtain a replacement title in the event the original title has been lost or stolen.

You don't need to see or take possession of the registration.

Arkansas requires you to carry a minimum of liability insurance on your vehicle, but if your vehicle is purchased with a loan, you'll need full insurance coverage.

When registration is complete, you will be given license plates to mount. Interested in a little pizazz? Ask about special plates to personalize your new vehicle.

Top Selling a Car

Selling your car is hard work. You need to know the value of the car before you advertise, and then be prepared to negotiate. Once you have a buyer with a bill of sale in hand, you are ready to sell.

As the seller, you will be able to assign the title over to the car buyer. If you have questions about how to do this, get in touch with the Office of Motor Vehicles for directions.

You'll need to produce the title in order to sell the car. If the title is lost or stolen, see our Registration FAQs section to learn how to obtain a replacement title before initiating a sale.

You don't need to produce the vehicle registration at the time of the sale. But showing it to a prospective buyer could help facilitate the sale. For example, the buyer might be able to verify that the tags are legitimate, and it might give the buyer some extra piece of mind in general.

Once you sell the car, take off your plates and then get in touch with your insurance carrier. Cancel the insurance on the sold vehicle and be sure to buy liability insurance for any new vehicles you buy instead.

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