Five most common mistakes when buying a new car

Buying and registering a used car: preparing for the deal

Buying and selling used cars is a very common transaction today. However, many people have questions about how to properly fill out the necessary papers. If this is your first time deciding to buy a car second-hand, you need to approach the issue with all seriousness. Once you have found the right vehicle, you need to clearly agree on the main points of the transaction. This will save you from surprises and conflicts at the next stages of registration. Discuss:

price;
form, procedure and terms of payment;
replacing or maintaining license plates and insurance;
deadlines for handing over keys.

The seller may raise the question of making an advance payment, but only you can decide whether you agree to this or not. This situation is regulated by Article 487 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Additionally, before you move on to signing the papers, it is important to check the vehicle's history. Almost all the necessary information is contained in the vehicle passport (PTS). It records:

information about former owners;
year of manufacture, license plate number, VIN code, body number;
technical characteristics of the vehicle.

Please pay special attention to the fact that the seller is required to provide you with the original PTS upon registration. If he only has a copy in his hands, this is a reason to think about it. Of course, you shouldn’t immediately panic and refuse to purchase, but in this case you need to approach checking the car with special care. It's very easy to do this today. For example, you can use the Autocode service. Based on the license plate number or VIN code, the system will provide a detailed history of the car and will allow you to verify the “cleanliness” of the vehicle purchased second-hand without wasting extra time.

If you are a professional car seller, use the “Autocode Pro” unlimited car check service. “Autocode Pro” allows you to quickly check a large number of cars, add comments to reports, create your own lists of liquid vehicles, quickly compare options and store data about cars in an orderly form. A subscription to unlimited car checks costs 2,500 rubles per month.

Don’t forget to check the license plate data from the PTS with the real data of the car before completing the paperwork, and also look at the service and warranty books.

By the way, you can now buy a car second-hand both with license plates (you can change them later if you wish) and without. There is no longer any need to deregister it (with the exception of sales abroad). And transit numbers are no longer required either, which simplifies the procedure.

Also read: What the PTS will tell you: how buyers of used cars are deceived

How to register a used car when purchasing: drawing up an agreement

After all the checks are completed, the time comes for the most important stage of the transaction - preparing the papers. Let's figure out what documents to fill out when buying a used car. First of all, this is a car purchase and sale agreement. As with any paper business, there are some subtleties here. First, let's look at what data must be included in the document:

date and place of signing;
passport details of the seller and buyer;
full car and title data;
absence of encumbrances;
method and terms of payment, as well as transfer of the vehicle.

All lines in the contract must be completed. If any of them are left blank, add dashes. This will protect you from entering data into it without your knowledge.

Also read: How to correctly fill out a used car purchase and sale agreement

Additionally, you can draw up an act of acceptance and transfer of the car, which records the fact of transfer of the vehicle and its condition at that moment, and also confirms that the parties have no claims against each other. Here you need to specify the date and time of transmission. This will insure you, for example, against paying fines for the previous owner.

You need to fill out the papers in three copies: one remains with you, the second with the seller, and the third will be necessary to register the car with the traffic police. It is not necessary to have them certified by a notary. However, you can still turn to him to certify the legality, including the right of both parties to commit it (clause 1 of Article 163 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). This is true, for example, in the case when the car is pledged to the bank. If you have any doubts about this, please refer to Part 2, Section 4, Chapter 30, Paragraph 1 of Article 454 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Another common option is to issue a general power of attorney with the right to sell. This method is usually chosen to reduce costs (both time and money). The principal (owner) transfers the rights to the car to the buyer, while the vehicle remains his property (see Article 185 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). It is important to remember that by agreeing to this type of transaction, you are taking a certain risk. The owner can revoke the power of attorney at any time or demand money for the car in case of sale. Problems also often arise in the event of the death of the seller or his recognition as incompetent (ownership in this case passes to the heirs). We advise you to study the situation very carefully.

Also read: How to buy a car using a general power of attorney

Risks and features

The main risk that you should be wary of when buying and selling from private individuals is fraudulent actions on the part of swindlers. Such persons sell cars that have been involved in accidents or stolen cars.

Important! Documentation is the most important part when buying and selling a car. The car should not be listed as stolen or encumbered.

There are often people who ask for an advance, although the deal has not yet been concluded. After receiving the funds, the scammers simply do not agree to sign the contract under any pretext. As a result, the buyer will not receive the car and will lose the money paid as an “advance payment.”

If you purchase a car with a greatly reduced price compared to the market, then it is worth clarifying the reasons for such a price. The reason for the reduction may be the lack of documentation, the impossibility of registering a car, or technical malfunctions.

Expert opinion

Artemyev Dmitry

Experience as a forensic expert in the field of automotive technical examination for more than 2 years, more than 3 years of work in the field of insurance disputes, appealing guilt in road accidents.

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If the seller acts under a power of attorney, then it is necessary to check this document. There is a situation where a fake document is created that is not certified by the owner of the vehicle. The seller must be the owner or an authorized representative; this is verified by checking with passport data. You need to carefully study the documents involved in the transaction. An important nuance is the validity period.

If a transaction is executed with a dummy, the real owner will be able to cancel the agreement through legal action. Thus, the buyer will be left without a car and money paid to the scammers.

The transaction is carried out in strict accordance with the clauses of the contract. If the sale amount is indicated as 400,000 rubles, then the payment should be that, and not less or more. Otherwise, when the transaction is declared invalid, the buyer will receive the amount specified in the clauses of the contract.

Buying a used car: how to complete the transaction and avoid risks? - Video:

Procedure for registration of PTS

When the procedure for registering a contract for the purchase of a car in person is completed, it is necessary to make a new entry in the vehicle passport. Be careful when filling it out and write legibly! You need to enter:

date of purchase;
number of the document confirming ownership and date of registration;
signatures of the seller and buyer.

Please note that if one of the parties to the transaction has the status of a legal entity, the signature must be certified by a seal.

If there is no free space left in your passport (this happens infrequently, but it happens), you will have to go with the seller to the traffic police to get a new one. The inspection staff will replace the document (all data will be checked against the electronic database) and re-register the car.

This concludes the process of purchasing a used car. After making an entry in the PTS, the money is transferred. It is better to transfer funds by bank transfer (unless another method was initially agreed upon). In this case, the fact of the transfer will be additionally recorded, which will protect the buyer.

How to fill out the PTS

When selling a car, one of the important points is filling out the title.

To do this, the following rules must be followed:

A car passport is a document of strict accountability, which should not contain corrections, typos or the use of a correction mixture.
Filling out must be carried out in accordance with the regulations.
If the document is filled out manually, then block letters must be entered so that they are legible. It is also possible to enter information by printing.
The document should not contain abbreviations of any information.
Symbols and signs are also not allowed.
If a certain field in the passport cannot be filled in due to lack of information, then it is best to contact specialists for advice. But in most cases it is placed o.
Dashes are prohibited.
Signatures must be certified by a seal.

You can enter information about the new owner of the car yourself, but only if you take into account all the rules described above. If there is nowhere to enter information about the new owner, then you will need to issue a PTS.

Instructions for filling out a car purchase and sale agreement – video:

Handing over the keys and passing the technical inspection

Once the financial and paper issues are settled, the seller hands over the keys to the vehicle. Along with them, you should have the following documents in your hands:

purchase and sale agreement (in two copies);
acceptance certificate (if you still decide to sign it);
PTS registration certificate.

If your used car does not have a valid diagnostic card, your next step will be to undergo a technical inspection. This can be done with any operator of your choice, the main thing is that it is accredited by the Russian Union of Insurers. You can find and check it in the GTO Register. Only after this can you issue an MTPL policy.

What you need to know when purchasing

Expert opinion

Artemyev Dmitry

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The procedure for buying and selling a car on the secondary market must be carried out taking into account the following rules:

The transaction is completed only on the basis of a purchase and sale agreement.

If the owner of a car proposes to transfer the car under a general power of attorney or a power of attorney agreement, as well as another type of conclusion other than a written contract, then such an initiative must be abandoned. This will lead to a loss of funds, since the owner can easily cancel the contract and return the car without having to transfer the funds back. After all, the fact of transfer of money will not be documented.

When selling a car, the owner must have all the documentation.

If at least one of the papers is missing, then this will be a sign that indicates the person is dishonest.

If the services of an intermediary company were used for the transaction, then such an organization will have to pay for the work. They are engaged in selecting a car and concluding transactions. But many people decide to save money, so they carry out the procedure themselves.

Preparation of documents for used car insurance

Buying a used car secondhand does not necessarily require maintaining a compulsory motor liability insurance policy.
According to the established procedure, if you buy a car without insurance, you must obtain it within 10 days after the purchase and sale transaction is concluded. At this time, you cannot be fined for its absence, but if you get into an accident and are found to be at fault for the accident, you will have to pay compensation out of your own pocket. Therefore, do not delay in applying for a policy! You can also negotiate with the seller to keep your current insurance. In this case, you will need to visit the insurance company together to re-issue the papers. For the unused insurance period, compensation is provided to the ex-owner.

Also read: How to apply for compulsory motor liability insurance when buying a used car