MVC fees at a dealer vs. going to MVC yourself? (sales, how much)

[MJPByron]

My friend is on the used car market. As a cost-saving measure, she's looking into telling the dealer that she doesn't want to pay them for the MVC fees, she'd rather do it herself. My question is this: what would she need to bring to MVC to do that? Is it transferring the title in that case? Registration?

[captne76]

It all depends on the dealer and their policy.
For instance the big car dealers have a set fee for doing the paperwork, some charge about $500. It basically pays for them to get dressed up and go to work.

A smaller private dealer may give you the paperwork and you can do it yourself.

The fees themselves should be posted or available on the MVC website.

Usually you have sales tax, title fee and registration fee. Just ballpark guessing without looking it up, and it depends on the size & weight of the vehicle, figure about $140 plus any sales tax. New cars get hit for a 4 year registration which is probably more $ upfront.

You can also transfer a registration/plate you currently have to the car you are buying which is usually cheaper but will expire according to the original reg date.

[4NJseasons]

I have tried this. From what I can tell, dealers totally flip over this. They want you to use their title and registration services. They usually charge about $250 for the service and it includes MV fees (about $100-ish) and the rest is their profit. I have been told, multiple times that the whole $250 is govt fees, I had to bring a print out from the MVC website to prove that they were padding the cost. In my case, after a long argument (where I almost walked out of the deal), they discounted the price of the car by $150 and still made me pay $250 for title and registration fees.

[joe moving]

I don't think they can make you use their registration service, but they can try to charge you for it anyway.

[bradykp]

i believe NY state has banned "documentation fees", so I'd suggest shopping there if possible. but in NJ, the doc fee is 100% negotiable.

[NJGOAT]

When you are buying a car there are several fees and costs involved, some negotiable, some not. When you look at the contract here is what you should see...

1. Cost of the car you are buying (not including any rebates or trades).
2. Any applicable manufacturer rebates (ensure you are getting all you qualify for).
3. Value of your trade-in (make sure this number is what was agreed upon).
4. Sales tax (7% of the cost of the car after deducting rebates and trade-ins).
5. Title fee (DMV fee for processing the title dealer CANNOT charge more).
6. Registation/tag fee (DMV fee for registering the car, dealer CANNOT charge more).
7. Any cash downpayment you are making.
8. Total cost of the car to be paid or financed.
9. If financed, the total cost of the financing (based on term and interest rate).
10. Total cost of purchase including finance costs and statement of monthly payment.

***

ANYTHING else is negotiable and not necessary. Now, many dealers will charge "doc fees" which is basically a profit padding and is justified as covering their costs of doing the paperwork. This is bull, it really is just there to pad the profits. They cannot legally charge you more than the actual DMV fees for registration and title, so this extra item is easy to find as it will be on its own line. Simply refuse to pay the added fee and be prepared to walk if they won't.

Now, when it comes to registration, what they put on the contact is an estimate. Since NJ has several tiers of registration based on vehicle weight the dealer will generally estimate how much the registration will be and use that number. If they estimate high, they will refund the difference when you pick up your tag and registration. If they estimate low, you will have to pay the difference when picking up your tag and registration. In either case, the registration paperwork from DMV will have the exact amount paid, ensure that matches what you paid.

Whether or not the dealer will allow you to do the paperwork yourself is governed by a couple of factors...

1. If you are financing the car, the dealer is generally required by the FINANCE company to do the registration and title work. This ensures that the proper lien holder is placed on file and the finance company is issued the title.

2. If you are buying a brand new car, generally the dealer in virtually all states is required to handle the registration and title work since they are working off of a manufacturer MSO and putting a new vehicle on the road for the first time.

3. In many cases the dealer will not have the actual title in possession for the car you are buying. This is an incredibly common occurrence and despite internet rumor, perfectly legal. It can take weeks for titles to be updated, re-issued and transferred. In this case, the dealer could wait until they get the title and then turn it over to you, but this would actually complicate the overall process.

4. If the dealer has the title in their possession and you are paying cash, then there is no reason you can't do the title and registration work yourself.

[boater1]

You need to bring to DMV
the title, properly signed and filled out (the back), the erasures
the bill of sale, showing previous owner and cost of car
your check book.

You will get back a new title, new license plates, new registration, empty check book