Best State to Buy a Car (live, places, America, taxes)

[Azure Ray]

Hi folks - I am going to be flying west, and need to purchase a new car to drive home. I live in Ohio, and am going to be selling my current car before I leave next week. I have a flight in to San Deigo, but a layover in Vegas. I am wondering if I should buy my car in San Diego, LA, Vegas, or even in Seattle or Portland area? Does anyone know about taxes and how those work when you buy a car out of state? I know that CA is expensive, but it seems like the car prices in Vegas are even more.

Any advice or direction would really help! Thanks!

[tfox]

You'll pay sales taxes and other registration taxes in your home state -- it won't be charged at the point of sale if you are from out of state if you buy from a dealer. (Buy from a private party and of course it's not charged at the point of sale in any case). Once you register your vehicle, you will be assessed sales tax, personal property tax, and the rest. So, if you're thinking that buying a car out of state will save you money taxes, think again. If you're financing your purchase, buying it out of state will actually complicate any efforts to roll in taxes into your loan.

It is true that some savvy car buyers seek out USED cars in the southwest because the warm, arid climates tend to be kinder to the auto body than humid climates (which promotes rust) or places where salt or liquid deicer is used on the roads (mostly colder climates).

By that standard, Las Vegas would be an excellent place to buy a vehicle -- assuming that the vehicle has been in Las Vegas the whole time. Metro Phoenix is also very popular for this purpose. Seattle and Portland would not be great for this since their moist climates would promote rust.

[AksarbeN]

It would be interesting to know where the port of entry is for incoming cars from offshore. Assuming you’re interested in a foreign car from the west coast, otherwise you’d probably save money buying an American made car from the Michigan area at a lower price. Car prices are going to be lower based on where they come into the country or where they are made in the US.

You might want to figure out what make of car you want first and then decide where it’s cheapest.