Selling your car
Where to find your VIN, and what it tells you
Your VIN is on the dashboard, on the label by the driver’s door, and on your title and registration card. Where to look, and what its 17 characters mean.
Selling your car
Plain guides for California car owners thinking about selling to a dealership.
Selling your car
Smog certificates when you sell a car in California
In California the seller usually provides the smog certificate. Who is responsible, how long it lasts, which cars are exempt, and the $8.25 certificate and $8 transfer fees.
Selling your car
Selling a leased car in California
Your leasing company owns the car, so it decides how a sale or buyout works. What the DMV’s procedures say about leased cars, and the questions to ask before you sell.
Selling your car
Selling a car you still owe money on in California
If a lender is on your title, it’s part of the sale. How the lien release works in California, what the DMV publishes, and what to ask your lender first.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Tustin, CA
Selling a car in Tustin, CA, including one you still owe money on: the lender’s part, smog checks, the nearest DMV office in Santa Ana, and signing the car over.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Simi Valley, CA
Selling a car in Simi Valley, CA: the Simi Valley DMV field office, the paperwork to have ready, smog checks in Ventura County and filing your release of liability.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Redding, CA
For sellers in Redding, CA: the city’s DMV field office, what to do first if the car is leased, smog checks in Shasta County, the paperwork and filing your NRL.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Huntington Beach, CA
Huntington Beach has no DMV field office of its own. Where the nearest offices are, why you may not need one, smog checks, and the paperwork for a sale in order.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Santa Monica, CA
The three deadlines in a Santa Monica car sale: a 90-day smog certificate, 5 days to file your release of liability and the buyer’s 10 days, plus the local DMV offices.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Thousand Oaks, CA
A Thousand Oaks seller’s guide: sorting out the title first, smog check stations nearby, the DMV office on Avenida De Los Arboles, and the 5-day release of liability.
Selling your car
Selling your car in Clovis, CA: a local guide
Selling a car in Clovis, CA: the Clovis and Fresno North DMV offices, the documents to gather, finding a licensed Smog Check station and the 5-day release of liability.
Selling your car
Selling a car in California: the complete checklist
What a California seller needs, in order: the title, a smog certificate, the odometer reading, a bill of sale and the release of liability within 5 days.
Thinking about selling your car?
Tell us about it in a few minutes. A CarLinks agent will reach out, and there’s no obligation to sell.
Prefer to talk? Call (562) 200-0003