| 1. Check out the car. 2. Agree on a price. Make sure you say something to the effect, "I am willing to pay xxx for the car providing that it checks out ok." 3. Go get it looked over (you pay for it). IF you can't get there quick enough to check out the car, then ask if you can leave a good faith deposit to hold the car until you can check it out. 99% of the time it's non-refundable. Otherwise, why wouldn't he sell it to someone else? You can make an offer of $100, but typically it's $500. But usually this is down AFTER looking at the car. You will have to play this by ear and try to come to a mutal agreement on what you should do. 3a. Renegotiate the price if something doesn't check out, but you still want the car. Sometimes you can go 50/50 with the person on the repairs or get them to take more off. If the car comes back flawless then don't bother. If it comes back with too many problems, back out. 4. Check out the car in person and get it looked at if you haven't already done so. 5. You don't really need a note. You can have him write a bill of sale. The bill of sale can include the details of the deposit, the price, etc. Nothing too fancy. There are a lot of examples on the web. Check your state laws on whether or not if they already have a form that you must use and if it needs to be notarized. 6. Transfer the funds after you check it out and you are ready to buy the car. If you transfer them before hand, you're taking the car. It is very hard to back out after you send the funds...and it is plain stupid to do that without a bill of sale. After you have a bill of sale & transfer the funds, the car is yours. Save yourself the trouble and transfer the funds after seeing the car. That's why you leave a deposit and have a Bill of Sale. And it is STILL the sellers option to sell the car or not. Ones the funds are in his account and you have a Bill of Sale, the car is yours. 7. Pick up the car. If you haven't send the funds by this point, bring the funds with you. Exchange the funds for the title. If he has a lien (ie a loan) on the car, you will probably have to transfer the funds first before you can get the title. this is safe as long as A.) You have a Bill of Sale B.) That you have receipt of the transfer. C.) Do your self a favor and get the Bill of Sale notarized. D.) If you can verify that he has a loan with that bank (not always possible) Any questions?
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