Laws about selling a car in California

Asked by Falcon005 Sep 12, 2020 at 03:39 PM about the 2014 BMW 3 Series 328d Sedan RWD

Question type: Car Selling & Trading In

Hi!

I currently live in California and I'm trying to sell my car.  My car currently has
personalized plates on it, which I know are considered my property and I will
keep them when I sell the car.  My question is: do I put the old plates on the
car (the ones before I put personalized plates on) when I sell it to someone?  
Or is there something else that needs to be done?  Do I have to notify the DMV
about this special circumstance?

Thank you!

4 Answers

You can't put the old plates on the car unless you do it legally through the DMV. Check the CA DMV website for more information.

1 people found this helpful.
41,330

When you sell the vehicle, and transfer the title, the new owner will need to register the vehicle with the state of CA, and they will get a new registration and license plate. You can do all this at your local DMV office.

157,855

I believe that in California the license plates stay with the vehicle. But in this case check with California DMV. Hope that helps! Jim

Normally plates stay with the car. Vanity plates can be transferred to another vehicle. Here is the form. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/reg17.pdf

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

3 Series

Looking for a Used 3 Series in your area?

CarGurus has 1,232 nationwide 3 Series listings starting at $2,500.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Robert Charlson
    Reputation
    3,950
  • #2
    apbimmer98
    Reputation
    3,100
  • #3
    Abu Luca
    Reputation
    2,980
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used BMW 5 Series
18 Great Deals out of 349 listings starting at $4,500
Used BMW M3
93 listings starting at $15,995
Used BMW 4 Series
30 Great Deals out of 506 listings starting at $11,999
Used Mercedes-Benz C-Class
102 Great Deals out of 1,621 listings starting at $3,500
Used BMW 2 Series
22 Great Deals out of 377 listings starting at $7,995
Used BMW M4
103 listings starting at $35,998
Used Lexus IS
19 Great Deals out of 320 listings starting at $6,500
Used BMW X3
45 Great Deals out of 1,049 listings starting at $2,999
Used BMW M5
43 listings starting at $26,800
Used Dodge Charger
39 Great Deals out of 727 listings starting at $5,995
Used Ford Mustang
60 Great Deals out of 1,365 listings starting at $4,995
Used Mercedes-Benz E-Class
35 Great Deals out of 506 listings starting at $5,700
Used Honda Accord
56 Great Deals out of 991 listings starting at $2,000
Used Audi S4
7 Great Deals out of 91 listings starting at $8,900

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.