Test drives, paperwork and payment

The riskiest ten minutes of a private vehicle sale are the ones where the keys, the money and the title move. Do them in the right order, with the right checks, and neither side is exposed.

The test drive, as the seller

• See their driving license before they get in, and photograph it. Check the name matches the person.
• Check they are insured to drive it. In most states your policy is what is covering the car, and a crash on a test drive is your problem. Ask to see their insurance card.
• Go with them. Never hand the keys to a stranger and wait.
• Agree the route first, and keep it short and local.
• Take your own belongings out of the car, and do not leave the title, the registration or spare keys in it.
• Tell somebody where you will be, and meet somewhere public.

The test drive, as the buyer

• Check your own insurance covers you to drive a car you do not own. Many policies do; assuming is expensive.
• Drive it cold, then at low speed, then at highway speed. Brake hard once, somewhere safe.
• Turn the radio off and listen.
• Test everything electrical: windows, locks, air conditioning, heater, lights, wipers, every dashboard warning light going out after start.
• If you are having it inspected, drive it to the mechanic and let them decide, not the seller.

The paperwork

Requirements differ by state, so check your own state's motor vehicle agency before the day. What is true everywhere:

• The title is the transaction. The seller signs it over to the buyer, in front of the buyer. Some states require a notary; find out which yours is beforehand rather than in a parking lot.
• The name on the title must be the seller's, and match their identification. A signature from someone whose name is not on the title transfers nothing.
• Write a bill of sale, two copies, both signed. Date, price, year, make, model, VIN, odometer reading, and both names and addresses. Say whether it is sold as seen.
• Record the odometer reading on both the title and the bill of sale. A federal disclosure is required for most vehicles.
• Deal with plates and registration. In most states the plates stay with the seller. The buyer registers the vehicle in their own name, usually within a set number of days.
• The seller should file a release of liability with their state agency the same day. Without it, tickets and tolls the buyer collects come to you.
• Both of you cancel or start insurance on the day, not the week after.

The payment

Jinu does not process payment between a buyer and a seller. There is no escrow, no Jinu checkout for the vehicle, and no payment protection, so the method you choose is the whole of your protection.

• Cash works for smaller amounts. Count it before anything moves, and meet somewhere with cameras. Do not carry more than the deal needs.
• Meeting at the buyer's bank is the best answer for a larger sum. The teller verifies the funds, the money moves in a building with security, and both of you can sign there.
• A cashier's check handed over anywhere other than the issuing bank is not safe. Forged checks are the standard vehicle scam, and a bank may credit the funds days before it bounces.
• Never accept an overpayment and never wire back a difference.
• Never accept a wire, Zelle, Cash App, gift cards or cryptocurrency from a stranger, and never send them. All are irreversible and none carries protection.
• Never pay a deposit for a vehicle you have not seen.

If there is a loan on the vehicle, the payoff goes through the lender. Do the handover at the buyer's bank or the lender's branch, so the lien is cleared and the title released as part of the same meeting.

The order that keeps both sides safe

1. Inspection done and any faults agreed.
2. Price agreed in the Jinu conversation, so there is a record.
3. Meet at the buyer's bank. Funds verified.
4. Bill of sale signed, two copies.
5. Title signed over, notarized if your state requires it.
6. Payment handed over.
7. Keys handed over. Plates removed if your state keeps them with the seller.
8. Seller files the release of liability. Buyer registers and insures.

Afterwards, on Jinu

Mark the listing sold and name the buyer. That takes it out of every for-sale feed, tells anyone who saved it, and opens the confirmed deal that lets the two of you review each other once they confirm. See Confirm a purchase or a sale.