How to Sell a Car in Alabama

If you have a car in Alabama that you do not want to keep or just no longer need to keep, you can sell it on your own. The process of selling a car in Alabama is no different from selling it other states, with the exception of the registration requirements. When you are ready to sell your car in Alabama, you do not need a lawyer because you can make the sale on your own.

Instructions

1

Apply for a replacement title from the Alabama Motor Vehicle Division if you cannot find your car title. You can download the application from the Alabama Motor Vehicle Division website (see Resource section). Return the form with the $15 fee to the Motor Vehicle Division at 50 North Ripley Street, Room 1239, Montgomery, AL 36104, or at any county title and registration office. The Alabama Department of Revenue website (see Resource section) has a list of all the offices in the state.

2

Check your current registration to make sure that it is valid. You will see the expiration date listed on your registration form. Alabama law requires your registration to be up-to-date in order for you to sell the car. You can take your expired registration to your local county title and registration office to renew it. Fees vary by county, with all counties having a $15 late fee as of October 2010.

3

Remove your license plate from the vehicle. The new owner is required to register the car and get a license plate of his own.

4

Create a bill of sale for the vehicle. You can view a sample on the Invoice Templates website (see Resource section). The bill of sale should include a space for your name, your address, the buyer's name, the buyer's address, the VIN number of the car, a description of the car, the odometer reading at the time of the sale, the title number and the sales price. Include a statement that the buyer is purchasing the car as is, so that you are not liable for anything that goes wrong with the vehicle after the sale. Also, leave space at the bottom for each of you to sign and date the bill of sale.

5

Complete the bill of sale with the buyer and sign over your car title to the buyer. Once you do this, you have officially released ownership of the car to the buyer.