Cars for Sale by Owner in Phoenix, AZ (2024)

FAQs

How to buy a private sale car in Arizona? ›

Avoiding sales tax can be incredibly beneficial to your car purchase, but it's only possible in some states. Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Delaware, and New Hampshire have no statewide sales tax. You'll note that these states also generally correspond to the states with the lowest unexpected fees.

No. Casual sales between private parties are not taxable. When you register your vehicle at MVD, bring a copy of the bill of sale or any documentation that shows you purchased the vehicle from a private party.

You may not operate the vehicle until it is registered or until you purchase a Restricted Use 3-Day Permit, available at EZ Permit, or at any MVD or authorized third-party office.

There's no rule to how many miles on a used car is too much, but by attempting to stick to the 12,000 miles per year rule is a great place to start. Find out how old the car is, multiple the number of years by 12,000, and if the number on the odometer is significantly higher than that, some concern might be warranted.

Both Carvana and CarMax advertise no-haggle pricing, but Carvana offers a seamless selling process that helps it come out ahead in our rankings. We give Carvana the edge over CarMax as a car selling website. Our team rates CarMax just slightly ahead of Carvana for its car buying services.

Buying a vehicle in Buckeye could save buyers $966 compared to the average cost in the rest of Arizona, according to a study by Autolist.com. That makes Buckeye the most affordable place in the state to purchase a new vehicle.

What type of car is best for Arizona? ›

Fuel Efficiency is Key: Arizona's hot climate makes fuel-efficient cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla strong contenders.

The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time with over 50 million units sold. Many choose the Corolla for its affordability, safety features, driving assistance tech, and reliable performance. Other top-selling vehicles include the Ford F-Series, Volkswagen Golf, and Honda Civic.

High-cost states like Alabama, Arizona, California, and Tennessee can also be problematic due to additional fees that can average around $2,000. Documentation fees can be particularly high in Alabama, Virginia, and North Carolina, with fees ranging from $485 to $599.

If you buy from a private seller, you need a bill of sale and the vehicle's title – including purchase price, completed transfer sections, and notarized signatures of you and the seller – before you can register the car in your name. Take the right stuff to the dealer.

Whether or not you have a bill of sale, you can transfer ownership of a vehicle in a private party sale with a notarized vehicle title. The MVD has a simple Arizona vehicle bill of sale that you can download and complete.

Notary certification is not required in many states, however in Arizona. A notary public's signature, stamp, and seal are required for a title transfer in Arizona to be legally binding.

***In Arizona, the title no longer requires a notary or MVD Agent to witness the seller signature as of October 2022. However, If you are selling to an out-of-state buyer, we recommend you come in so we can notarize the title to prevent problems in a different state.