What to Do After Buying a Used Car

Congratulations on your purchase of a quality used vehicle or a like-new certified pre-owned model for your Cape Coral-area drives. We have several great selections on our lot that have bargain prices compared to other new vehicles for sale. That’s why we want to make your car-buying experience easier. We’d love to see you drive home with a new-to-you car, truck, or SUV.

Once you sign on the dotted line and have the keys, you have a few steps after buying a used car that you need to take care of. There’s some paperwork involved, but once you accomplish these tasks, you’re good to go until your first maintenance visit.

Read our guide on what to do after buying a used car from Val Ward Cadillac, located near Naples. We want you to get the most out of your vehicle! We’ll cover all of the steps after buying a used car that you need to handle for the best results.

Steps After Buying a Used Car

You need to know what to do after buying a used car because there’s some paperwork that makes your purchase more solidified with the DMV. Again, these are just steps you have to do once and then you’re good to go for a while. 

See these steps after buying a used car to make sure everything is set up correctly: 

1. Buy Vehicle Insurance: You can’t drive a car without the minimum amount of auto insurance. Talk to an auto insurance provider, and make sure to have the minimum amount of coverage needed. Your auto lender might require more coverage than the state minimum. Once you pay off the loan, you can just maintain the minimum amount of insurance if you wish.
2. Transfer the Title: If you purchase a car from a dealership like Val Ward Cadillac, we’ll handle the title transfer for you. For a private seller, you’ll need to take care of this.
3. Register the Car: You’ll have temporary plates on your vehicle to drive away from our lot. You generally have 30 days to pay the sales tax and fees to get permanent license plates when you register the vehicle at the local DMV office.
4. Choose a Mechanic You Trust: Maintain your vehicle with a trusted mechanic. We highly recommend our factory-trained service technicians at Val Ward Cadillac. Our team takes care of everything automotive related.
5. Schedule Service: Your next maintenance should be an oil change and tire rotation after 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Schedule your next service with us. We’ll let you know the next appointment time.
6. Review the Owner’s Manual: Make sure you know everything about your vehicle’s operation, features, and maintenance schedule.
7. Check for Recalls: Always keep an eye out for any recalls that might affect you. If you see a recall, you can take it to a dealer with a relationship with a manufacturer to get it fixed.
8. Think About Getting an Extended Warranty: Having an extended warranty can give you peace of mind for breakdowns. Our CPO vehicles come with this warranty option.

Test-Drive Our Used Vehicles for Sale in Fort Myers

You now know what to do after buying a used car. We invite you to look over our used vehicle inventory, which doesn’t have a bad one in the bunch. Contact us or call (239) 219-0661 to schedule a test drive with our team near Bonita Springs. Explore our used vehicle specials that could lower your price even more!