Buying a New Car in Virginia

When buying a new car in Virginia, there are a number of details that you must take into consideration concerning both the actual decision of which vehicle to purchase and what happens after when it comes time to register and title your automobile. For example, it is hard to get a clear idea of what you are looking for in a car or truck until you have test driven as many different brands of vehicles as possible. It's also important to know your way through the labyrinthine fees and forms required by the state prior to driving your vehicle from the car dealer lot to your home. This article points you towards the best parts of Virginia for finding as many new car dealerships as possible, and also outlines the steps required in the vehicle registration process.

Virgina's mid-Atlantic positioning puts the state in close proximity to some very important population centers. This means that Virginians face good prospects both inside and outside of their home state's borders when it comes to finding a wide selection of vehicles. Without question, the capital city of Richmond offers the greatest choice of different car dealerships in Virginia, but there are also some other very good options, such as Alexandria, Virginia Beach and Fredericksburg, which provide a healthy range of new car and truck choices.

In Virginia, most new car dealers are used to helping you file the necessary registration paperwork, and they will also usually include the fees that you must pay with the total price of the vehicle that you have decided to purchase. The cost of registration is directly tied into the weight of the car or truck in question. Any vehicle under 4,000 lbs faces a charge of $38.75, which those above 4,001 lbs are hit with a $43.75 fee. Pickup trucks which are between 6,501 lbs and 7,500 lbs see an addition $6.00 added onto this top-tier registration charge. There is also a title fee of $10.00 which must be paid.

Sales tax on a brand new car or truck in Virginia is set at 3 percent of the vehicle's MSRP. Each county in the state is also capable of charging a variable property tax on an automobile's MSRP as well, although Virginia has implemented a program designed to reduce the cost burden of that tax. Called the Personal Property Tax Relief Act, it allows the state to credit car owners on a percentage of their property taxes on the first $20,000 of their car or truck's MSRP.