After reading quite a few threads I think I am more confused than when I started! I am leaving the country next week and need to sell my car. I am hoping to sell it privately. Could someone please provide me with a list of what I need to do to actually sell it, or paperwork to fill out? I know that I will need to hand in the licence plates. Do we have to go to a traffic office together, and what would we bring? What is the roadworthy Motorfahrzeugkontrolle test? Does it need to be done?

Thanks for helping out - there are so many last minute things about moving that I am discovering that I wish I knew months ago!

Julie

Selling a car within a week is a formidable task! Hope it is a popular model like VW-Golf.

You can try driving past the second-hand dealers and get a feel for the market. The dealers will offer you a miserable price. But, you get cash and they take care of the formalities.

You need to go with the buyer of the car to the strassenverkehrsamt where you'll sign over the fahrzeugausweis to the new owner.

Once you've done that, you can hand in your license plates and you'll get a piece of paper that you'll have to send to your insurance agency to cancel your insurance.

As far as I know, that's you done...

The MFK test is not a prerequisite to sell a car. A recent test certificate however increases the value of the car. The buyer then has expert proof that the car is roadworthy. You might have to wait several weeks to get a time slot, i.e. not feasible if you want to sell next week.

OK, I actually sold the car (had to mark it down really cheap for a quick sale)! So do we need to be at the same traffic control office for anything? The person who bought it lives far out so was going to get the licence plates there. Can I just go to my local office and hand in the plates? Or can I do that just at the post office? Or do I still need to transfer things into his name at the traffic office?

Thanks!!

Julie

You can hand in the licence plates at your office, and the new owner can take the train/bus/tram to your house, pay you the cash, stick the number plates on the car, and drive away.

Make sure the car is not parked on a public road with no numberplates (that's not allowed)