Can I Pay for a Car With a Check

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09-06-2010, 10:35 PM

4,795 posts, read 11,504,027 times Reputation: 8365

I'll be paying cash for a new car I buy at the dealership soon. I have never done that before from a dealer, always got loans before. Will dealers take personal checks for the full amount or do they usually require a chasier's checks from your bank?

09-06-2010, 11:51 PM

Location: Washington, DC & New York 10,919 posts, read 28,834,259 times Reputation: 7106

Unless they know you personally, the dealer will want either a certified personal check or cashier's check for the car. The only times I have ever paid by a regular personal check, with no certification, is at a dealership that had sold cars to multiple people, and generations, in my family. Ask the dealership what would be acceptable forms of payment, since it can vary. The annoying problem can come into play when they try to sell you extras and your check is a cashier's check for the agreed upon price. __________________ All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. ~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII) City-Data Terms of Service City-Data FAQs

09-07-2010, 01:13 AM

sunsprit 11,454 posts, read 48,732,354 times Reputation: 15755

I have paid with a personal check for every car I've ever bought in person at a dealership for the last 45 years, and I didn't have a long term business relationship with any of them. It's never been an issue for them to accept my good check, and I've driven the car away upon completion of the deal at the time. Most deals were done after banking hours, so the dealerships could not even call my bank to verify that the check could clear at the time I gave it to them. I've bought cars in CA, AZ, NM, CO, and WY. Never been asked for anything except to finance a car, which I've identified at the beginning of our negotiations that I was a cash buyer, ready & capable to make a decision on the spot. With my driver's license for ID, and proof of car insurance, I had all the paperwork I've ever needed to do a deal. I didn't need to visit with their F&I department, I simply negotiated the "out the door" purchase price, added the sales taxes, and wrote my check. But maybe the dealerships in your area are different, and want certified funds. Call them and ask in advance ... although in today's soft sales environment, I'll bet if you showed up on their doorstep and made a deal, your good check for the full amount with proper ID would be most welcome.

09-07-2010, 04:28 AM

Wilson513 10,135 posts, read 25,392,659 times Reputation: 8339

In NYC they probably do require a cashier's check. Here in the midwest I have never paid other than with a personal check. Evey dealer takes a personal check. Private seller, different story.

09-07-2010, 09:18 AM

Location: Victoria TX 42,661 posts, read 80,534,556 times Reputation: 36386

Quote: Originally Posted by bmwguydc The annoying problem can come into play when they try to sell you extras and your check is a cashier's check for the agreed upon price. I don't see where that would be a problem. You have two choices. You can say "There's my check for the agreed-upon price---take it or leave it". Or you can pay the add-on with a personal check. No dealer is going to turn down a $20K sale to quibble over whether a $200 check is good.

09-07-2010, 09:39 AM

Location: Washington, DC & New York 10,919 posts, read 28,834,259 times Reputation: 7106

Quote: Originally Posted by jtur88 I don't see where that would be a problem. You have two choices. You can say "There's my check for the agreed-upon price---take it or leave it". Or you can pay the add-on with a personal check. No dealer is going to turn down a $20K sale to quibble over whether a $200 check is good. $200? The extras they tend to try to push on me range from $2-$6k. __________________ All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. ~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII) City-Data Terms of Service City-Data FAQs

09-07-2010, 09:48 AM

ShelbyGirl1 Location: California 10,091 posts, read 39,885,974 times Reputation: 22133

Any dealer we have ever dealt with has accepted a personal check.

09-07-2010, 10:15 AM

hoffdano Location: Central Texas 13,719 posts, read 28,112,787 times Reputation: 9250

Quote: Originally Posted by bmwguydc Unless they know you personally, the dealer will want either a certified personal check or cashier's check for the car. The only times I have ever paid by a regular personal check, with no certification, is at a dealership that had sold cars to multiple people, and generations, in my family. Ask the dealership what would be acceptable forms of payment, since it can vary. The annoying problem can come into play when they try to sell you extras and your check is a cashier's check for the agreed upon price. I paid for the last five vehicles we bought at a dealer with a personal check. Two Hondas, a Mazda, a Ford, and an Infiniti.

09-07-2010, 10:27 AM

marmac 9,803 posts, read 14,802,038 times Reputation: 8212

I bought a new 07 Camry, at a dealership I had never been before ( 60 miles away) and he took my personal check for $18,200.

09-07-2010, 10:46 AM

G.Costanza Location: NYC & NJ 747 posts, read 2,512,298 times Reputation: 337

Best to call the specific dealership in question, since YMMV

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Can I Pay for a Car With a Check

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