In all the excitement of purchasing your new car, you may forget that there are a few things you will have to take care of once you actually own the car. Some of them, such as changing or obtaining the title and registration, cannot be done until you have actually taken possession of the car, or at least have a bill of sale or other supporting documentation in your hand. Taking care of the car insurance, including getting new or updated insurance quotes, however, is something you can do beforehand.
Once you have done everything except actually take possession of the car, go ahead and contact your insurance company. Provide them with all the pertinent information, including any special safety features that are included on the car. Depending on what they are, you may qualify for a discount in your insurance rates. Ask them to provide you with additional insurance quotes that cover these things.
You really want to make sure you have this taken care of before you get behind the wheel as the true owner of the car. If you do this beforehand, it may only take a simple phone call to your agent to activate the new insurance so that it is in effect the minute you pull off the lot.
After you have taken full possession of the car, you probably have only a certain amount of time to have the title and registration changed over from your old vehicle to the new one, or to complete the entire process for getting the title and registration on the new vehicle. For some states, this can be as little as ten days from the date you actually take possession of the car; other states may allow 30 days.
This usually entails a trip to the courthouse or DMV. Make sure you have all the paperwork from the dealership, as well as proof of insurance.
