What to Bring to the Dealership When Buying a Pickup Truck

Buying a pickup truck (or car) can be an arduous process…but with a little planning and a simple checklist, you can lessen the time spent.

We’d like to make buying a pickup truck as quick and painless as possible.

Here’s a list of the items to bring with you to help speed up your shopping process and get you in and out with minimum hassle.

1. Your driver’s license

You need to be a licensed driver to drive the vehicle off the lot. The driver’s license also serves as identification for your lender, your check or other forms of payment.

2. Proof of auto insurance

To drive a pickup truck off the lot, you need to prove that you have insurance on that car. You can call ahead and set up the new insurance policy if you know which pickup truck you are buying. Or you can call from the dealership and give your insurance company the new car’s vehicle identification number (VIN). Your insurer will provide coverage details to the dealership and your lender. In some cases, however, all the dealer requires is for you to show that you have a current auto insurance policy.

3. Your trade-in vehicle and ALL that comes with it

• Certificate of title (if you don’t have it, the DMV can tell you how to get it replaced). Note: if you have an outstanding loan on the vehicle, this will not apply since the bank has your certificate of title.
• Current registration.
• All your car keys, accessories that came with the car and the owner’s manual.
• If you still have a loan on the car, you’ll need to have your account number or a payment stub.
• Maintenance records. These help support your claims about whatever prior damage your car has had and the repairs it has undergone.

Pro Tip: Before you visit the dealership, be sure to take these important steps to get the most for your trade-in:

• Use online tools to appraise your car’s value. Edmunds.com and kbb.com are two great resources to appraise your trade-in’s value.
• Be honest with yourself about your car’s trade-in condition. The more forthright you are when using online appraisal tools, the better off you’ll be when it comes time to trade it in. Very often, people come into the dealership with an overly-optimistic idea of what their car is worth, only to find that reality is less optimistic.
• Give your trade-in curb appeal.
  • Clean the exterior and interior well.
  • Remove small dents.
  • Fix window glass defects.

One of the most popular questions we get from our customers when they’re trading in is, “Should I detail my vehicle before I trade in?” The quick answer is yes, but there are important factors to keep in mind. Read more about taking the right steps to detail your trade-in here.

4. Your Payment: how will you be paying for the pickup truck?

Payment can be made by check from a bank or credit union.

When the dealership is handling the financing, the down payment can be in the form of a cashier’s check, a personal check or even a credit card payment. To find out what forms of payment the dealership will accept, call ahead of time and ask to speak with a finance manager.

If you plan on financing your pickup truck, it’s a good idea to have these ready:

• Last two recent pay stubs (if you have more than one job, bring the stubs from those as well)
• Proof of residency (any current utility bill should do, such as water or electric)
• List of references (not including anyone living in your household)
• Your credit score (read more about how to do that here). The higher your score, the better your financing terms will be.

Pro Tip: We strongly recommend that pickup truck buyers get pre-approved financing, even if they intend to finance at the dealership. We have an easy way to get pre-qualified at Dye Autos. Just click >>here<< to fill out our online form.