The used car market is national. A one-owner low-mileage Range Rover in Arizona, a lifetime-garaged Corvette in Georgia, a rust-free Land Cruiser in California — the exact vehicle you want may be a thousand miles away. And with modern shipping logistics, buying a car remotely from another state is genuinely feasible.

It is also full of ways to get burned. Fraud is rampant. Titles get mishandled. Cars turn out to be materially different from their photos. Damaged shipping deliveries turn into insurance nightmares.

Chicago sits in an unusual position for out-of-state buying. O'Hare and Midway make round-trip inspection travel practical. The city's dense freight infrastructure makes inbound auto transport reliable and reasonably priced. At Autos of Chicago, we work with out-of-state buyers regularly — both as a buyer of vehicles coming into our lot from outside Illinois and as a seller shipping to buyers across the country. This is the step-by-step process we recommend.

Step 1: Verify the Vehicle Before You Do Anything Else

Never send money based on photos and a phone call. The single most common out-of-state car-buying disaster starts with a buyer wiring a deposit to a seller they never verified.

Do these three things:

Run the VIN through CARFAX and AutoCheck. Confirm title history, accident history, service history, and geographic history match what the seller has told you. (See our guide to reading a CARFAX report like a dealer.)
Verify the seller's identity. Get their driver's license photo. Confirm the seller's name matches the title they will be transferring. If it does not, walk away.
Video-call the vehicle. Ask the seller to walk around the vehicle live on camera. Check every angle, the VIN plate, the odometer reading, and the general condition. If the seller refuses a live video, walk away.

Step 2: Get a Third-Party Pre-Purchase Inspection

This is the step nobody wants to pay for and everybody wishes they had.

Contract with an independent mechanic in the seller's city to inspect the vehicle in person before you commit. A quality pre-purchase inspection (PPI) costs $150–$400 and gives you a written report on:

Engine, transmission, and drivetrain condition
Suspension, steering, and brake wear
Body panel alignment and any signs of accident repair
Underbody rust and corrosion inspection
Fluid conditions (oil, coolant, brake, transmission)
Test drive impressions
Full scan tool report for stored fault codes

For luxury or specialty vehicles (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Land Rover, Porsche, Tesla), pay extra for a brand-specific specialist. A generic mechanic cannot properly evaluate a Range Rover air suspension system.

How to find a PPI mechanic remotely: Google "[brand] independent specialist [seller city]" and look for shops with fifty or more Google reviews and dealer-level factory diagnostic equipment mentioned in their listings.

Step 3: Handle the Title and Financing Correctly

The title transfer is where out-of-state deals commonly stall. Handle it correctly by doing these things in this order:

Never wire funds to an individual seller for a vehicle you have not physically inspected or arranged a verified inspection for. If the seller insists on wired funds only and cannot use an escrow service or dealership-mediated transaction, walk away.
Use a licensed dealer as the transaction intermediary if possible. Working with a dealer like Autos of Chicago on out-of-state purchases dramatically reduces title fraud risk because the paperwork flows through professional channels rather than direct owner-to-owner.
Verify title status matches the state of registration. Titles do not always transfer state-to-state cleanly. Illinois requires additional paperwork for certain out-of-state titles, including salvage/rebuilt histories that may not have been fully disclosed in another state.
Confirm financing options work across state lines before purchase. Most banks and credit unions can finance an out-of-state purchase but require specific documentation timing.

Step 4: Arrange Shipping Correctly

Shipping a car to Chicago typically takes 5–14 days depending on origin. Costs range from $700 (nearby states) to $2,500 (coastal or specialty enclosed transport). Two important choices:

Open vs. Enclosed Transport

Open transport (typical car hauler): cheaper, faster, more available. Fine for daily-driver vehicles and standard used cars.
Enclosed transport: more expensive ($400–$1,500 upcharge), protects against weather and road debris. Recommended for anything over $50,000, any specialty vehicle, or any vehicle that will not tolerate winter salt exposure during transit.

How to Vet a Shipping Company

Confirm DOT number and MC number (both are federally required for interstate auto transporters).
Request the specific broker's insurance certificate and confirm cargo coverage limits are adequate for the vehicle's value.
Read Google and BBB reviews specifically for the shipping company (not just the brokerage that arranged the shipment).
Get delivery date estimates in writing.
Never pay the full shipping fee upfront — reputable transporters charge a small deposit and the balance on delivery.

Step 5: Inspect at Delivery Before Signing

The moment the truck arrives is the moment you either accept the vehicle or file a damage claim. Do not sign the bill of lading until you have:

Walked around the vehicle in daylight and inspected every panel for shipping damage
Confirmed mileage matches what was documented at pickup
Verified the interior condition matches inspection reports
Confirmed you have both keys, the owner's manual, and any accessories included in the sale
Started the vehicle and confirmed it runs

Any damage that occurred in transit must be noted on the bill of lading at the moment of delivery. Damage that is discovered "later" is generally not covered by shipping insurance.

Step 6: Register the Vehicle in Illinois

Illinois requires out-of-state vehicles to be registered within thirty days of purchase or entry into the state. Required documents:

Original title (properly signed by seller)
Bill of sale
Odometer disclosure statement
Proof of Illinois insurance
Application for Illinois Certificate of Title (Form VSD-190)
Payment for title fee, registration, and sales tax based on the higher of the purchase price or the state's fair market value determination

Sales tax on out-of-state purchases: Illinois collects use tax on any vehicle purchased outside the state and registered within Illinois. Rate depends on your county — Cook County is roughly 7.25%, other collar counties are typically 7%.

Why Working With a Dealer Is Often Easier

Buying out-of-state privately is doable but complex. Working through a dealer like Autos of Chicago on out-of-state purchases eliminates most of the friction:

We handle title paperwork correctly for Illinois registration.
We manage the shipping logistics from origin to Arlington Heights.
We provide vehicle inspection through our own service department upon arrival — before you take delivery.
We can finance the vehicle at competitive Illinois rates.
You can walk away with recourse if the vehicle arrives materially different from what was represented.

Whether you found the vehicle yourself and want us to be the transaction intermediary, or you would rather have us source a specific vehicle from anywhere in the country and deliver it to our Arlington Heights lot for your inspection, we do both.

Buying Out-of-State Through Autos of Chicago

We work with buyers across all fifty states. Whether you found a specific vehicle in Arizona and want us to broker the deal, or you want us to source a specific make and model from anywhere in the country, our out-of-state buying program handles the entire process: