Depends on the state. In Georgia, you can go to the Department of Revenue's site, punch in a VIN or year/model of a car, and get the exact ad valorem that would be due when buying a car. It makes it pretty trivial to figure out what your ballpark out the door price should be before you even start negotiating and avoids letting the the dealership make negotiations revolve around monthly payments.
I have my issues with how Georgia does AVT -- it's paid on any car when first registered in the state, including a car you already own when moving in -- but it's kind of ridiculous that at least being able to easily know what the state is going to charge you isn't standard across the board.
Yes, of course it depends on the state. CarMax operates in 41 states.[1] Given that some customers are known to cross state lines in order to purchase vehicles, CarMax likely calculates taxes for every state except Alaska and Hawaii. In some states, the tax rules are arcane enough that they depend on the municipality as well.
Depends on the state. In Georgia, you can go to the Department of Revenue's site, punch in a VIN or year/model of a car, and get the exact ad valorem that would be due when buying a car. It makes it pretty trivial to figure out what your ballpark out the door price should be before you even start negotiating and avoids letting the the dealership make negotiations revolve around monthly payments.
I have my issues with how Georgia does AVT -- it's paid on any car when first registered in the state, including a car you already own when moving in -- but it's kind of ridiculous that at least being able to easily know what the state is going to charge you isn't standard across the board.