St. Louis Selling Guides
Sell smarter. Here's how.
Titles, the Gateway emissions program, Illinois-side paperwork, and the honest math of selling a car in this metro — written by the people who buy them every day.
Written and updated by the Sell My Car STL team
Paperwork
Titles, signatures, and which side of the river you are on
How to Sell a Car in St. Louis: The Complete Checklist
Every form, signature, and deadline for selling a car in the St. Louis metro — title assignment, the 30-day notice, the plate rule, and the two things that are different on the Illinois side.
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Selling an Illinois-Titled Car in the Metro East
Belleville, Edwardsville, Granite City, Alton: how Illinois titling actually works, what Form RUT-50 does, and what changes when your buyer is across the river in Missouri.
Read the guideTricky situations
Failed emissions tests and cars with a story
Getting the most money
The arithmetic almost nobody runs before selling
Missouri vs. Illinois: Where You Sell Changes What You Keep
One metro, two states, two completely different sets of rules. The trade-in credit, the private-party tax, the agency names, and which side of the river actually favors the seller.
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Personal Property Tax and the Best Month to Sell Your Car
Missouri taxes you on the vehicles you owned on January 1. If a car is leaving anyway, the month you sell it is worth real money — here is the arithmetic.
Read the guideThese guides are written for the St. Louis metro on both sides of the river — and the paperwork gets easier at either of our lots in Ballwin or O'Fallon, where we handle it for you. See all the areas we serve.
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