Buying a car from a neighbor? You've got 30 days to title it

Buy a truck from someone down the road and the clock starts the day money changes hands: Texas wants the title in the buyer's name within 30 days of the sale. Miss it and late fees pile on. In Starr County you handle that at the Tax Assessor-Collector's office at 100 N. FM 3167 in Rio Grande City, or at the La Victoria or Roma substations.

The smoothest way to do a private sale is the one the state itself recommends — have the seller come to the tax office with the buyer. That way the title application gets filled out right the first time, with both signatures present, and you don't end up chasing a former owner across town to fix a blank line.

While you're there, the same county office handles registration renewals, address changes on your record, replacement registration receipts, and temporary registration. It's the one stop for almost everything between you and a legal set of plates.