Title a Bought-From-a-Stranger Car Within 30 Days

You buy a pickup off somebody in San Angelo, hand over cash, drive away with the signed title, and you're not done. Texas gives you 30 days from the date of sale to retitle it in your name at the Tom Green County Tax Office at 113 W. Beauregard. Miss that window and delinquent transfer penalties start piling onto what you owe.

What you bring: the title signed over by the seller, and Form 130-U, the Application for Texas Title and Registration. There's a smarter move, too. Bring the seller with you. The county clerk at the counter can pull up the title and flag a salvage brand or a lien before you've sunk money into a vehicle with a problem, which is a lot cheaper than finding out afterward.

One thing the tax office can't do for you: driver licenses and state IDs. Those are a DPS errand at a different building, so don't get in the title line expecting to renew your license while you're there. The tax office phone is 325-659-6529 if you want to confirm what paperwork they'll need for your particular sale.