5 tasks and about 3 hours of work in all, spread over 3 weeks. Deadlines count from the day you take the car home.
1
Confirm insurance covers the new car
Within 2 daysAbout 30 minutes
Grace periods for a newly acquired vehicle vary from 4 to 30 days by policy, and some policies have none at all for an additional (not replacement) car.How: Call your insurer with the VIN before or the day you take delivery; compare comprehensive/collision quotes while you’re on the phone.If you skip it: Totaling an uninsured car in week one and losing the full purchase price.2
File the purchase paperwork and warranty terms
Within a weekAbout 20 minutes
The purchase agreement, loan terms, and warranty booklet are what you’ll need for disputes, insurance claims, and resale.How: Scan the purchase agreement, financing contract, and warranty terms somewhere you’ll find them again (in adulting.app, the document vault), and keep the originals with your title documents.If you skip it: Arguing with a dealer or insurer from memory instead of from the contract.3
Verify title and registration are actually filed
Within 2 weeksAbout an hour
Dealers handle this “for you” but errors and delays are common; private-party sales leave it entirely to you, usually with a 10–30 day deadline.How: Dealer sale: confirm the registration arrives before the temporary plate expires. Private sale: take the signed title and bill of sale to the DMV yourself.If you skip it: Driving on an expired temp plate, which means a stop, a fine, and in some states a tow.Find your state’s DMV (USA.gov)4
Set up the maintenance schedule
Within 2 weeksAbout 30 minutes
The factory schedule in the manual is the difference between a 250k-mile car and a 120k-mile car, and skipped services can void the warranty.How: Find the service intervals in the owner’s manual (or the manufacturer’s app) and put them on a recurring schedule. In adulting.app, adding the car as an asset does this for you, so oil changes and rotations come back on their own.If you skip it: A denied warranty claim on a major repair because you can’t show the required service history.5
Check whether you need gap coverage
Within 3 weeksAbout 30 minutes
A new car can be worth less than its loan balance for years. If it’s totaled, standard insurance pays its value, not your payoff, and you owe the difference.How: Compare your loan balance to the car’s current value; if you’re underwater, price gap coverage from your insurer (usually far cheaper than the dealer’s).If you skip it: Making monthly payments on a car that no longer exists.