The actual act of purchasing a car is very simple, you have decided on the car you want, be it brand new from a dealer or second hand from the owner. The price has been agreed upon, (please bear in mind that this being Malaysia, you can haggle even if you are purchasing a brand new vehicle, in fact the market is so bad right now that you will be able to get some really good deals out there) then, you pay a small earnest deposit, sign a document that states your intention to purchase said vehicle at the agreed price and upon payment of the remainder of the purchase price, the seller will then sign over ownership to you. This works pretty much the same way for a new car as well.

Transfer of ownership can take up to two weeks, that is why I prefer to use a runner. They know their job and for a few ringgit more, they will do everything that is tedious and time consuming for you except clean your windows! Once the transfer is done, the car is yours! Unless of course if you have financed the purchase of your vehicle, that… is another story, but the long and short of it is that the Bank owns the car until you complete the payments.