Used Cars in Livingston, NJ

Livingston runs the most car-dependent numbers of any township we serve. 88.9% own their home. Households average 2.98 people. Median household income is $229,806. And the mean travel time to work is 37.6 minutes — the longest figure anywhere in our service area, by several minutes.

There is a straightforward reason for that last number: Livingston has no NJ Transit rail station at all. The nearest are five to seven miles away in Short Hills, Millburn and South Orange. Everything here moves by car.

Apex Motors of Pine Brook is 7.6 miles north — Route 46 to I-280 and County Route 527, about thirteen minutes. Our South Hackensack lot is 24 miles away and closer to thirty-five, so Pine Brook is your lot unless a particular vehicle is sitting at the other one.

Why buy a used car in Livingston

No station, so the household runs on cars

A 37.6 minute average commute with no local rail means most Livingston households run multiple vehicles, and the used purchase is almost always an additional one rather than the only one. That is usually a teenager’s first car, a commuter vehicle to keep the miles off something newer, or a second family car.

For getting into Manhattan without driving the whole way, Community Coach route 77 runs from the Livingston Mall park-and-ride to the Port Authority, roughly thirteen weekday departures taking 62 to 80 minutes. The park-and-ride is why a cheap, reliable second car makes sense here — it sits in a lot all day and does short cold-start journeys, which is exactly the duty cycle where buying used rather than new saves the most money.

High income does not mean buy new

At $229,806 median household income and 88.9% owner occupancy, Livingston buyers are not usually shopping on payment affordability. What they tend to want is the sensible version of an expensive car: a two or three-year-old BMW, Lexus or Acura at a used price, or a well-kept mid-size SUV for a new driver. We carry BMW and Lexus alongside Honda, Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Nissan on one lot, which means you can cross-shop an X3 against an RX against a Highlander in a single visit instead of driving to three franchise dealerships.

Practical notes on parking

Livingston’s commuter lots require a permit, operate 6:00 a.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday, and do not allow overnight parking — vehicles left overnight can be towed at the owner’s cost. The township code also contains a provision headed parking prohibited between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., but we could not confirm from the published text whether that applies township-wide or only to listed streets, so check your own address with the township rather than assuming either way.

What a used car actually costs in Livingston

The state rate is 6.625%, applied after any trade-in allowance rather than to the full sale price — which is why trading in here is worth running the numbers on. The conditions are specific: registered dealer, taken for resale, and both sides of the deal signed together.

The title fee is $60 outright, $85 with financing attached. Registration is charged on weight and model year rather than value. Most used passenger cars land between $46.50 and $84 a year. The MVC publishes a calculator if you want the exact figure for a specific car.

There is no legal ceiling on documentation fees in New Jersey. There is, however, a rule about where the fee has to sit: an advertised price must cover everything the consumer pays except licensing, registration and taxes, and the services behind the fee have to be itemised on your paperwork in at least 10-point type. Compare advertised prices, not doc fees.

One thing that surprises a lot of buyers: when you buy from a licensed dealer you do not go to the MVC at all. The dealer files the title and registration. You only need an agency if you are buying privately. If you do need MVC services, East Orange at 183 South 18th Street is the closest by driving time — about sixteen minutes via I-280 — and handles both licensing and vehicle work. Springfield at 271 Route 22 is nearer in miles but slower on surface roads. For inspection, note that the Newark facility on Frelinghuysen Avenue is permanently closed; the nearest options are Rahway or Randolph.

Distance and directions

From Livingston to Apex Motors of Pine Brook

About 7.6 miles. County Route 527 north to I-280 and Route 46 — roughly thirteen minutes. This is your lot.

From Livingston to Apex Motors of South Hackensack

About 24 miles northeast, roughly thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Worth the trip only for a specific vehicle — call and we will check what is at each lot first.

Sunday closing

Both lots close Sundays. Buying or selling motor vehicles on a Sunday is a disorderly persons offence under New Jersey law, statewide.