How does buying car insurance on your first car work?

How does buying car insurance on your first car work?

I'm looking online and it looks like you need at least liability insurance to drive the car on the roads. If I buy a car, when do I get the insurance? How do I get the insurance without having a policy before hand?

First, you pick a vehicle that you're seriously looking at buying. Then you call an agent / broker or six and ask for a quote. Go ahead and tell them it's your first time doing this, and feel free to ask "what is that" when they say stuff like liability limits, PIP coverage, deductibles and all those other mumbo-jumbo words they use.

You want to get at least two quotes, but don't go crazy. Once you've called six places, you'll start hearing the same numbers over and over if you keep calling around.

Then you find out who's got the best price and service, call them up and tell them you'd like to sign up. The best price is easy to spot, but service is only slightly harder to spot. That's why you ask so many questions when getting the quote. Any idiot can say "this much a month, sign here", but only a professional will take the time to explain what you're signing.

You'd only get the policy, of course, once you've decided to buy the car. You'd make the policy take effect the same day as you're picking up the vehicle from the seller (you can get the quotes and the policy the same day, right on the spot if you need to), and you're done. Take the proof of insurance with you when you pick up the vehicle, and you're good to go.