Do ATM not work in case of out of state accounts where you live. That is usually how we'd manage transactions or else swipe our debit/credit card anywhere in the country. But I am in India and I believe it is not the same everywhere.
Here ATMs typically have daily withdrawal limits. I believe I can only withdraw $400 daily from an ATM - for larger amounts I need to see the teller inside the bank.
The bank we keep all our money in doesn't operate in the state we are traveling to. However, we do have two Chase checking accounts (opened solely for the $300 sign-up bonus). There's a Chase branch 10 minutes away from the dealership.
This is looking like possibly the best route. Find all my Chase checking info, move money into the Chase account, and be ready to head to the Chase branch and withdraw funds if the dealer won't take my credit card. This way I'd only have the cash in hand for 10 minutes instead of a few days. The downside of this approach is that it compresses our timeline because the bank closes at 2pm on Saturday - the only day we have available to car shop. This would ruin our plans for a leisurely breakfast and chilling in the morning, so my husband might not go for it.
First things first, though, I will call the dealer today and just ask them what forms of payment they will accept. I was a tad reluctant to do this because then he knows upfront that I don't want financing and may therefore be less willing to negotiate price. (It's a very small dealership, his inventory looks like about 13 cars! so I'm fairly certain he'll connect the dots if someone calls asking about out of state checks and then a few days later a similar sounding lady shows up car shopping.)