Have you? How did you handle registration? Did you slap a plate on and hope to not get pulled over?

We probably need more specifics here. As an example, in California, plates generally stay with a vehicle when it is sold. So if you drove to California to buy a used vehicle, you could likely drive it home to just about anywhere without a problem.

In other states, plates stay with the owner. If you buy their car, you likely need to at least get a temporary license or movement permit to get the car home.

There's also questions about how you pay sales or use tax on such a transaction. IE, you might have to pay sales tax in the state you purchase and your home state may or may not credit that back to you.

So detail will likely get you more useful answers....

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

it's been a few years, but IIRC, when I sold my boat w/trailer, there were state transfer-of-ownership forms that the owner/buyer signed. If you get stopped, just show them the paperwork.

There was no problem leaving the currently registered plates on the trailer.

You could probably find the info on the seller's state motor vehicle website.

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Northern California Coast



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2022 10:28PM by steve....

Which states? In WI I can just grab an extra set of plates or take the ones off my current car and use them for transport. In MN you have to go to the DMV and get a temp tag. I usually tow them back home on a trailer with my truck.

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C(-)ris
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Throwback Thursday Signature:




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2022 10:29PM by C(-)ris.

Are you buying from a dealership or an individual?

I bought a vehicle in DC while living in NY on my way to WI. All I remember is that it wasn't a big deal and I saved myself at least $4k buying this way.

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Just check on the DMV websites of the seller's state and buyer's state. The DMV websites should list the process, forms, documentation and fees involved, including if state sales tax is due at the DMV.

The Golden State (aka, California) wants their gold (or should I say, your gold) -- they would charge you sales tax of the purchase price if you buy out-of-state and bring it to CA and try to register it.

Twice I've purchased new vehicles, drove them for month-long trips along scenic roads back yo the Seattle/Tacoma shipyards to send them home to Kauai. Picked up a new Corvette at the Corvette Museum in 2006 and picked up a F150 in the Dallas area in 2010. I didn't pay any taxes or registration fees until I registered them here. The cars had temporary paper plates good for a month. Saved a LOT of money and had fun trips.

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MikeF
The Golden State (aka, California) wants their gold (or should I say, your gold) -- they would charge you sales tax of the purchase price if you buy out-of-state and bring it to CA and try to register it.

Washington will too.

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“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand.” Seneca the Younger

The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

Judge Lee wrote that “we cannot jettison our constitutional rights, even if the goal behind a law is laudable." 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

[www.youtube.com]

It's been a long time, but back in 2007, I bought a Honda Odyssey on eBay.

I flew from Virginia to Georgia to pick it up. Seller had all of the paperwork ready that would document the sale and my legal ownership. This may have included temporary plates.

No problems at all driving back home.

SR

In the fall we did a one way rental from Hertz (I think) and drove from Michigan to Pennsylvania to pickup our 2001 Mustang Cobra and drove it home. Sellers met us at the rental place and we did the paperwork at the Notary (Guess the Notary is their secretary of state stuff). Title was signed over to us and I opted to purchase a temp. plate to avoid any aggravations on my drive home. It did make me a little uncomfortable (just the unknown) but it went fine.

My first car I drove back from 1.5 hrs away.
It was when I was in high school.
I purchased it "as is" used in a private sale.

The brakes faded when I was going down a rural mountain on the way home.
I used engine braking by shifting it into a lower gear.
I managed to safely get home driving with extreme caution.

So... be careful driving back.

Edit:
I don't remember the details about the plates or title transfer. I think the old plates stayed with the car and I just signed the title transfer form.
I wasn't too worried about getting pulled over.
On that stretch of highway the police were more concerned with catching the numerous unlicensed and revoked-licensed drivers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2022 07:14AM by TheTominator.

In Philly, the cops won't/can't stop people driving non-street legal vehicles on the road. How can they stop a car without a plate?

2 years ago, wanted a Cadillac CT5-V with SuperCruise. SuperCruise was on EXTREME allocation with dealers, very limited production. None of the dealers in my area actually had allocation available, so, I went up the food chain. The largest Cadillac dealer in Michigan had allocation for 4 units in the 2021 production. I was their 1st on order for one, took 6 months to arrive, and drove 7 hours each way to get it, picked up on July 5th 2021. And I was the ONLY one to get one that year from that dealership FWIW. They made less than 125 total (!). Salesperson told me the day I picked it up he could sell it for me to another customer right then and there for $20K over what I paid. No thank you

Made it very easy for them, I had them write up all the paperwork and get me the final value after everything was factored in, and had a certified check for that amount, which I gave them all the info on a few days before going so they could verify with the bank, etc. - and went and picked it up, in, out, 60 minutes and back on the road.

Probably not as exciting as going and buying a 15 year old Corvette that may or may not break down on the journey, but it qualifies for "buy a car far away from home, drive it back home?"

Here it is fresh off the car carrier in the back lot of the dealership. Salesperson was texting me when the truck rolled into the lot LOL, he was just as excited as I was to see one.

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Good Luck!
Jamie Dresser
Other World Computing

In 2012, I flew out to Philadelphia to finalize a purchase of a car. I set myself up to fly back, if I decided not to finish out the purchase (I had some dollars down on the vehicle for them to hold it). It was from a dealership, so I was able to have them get me temp tags. I also was able to have the dealership take care of my home state's plates and registration via an E-registration process, so I also had that paperwork on-hand, not that I was worried about needing that anyway. It was nice, I didn't have to do anything when I got back, but wait for my state plates to arrive in the mail a few weeks later.

I drove it right around 20-hours back - nice trip.

I would suspect that as long as you have a bill-of-sale, at minimum, you would be fine. You might get stopped once, but shouldn't need to worry about anything.

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Lots of good stories here ! I have a typical cbelt3 disaster story...

I bought a 60's Chevy station wagon for $50 in the early 1980's. It was a heap.. fuel line leak (no smoking !), AC didn't work, etc... We were moving eventually and there was no way it would pass MO inspection, so I got Ohio temporary plates for it, registering it at my inlaws home. And drove it. And drove it some more. And finally got busted in MO for expired Ohio temp plates. Renewed them in Ohio, and it was moving day. Packed our condo into the moving truck, including my wife's little Chevette. Loaded up the station wagon looking a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies. Stopped at my parent's house to say goodbye and the station wagon... died in their driveway.

So we rented a car to drive to PA and abandoned the station wagon. I gave it to my brother in law who finally got it fixed (fuel pump), drove it to his house in the inner city. Where it got stolen.

I still drive cars until they fall apart, weld them back together, and drive them some more...

that sounded like you weld two cars together...

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********************************************
“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand.” Seneca the Younger

The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

Judge Lee wrote that “we cannot jettison our constitutional rights, even if the goal behind a law is laudable." 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

[www.youtube.com]

Bought a car via eBay from a dealer in extreme SW Colorado who affixed temporary plates and gave me the necessary paperwork to register it in Minnesota, my home state. That was in 2010. In two weeks I will be giving it to my son who lives in Texas. I will have to fill out two forms provided as downloadable pdfs from Texas and get them notarized (my wife is on the title so we will both go to a notary) as well as signing off on the title. He will drive it to Texas on the current plates and register it there.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Jamie that Caddy sure looks sweet!

In Georgia, you pay the seller and spend the next 30 days with a torn piece of cardboard or school-paper with the words, “tag applied for” hand written on it. License plate holder, back of the window, any location is fine.

Only dealers provide temp tags. And they say, “tag applied for” (I think).

Just get a bill of sale. Handwritten should be fine. Something that shows due diligence. If the seller will permit some personal info (address/phone/driver’s license #) that’ll help. Some states even require it at the DMV.

I once bought a truck NOT in the seller’s name on the title. I said, “no way, I’m not buying it.” Oh and the title was out of state. Really??

So I did some research at the DMV. All they (GA) wanted to see was that the title was signed over. Any kind of signature would do.

Wow! Logging back in just now to these stories. Glad that I asked the question. In my case, thinking of buying in Cali and driving back to New England, but not directly.
And taking the fam along for the trip. But not more than about 10 total days, if that.

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deckeda

I once bought a truck NOT in the seller’s name on the title. I said, “no way, I’m not buying it.” Oh and the title was out of state. Really??

So I did some research at the DMV. All they (GA) wanted to see was that the title was signed over. Any kind of signature would do.

Years ago in grad school a friend asked me to sell his car when he went off on an internship with his new wife (who had a nicer car). I advertised it on the bulletin board at the Kroger next to Emory University and a young man and his dad showed up to look at it and buy it--for cash. I guess the story I told about the guy was believable. I had his title that he had already signed and a note from him (with the same signature) that authorized me to sell it for him. I didn't give any thought to whether somebody might have thought it was nefarious. Maybe it was just a different time and place but it went without trouble.

Leased a Tacoma from a dealer in PA to avoid the "Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC" upcharge.

Put the kid on a plane, they flew one-way to pick it up.

I had already done the paperwork with the dealer via Fedex.

Done it a couple of times.

One time a dealer - they put temp tags that were fake (not in the computer, if we wanted to pay sales tax in that state they would be real).

Another the guy left his plates and my state allows you to drive home w/o tags on a weekend - it is mentioned on the bottom of the bill of sale they provide.

Also in many states you can go get temporary tags with just the VIN and such.

Bring proof of auto insurance on the trip too.