Temporary Registration/Tags
 

I am looking to buy a used c6 from a private individual and want to drive the car home.

It seems most states do not have provisions for temporary tags through private party transactions.

The states I will be traveling through are Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia.

I have spent quite a bit of time searching on the internet and still cannot find much info regarding this.

I have learned either by phone conversations or via websites that some of these states allow car to be driven to the new owners home without any license plate or temporary tag(because they don't issue them) as long as the newly transferred title (title with seller and buyer signatures) and a signed receipt both showing the sale had been completed very recently, is in possession of the new owner while he/she is driving home.

It is difficult to find written documentation on this, so my question is this;

Has anyone out there purchased a car out of state from a private individual and driven off with the car title in hand like this. And if so did you get stopped anywhere, and if so how did that work out?

I would appreciate anyone's input who has factual and useful info regarding this.

For those of you who want to just throw out your speculative opinions Go right ahead cause you all will anyway. :rofl:

I'm just hoping I can get some useful info and advise on this situation.

Thanks to all in advance!

Call your local DMV and see what rules apply to your state.Here in NY,If a guy in MASS.buys a car here that state gives him 1 week to get the car registered.In the meantime,he takes his current plates assuming he has them and puts them on the new car.Your local DMV should have temp tags if nothing else.I think GEORGIA is fine with you putting your plates on,with insurance,and driving home.Maybe that was south Carolina.I sold a car to somebody down that way a while back.Get insurance,if you have plates use them,and you should be fine.But in the end it's your state rules that apply here. Worse case,ask the seller to let you keep his plates on till you get home.

I did something similar many years ago and drove from the Midwest to Alaska. I had all the documentation with me and never got a second look (amazingly). If when I entered a new state there was a State Patrol office (which there often is) I would stop in and explain the situation and ask if I needed to do anything special. I never did.

I forget what I did to get through Canada, but I did go through.

According to this information at the Michigan Secretary of State's website...

The only problem with that is, what happens when you get pulled over in Ohio with no tags? They might let you off if you have the title and a bill of sale...then again, we're talking about Ohio. :D

You have to use their tags until you get home then go to mva and send their tags back.

Whenever I bought a car from a private seller or sold my car to a private seller I just used a old license plate and brought with him or let the new buyer use my old tag. In most states you get up to 30 days to get the car registered even in Ohio, where I am from.

I've always just thrown on a tag, made sure the car was insured, and then drove it home. I flew into NY a few years ago and drove the car I bought down to MD using this method. Technically not legal, however. In MD, I think they want you to drag your ass to the DMV waste half your day, and buy a set of temp. tags.

I called GA DMV. They said I should drive the car without any tags but that is just within the state of GA. Outside of that they have NO suggestions or guidance.

Oh, of course no matter what I would certainly have insurance or I would not be driving it. But thanks for that tip.

Yes you are correct very frequently there is a state patrol office near the state line. That is a good tip to check with them. So I guess you had no plate on the car for that trip is that correct?

Yes I found that on Michigan's website as well..... as for Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee I have still not found anything yet. And that is my concern.

That would be Ideal if the seller is agreeable to this. I certainly would be happy to mail them back to him.... I will have to ask....

Yes, Georgia used to be 30 days until the beginning of this year, now its only 7 days. Either way just using an old plate is not legal and if stopped I'm thinking it might get you a longer delay and possible more trouble than no tag at all.

I agree technically not legal. If GA had a provision to purchase temp tags I would certainly go that route even though it is a pain in the butt to spend the time to get them.

The dealer that I bought mine from put a 14 day temp tag in the windshield and I drove it home. But if they had not, or if it had been a private party sale, I could have gone to my DMV here in Utah and gotten a 14 day temp permit for $4.00 or so and taken it with me to drive home. The states in between are inconsequential...just make sure you have a temp tag from either his state or yours.:thumbs:

The tricky part here is the 2 states on the ends of the trip. Michigan and Georgia, Neither state has provisions for temporary tags. That is what is making the 3 states in between tricky to figure out.

I have done this before and had no tag only the bill of sale and title. I was not bothered. I think you have to abide by the laws of the state in which the car will be registered. (i.e. the state of your D.L.) I definitely wouldn't put just any tag on the car as that may cause more problems. :thumbs:

FL gave me a temp tag to take to NJ with me to drive my 82 Vette home. I had the title as I had prepaid. Some local DMV's will give you a temp tag from the state of purchase if you show bill of sale and title and won't charge tax just a small processing fee. FL was $7 when I did mine last year. I see you have a dilemma with neither state providing a temp tag. If you have title and BOS you could always do it the way it's done in Alabama. Put a piece of paper in the tag slot that says, TAG APPLIED FOR.

Yes, as I recall I had no plate. That is why I was so surprised that I was never even stopped and questioned.

I suppose the police figure that if it was stolen it would have come with a plate on it so without a plate it must be legal. :lol:

Not saying this isn't done everyday by many people, but this is illegal in my state (Kansas). Once you have legally purchased the vehicle and the previous owner no longer owns it, it's unlawful to display the old owners vehicle license plate. It's a misdemeanor traffic violation (again, in my state at least).

My suggestion is to contact your own states department of motor-vehicle, or whatever agency is in charge of vehicle registrations. Inquire what they require for this type of transaction, and follow that. Document who you talked with and who they're with, and follow that through all states.

If stopped by any law enforcement, provide them with all your vehicle documents/proof of purchase, and explain to them what you were instructed to do by your home state.

I know this would suffice here in Kansas if you were stopped. Good luck on your trip and enjoy the new car!!!

Not that this directly applies but I was looking at a similar situation and found out that MA doesn't recognize temp tags from any state!