gillette vette guy

I am picking up my vette in Boston, and can't get a straight answer on whether or not I can drive out on my notarized bill of sale and title. My state allows me 45 days with notarized bill of sale or title before I have to put tags on it. I am driving it home an don't want to get stopped.

Anyone have an experience with Mass?

Shelbyvette

1-800-Massachusetts State Police

motorcop71

Who says there's never a cop around when you need one?

Here you go, straight from the RMV website:

Is there a grace period for transferring a registration?

If you own a vehicle or trailer and purchase a new vehicle or trailer from a dealer or purchase a used vehicle or trailer from a private party, you may transfer your registration to the newly acquired vehicle. Massachusetts allows a grace period of seven (7) calendar days from the date you dispose of your previous vehicle to register your newly acquired vehicle.

Under this grace period, the following conditions must be met:

* You must be at least 18 years old.
* The newly acquired vehicle or trailer must be of the same type and have the same number of wheels as the previous vehicle or trailer.
* You must carry the transfer documents, which show the registration number to be transferred, in your vehicle.
* You must have lost possession of or disposed of your previous vehicle.
* The registration plates must be attached to the newly acquired vehicle.

Please note, there is no grace period if you do not currently have a registered vehicle or trailer. The RMV does not issue temporary registration plates.

For more information about the Seven-Day Registration Transfer Law(MGL c.90, Sec. 2), refer to our FAQs About the Seven-Day Transfer Law .

gilly6993

No temp tags in Mass....as motorcop said

also to clarify....if you'e getting the vette and it's an extra vehicle, you have to get plates...if you sold something to get the vette and are transferring the reg, you have a grace period...

that being said I think you would be ok to drive it in Mass with no plates since you live in WY and are registering it in WY.....you can just say you're abiding by their reg laws....I may be wrong though

talon90

Massachusetts does not allow for temporary tags and there is certainly no provision for a car driving around without plates. If you are driving the Corvette in Massachusetts without plates on the car, it is almost a 100% certainty that you will get stopped by at least one local or state trooper or both if not more until you leave the state.

Bring your Wyoming plates with you and put them on the car.

(and yes, I am a former Massachusetts resident, recently relocated and while living there I was stopped twice in one week for no front plate while my plate holder was on order from Top Flight Reproductions).

motorcop71

With no plates on the car, I imagine you will get stopped many times on your journey home. In MA, if you don't have a valid/active registration the car also will get towed and impounded until its registered. I say call your insurance agent in Wyoming and see what they reccomend. Does your state offer temp tags? Good luck and enjoy the new car.

AORoads

as said above by inference, there are two ways to do this: buy/get Mass. tags of some kind (by example, Tommy at MacMulkin gives NH tags to all who buy new from him) or bring WY tags of some kind with you.

Why bother researching Mass.? Bring your own. Research/ask WY what they'll sell you as temp tags.

My state has a temp piece of paper (no tag) that I literally carry; good for 3 days, costs $5. Depending on I talk to, I can buy more than one.

cclive

I would think you could get a temporary permit from WY and take it with you. I didn't need it with mine, but for $3, I could have gotten a temp Utah tag and taken it with me to MN where I picked up the car. It turned out that the dealer in MN put a temp MN permit in the windshield. Then when you get back home, you trade in the temp tag and alot of money for permanent tags. You will need VIN etc to get the temp tag.

gillette vette guy

Thanks to all who answered. My problem is this: I can go ahead and pay the dealer the full price for the car and he can send the title and bill of sale to me and I can get the plates, you are right about that. I am not comfortable paying the full price for the car sight unseen even tho I believe the car is as described. I have given a deposit and paying for it when I arrive assuming that it is as described. With out the title of course I can't buy the registration and license plates to bring with me which would make this a moot point. I am taking my proof of insurance and I will have a notarized bill of sale and the signed over title to me, plus I am bringing a copy of Wyoming state statute that says I can run on a notarized bill of sale or even an invoice for 45 days even on a vehicle that is sold by an out of state dealer. Wyoming won't give me a temporary tag unless I pay the sales tax in advance which again is a hassle in the unlikely event that the deal falls through.
Guess I'm going out through New Hampshire who does as does ny and all the other states honor 30-45 days to get it registered.

cclive

I guess if the state is going to make things that difficult, then you just GTFO and avoid that state in the future. Thats what I would do....and it has the added benefit of avoiding the state health care system and extra high taxes also...triple benefit.

Also make absolutely sure that the dealer will give you the title, many dealers will only mail it to you later...even some forum dealers here. I had paid in full for my car 10 days before I picked it up and they still mailed me the title a week or so later.

Bill Dearborn

Maybe there is some way to get a NH temporary tag? I don't know if NY will honor the notarized bill of sale but the LEOs will surely stop you if you don't have a plate. It could be a lengthy stop until they verify you are telling the truth. You better have a copy of your insurance card with you as well.

I sold one of my cars to a guy in NH several years ago. When he showed up he had a temporary plate but after he asked me to put a couple of mods on the car he couldn't find where he put the plate down. Since I had his paperwork and had briefly seen the plate I went up to my printer and made a duplicate. He drove halfway through NY, most of the way through MA and then to his home in NH without being pulled over.

Bill

AORoads

Just know this: I've done that, twice. And each time, I got stopped eventually (once after two weeks of driving in the state, and the second time after two days) driving cross country with literally nothing---no temp tag paper, no temp tag on plate, no temp tag on back window.

Any state can interpret their laws that say, you must have a tag. Period. It doesn't matter what your "home" state says; you're not IN the home state. And if you get a ticket in a state 500 miles away, you have two choices: pay it, or go there and fight it.

I'm sending you a pm/em.

GOLD72

In Texas, you can get a ~$5 temporary paper tag that allows you to get the car into the state for a short duration until you get the car inspected and apply for Texas title. I think it only requires a bill of sale or purchase agreement and not necessarily proof that you have paid for the car in full. If VY is like this, it should solve the OP's situation without having paid for the car in full "sight unseen".

68sixspeed

CT has temp tags, but you have to pay sales tax (or have paid it when buying the vehicle, if it's out of state and the tax is less, pay the difference), pretty sure VT is the same. NH might be a good option for temps as they do not have a state sales tax. Or can you get temp tags from WY?

BostonJoel

You can avoid all the temp tag BS if you fly up to see the car and, if you want to go thru with sale, have it professionally transported. The transporter can arrange to take your check and swap it for the car and title at the sellers location, then deliver the car to your doorstep. Little expensive and not as much fun as a cross country drive.

BTW, reason for no temp tags in MA is the compulsory insurance law...the insurance broker/agent must stamp and sign all applications for new plates or plate transfers so the fear is that you drive without required insurance on a paper plate. Insurance cards hold no weight in MA. If you try to drive thru the state with no plate, every cop who gets behind you will stop you. The consequences are grim as outlined by a previous poster.
Good luck.

burtonbl103

No plates you are getting pulled over !