If you buy a car in another state can you drive it home without plates?
 

I may be buying a c5 in another state and wanted to know how you guys would handle the license plate issue. Is a bill of sale enough just to get the car home?

Yes, but expect to meet a lot of new friends along the way. :D

I think thats OK if you buy it from an individual, but if you get it through a dealer you have to tag it (paper plate) with the sate that you bought it in them reregister back in your home state.
If I bought out of state from an individual I would go to the DMV and get an operating permit. I bought one in CA a few years back and trransported to Texas and I got an Emergency Operating Permit from CA then reregistered in Texas.
Use the Internet to get in touch with the DMV of the state you are buying it in to see what their rules are.
Keep us posted

No you need to get a trip permit from either the state you buy the car in or the state you live in.

Check with your local DMV

I think that you have to register it in the state you purchased it. Then pay the sales tax and register it in your own state. I would check a tag place first, you may be able to register it with the vin # and your insurance card in your home state, but I'd check before the trip. You don't want to spoil the taste of the new vette with a big ticket $$$$

Most states have a transport tag you get from your home state to take with you. Look into it, and save yourself some trouble along the way.

Don't know if this 100% correct, but I've purchased cars from other states, drove them home with the plates that are on the car and then just mailed them back. Never had a problem. Guess I would rather do it that way than no plates at all. Hope this helps

Don't you have to transfer the title through a notary? You do in PA, and then you get a temporary plate (paper for in the rear window) to display till you get your permanent one.

I was looking into this as well. I found from my local DMV I would have had to go to the DMV for the state I bought the car in and get a transport tag.

Usually you get a temporary tag in the purchase state. Call or visit the website of the DMV in the purchase state. People do this all the time so this won't be a new question to them.

Go to wherever you're getting the car titled. You'll get a temporary plate.

I have 2-cars that I purchased out of state. When I purchased them, I used the previous owners plates and took a copy of their valid registration. I mailed the plates back when I got back to my state.

I also took the insurance card for one of my other cars (the car was added to my policy, but I didn't get a new card for it yet.......my insurance company said this would be OK).

Ken

You can get a transport plate for the local DMV where you are purchasing the car---give them a call.

I live in Va, I bought my car in Ga, on Ebay from a used car dealer. They gave me a tag with their dealer name, and it said "tag applied". I saw similar "other dealers" plates on different cars all over the place. I had cops pass me in three states, including my own, no problems. I got VA tags, ASAP when I got home.

John

You're going to get a lot of different answers based on people living in different states and because their cousin Billy Bob told them it was ok. The laws governing this will vary from state to state. One thing is probably true for most all states. You must have some type of current registration on any vehicle driven in any state either a temporary one or a permanent one belonging to the current owner (you). Best bet is to call your local motor vehicle division and ask what's needed. I did that to buy and bring back a vett from Florida. Paid $10 for a temporary plate here in Delaware (provided proof of insurance , vehicle ID number), carried plate with me to Florida and drove car home with bill of sale KNOWING I was covered if stopped for any reason. Good luck. BTW watch out for sales tax. I could have gotten a temporary tag in Florida before I left there but then I would have had to pay Florida sales tax. Delaware warned me that if I did it that way they (Delaware) would not give me credit for it when I registered in Delaware. Good luck.

I bought mine from a Les Stanford Chevy in Michigan and picked up the car at the Museum in Kentucky. The dealership sent me temp MI tags. The car was being financed through BofA in Texas. They registered the car in Texas from the MSO sent to them by the dealership. The car was never registered in MI. The only other thing I had to do was pay the difference in taxes between MI and TX.

I just bought my new daily driver in Missouri. Same deal used Missouri temp tags and the finance company registered the car in Texas. This time I didn't pay sales tax in MO but paid it to TX.

Different states have different rules and different agents at a given DMV will offer differing opinions on how to handle the situation. I bought a car from a private party and drove it from Michigan to Arizona. After getting conflicting information from the folks at the DMV, I decided to make the journey without involving a DMV. I had an "official looking" Bill of Sale which I folded in half and taped to the back window. I positioned it such that it was hard to read but would look like an official document. If I were to get pulled over by a LEO, I was simply going to plead my ignorance and state that I thought I was doing the right thing. I also avoided any speeding as to not attract any unwanted attention from the LEOs. My trip went well. I took my new car to the DMV once I got it home and registered it with no problems. Now I'm lovin' it every day.

:iagree: :willy:

Bought car in Texas, drove back to Mississippi. Left Texas tag on it , because seller did not want it and my brother asked if he could have it for his collection. Got Mississippi tag when I got home. Never gave it a second thought on way home. i did have all my purchase paper work with me though....maybe right maybe wrong but...........

:iagree: I used the owners plates. I had a bill of sale I downloaded off of the internet. I kept that and the title and ins. card in a folder in the car. Definately watch your speed!!! Good luck!