Ever bought a car out of state?
OhioGuy
Seattle area. We had planned on buying a van out there, then taking 3 weeks
to drive up into Canada and back across the country on a road trip. I
actually have a van lined up to buy on our arrival.
Unfortunately, we've run into a lot of red tape type problems. Washington
state will only issue a 3 day temporary license plate for the vehicle, which
certainly isn't long enough to do what we want. I'm not even sure if Canada
would let us in with something like that on there. Considering how we drive,
it really isn't even enough time to get back home. Getting the title
transferred to us will be no problem, so I guess it is just the plates that
represent the problem for us.
I contacted our local bureau of motor vehicles and asked if I could just
get the title now (by having the owner sign and mail a form, etc.) and get
Ohio plates to take out to it. They said no, because they supposedly have
to do a $3 inspection to make sure the VIN matches what I put on the
paperwork.
I'm essentially being told I can't legally do this by both my home state,
and by the state where I want to buy the vehicle. I'm certainly not about
to try driving across country and then back out to Washington to try to make
everyone happy, just because of some $3 inspection.
What are my options? I've already told the guy that we'll take the van,
and to consider it sold. I've told him where to meet us, when to meet us,
and that he gets the cash when we get the title. I know it's old fashioned,
but even though we didn't shake on it, since I told him I'd take it, I feel
like I'm obligated to follow through. Yet I don't want to end up stuck out
there unable to legally drive the thing, or something.
I'm tempted to just get the title for it in my name out there, then put my
current vanity plates on it and drive it during the vacation. That way, I
would have current license and registration, both legal, and both in my
name. That is the only thing I can think of right now that might get all of
this to work out.
I do know that plates don't stay with the car, because every time a person
has sold me a used car, they take their plates off. I took our plates off
when I sold our old car to someone else. So, I don't think they are
supposed to be linked to the auto - I think they are actually linked to the
person. The plates I'm currently using are vanity plates that I've now had
on 3 different cars over the years. As I sell one and get a new one, I take
the plates from the old one and put on the new one. I plan on keeping the
same plates for 30 years, unless someone steals them or something.
The problem is, my wife is up nights worrying about this. She thinks the
cops are going to impound our vehicle at the Canadian border or something.
I've explained that I've already checked into everything I could think of to
do it right. However, it seems that both Washington (by offering only a 3
day temporary license) and Ohio (by not allowing me to get plates or
registration without physically showing them the car) won't let us do it in
a way that should be properly done.
What are my alternatives? I mean, do I have to drive all the way over to
Idaho or Montana or something and hope they will let me get something longer
than a 3 day temporary license? If you have any helpful ideas or
suggestions for how we can legitimately get this done, I'd really appreciate
hearing them. Thanks!
clams casino
> We are going on vacation in a couple of weeks. We'll be flying out to the
>Seattle area. We had planned on buying a van out there, then taking 3 weeks
>to drive up into Canada and back across the country on a road trip.
>
Be sure you have a valid proof of insurance card for Canada (it's in
addition to your US proof).
Chloe
I always wonder why you post here, because apparently you don't pay any
attention to anything anyone says. But don't stop: your posts have more
entertainment value than anything I've seen in quite a while.
How about you contact the Ohio DMV and ask them about the legality of
switching those plates? It could be the answer to your problem, or it could
be that if a cop stops you, runs the license plate and finds out it doesn't
match up with the make of vehicle, you'll end up in a huge hassle. Extra
points for an even huger hassle when you're across the border in a foreign
country.
And no, you don't actually have to drive over to Idaho or Montana, you can
just contact *their* DMVs and ask the procedure.
Your wife ought to be up nights worrying. If nothing else, over your
apparent determination to buy a vehicle sight unseen and without finding out
whether or how you can transfer ownership. But even more over the exciting
events that doubtless lie ahead of her and your toddlers on this vacation.
Be sure to let us know how everything turns out, okay?
Ward Abbott
> I'm essentially being told I can't legally do this by both my home state,
>and by the state where I want to buy the vehicle.
How LONG are you going to harang on this? It's not legal as you have
found out and not a single person here encouraged you to try it...but
you are back again!!
It can't be done. You know it.....you are acting like a seven year
old throwing a temper tantrum.
GET ON with your life. Rent a damn car and enjoy your vacation.
OhioGuy
> found out and not a single person here
What isn't legal? So far, the only things I have found out I can't do
are:
1) Get new plates and registration in Ohio before I leave, without the
vehicle present (because of the $3 VIN inspection)
2) Get more than a 3 day temporary tag in Washington
There are a lot of other options other than those two, so I thought it
would be prudent to get ideas from other folks. When I call the government,
I get told what I CAN'T do, instead of what I CAN do that will help me out.
Maybe it is just the mindset of government workers or something.
ra...@vt.edu
> Unfortunately, we've run into a lot of red tape type problems. Washington
> state will only issue a 3 day temporary license plate for the vehicle, which
You mean you can't get a title and registration in Washington? Why not?
> I contacted our local bureau of motor vehicles and asked if I could just
> get the title now (by having the owner sign and mail a form, etc.) and get
> Ohio plates to take out to it. They said no, because they supposedly have
> to do a $3 inspection to make sure the VIN matches what I put on the
> paperwork.
You mean they won't accept a sworn afadavit from a Washington police or DMV
person?
> What are my options? I've already told the guy that we'll take the van,
> and to consider it sold. I've told him where to meet us, when to meet us,
> and that he gets the cash when we get the title. I know it's old fashioned,
> but even though we didn't shake on it, since I told him I'd take it, I feel
> like I'm obligated to follow through. Yet I don't want to end up stuck out
> there unable to legally drive the thing, or something.
Ask Washington if you can register it in their state with a regular plate
with an Ohio address. Lots of people own vehicles in more than one state
and they only live in one. Maybe rent a post office box in Washington and
then register it. Once you get home, assuming you plan to drive it back
to Ohio and not just resell it, you tranfer title to Ohio then.
> What are my alternatives? I mean, do I have to drive all the way over to
> Idaho or Montana or something and hope they will let me get something longer
> than a 3 day temporary license? If you have any helpful ideas or
> suggestions for how we can legitimately get this done, I'd really appreciate
> hearing them. Thanks!
Actually, check with Vermont. Seriously. They will allow people from out
of state to register a vehicle without ever having to go to Vermont, all by
mail.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
Jeff
>>How LONG are you going to harang on this? It's not legal as you have
>>found out and not a single person here
>
>
> What isn't legal? So far, the only things I have found out I can't do
> are:
>
> 1) Get new plates and registration in Ohio before I leave, without the
> vehicle present (because of the $3 VIN inspection)
>
> 2) Get more than a 3 day temporary tag in Washington
So, you have two easy options.
1) Just use your existing Ohio plates, after all you aren't moving to
Oregon. It's unlikely you'll be stopped and if you do the worst that
will happen is a ticket, and they won't extradite you from Ohio if you
fail to show!
2) Simply sell that vehicle and buy another every three days.
Jeff
Ward Abbott
> When I call the government,
>I get told what I CAN'T do, instead of what I CAN do that will help me out.
>Maybe it is just the mindset of government workers or something.
You are going to have to stomp your feet harder....and get down on the
floor and bang your head.
YOU CAN'T FOR A REASON!! Take a deep breath and think about this
rationally. Your wife must be going nuts if this is your typical
thought process/behavior.
THINK........................Homeland Security..................
No you can't think....and that is why you will never see the light.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
- Beverly Sills
....RIP sweet lady.
Shawn Hirn
What you can do, and what makes the most sense, is to rent a car. Even
if the legal issues could all be resolved in your favor, buying a used
car without test driving it and without having a mechanic inspect it
first, then driving it around thousands of miles from home is nuts.
Gary Heston
> We are going on vacation in a couple of weeks. We'll be flying out to the
>Seattle area. We had planned on buying a van out there, then taking 3 weeks
>to drive up into Canada and back across the country on a road trip. I
>actually have a van lined up to buy on our arrival.
> Unfortunately, we've run into a lot of red tape type problems. Washington
>state will only issue a 3 day temporary license plate for the vehicle, which
>certainly isn't long enough to do what we want. [ ... ]
Either do the regular registration in WA, using your motel as the address
of record, or see if Ohio will let you get a temporary tag good for longer
than three days. IIRC, Tenesee temporary tags were good for two weeks, so
it varies from state-to-state.
Using your existing tags would probably be safe; call Canada and ask if
they have any issues with a just-purchased vehicle--and make sure you have
multiple copies of all the paperwork. Don't turn loose of the originals
if at all possibles.
Gary
--
Gary Heston ghe...@hiwaay.net http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
Yoko Onos' former driver tried to extort $2M from her, threating to
"release embarassing recordings...". What, he has a copy of her album?
Dave L
"OhioGuy" <no...@none.net> wrote in message news:f6jlfr$7mr$1...@aioe.org...
>> How LONG are you going to harang on this? It's not legal as you have
>> found out and not a single person here
>
> What isn't legal? So far, the only things I have found out I can't do
> are:
What isn't legal? If you get pulled over, the registration card will match
the plates but will not match the vin# for the vehicle. This happens with
stolen plates. Even if you don't get pulled over, if there is an officer
running random checks on plates - the plates will not match the vehicle.
When you drive into Canada, the vin# on the registration card will not match
the vin# on the vehicle.
> 1) Get new plates and registration in Ohio before I leave, without the
> vehicle present (because of the $3 VIN inspection)
> 2) Get more than a 3 day temporary tag in Washington
>
> There are a lot of other options other than those two, so I thought it
> would be prudent to get ideas from other folks. When I call the
> government, I get told what I CAN'T do, instead of what I CAN do that will
> help me out. Maybe it is just the mindset of government workers or
> something.
Oh, another thing - about the plates staying with the owner and not the
vehicle during a transfer, this is in most states. However in a (very) few
states, the plates will stay with the vehicle. In many cases if the plates
are not registered to a new vehicle they need to be surrendured to the local
DMV. In this instance if you have vanity plates, you'll probably need to do
additional paperwork to have the plates stay with the original owner.
-Dave
Logan Shaw
> We are going on vacation in a couple of weeks. We'll be flying out to the
> Seattle area. We had planned on buying a van out there, then taking 3 weeks
> to drive up into Canada and back across the country on a road trip. I
> actually have a van lined up to buy on our arrival.
>
> Unfortunately, we've run into a lot of red tape type problems. Washington
> state will only issue a 3 day temporary license plate for the vehicle, which
> certainly isn't long enough to do what we want. I'm not even sure if Canada
> would let us in with something like that on there. Considering how we drive,
> it really isn't even enough time to get back home. Getting the title
> transferred to us will be no problem, so I guess it is just the plates that
> represent the problem for us.
> What are my options? I've already told the guy that we'll take the van,
> and to consider it sold.
Whatever you do, I suggest you immediately forget the idea of putting the
plates from some other car on your new purchase. Cops like to run plates,
and their database tells them what kind of car those plates are registered
for. It seems to me if the plates don't match the make of the car, that
is going to be a GIGANTIC red flag that the car is probably stolen. Just
think for a moment that the cop won't have the back story of how you just
wanted to buy a car while you were on vacation. They'll hear you explaining
a bunch of weird stuff, and since they've already concluded you're probably
a car thief, they'll assume you're just trying to make up a lame excuse.
A lot of the time, cops don't operate on facts. They operate on perceptions,
and if something appears to be wrong, they err on the side of caution,
which means holding you until a judge has a convenient moment to sort out
the facts.
Now, if you're really determined to buy that van, there is one option
I can think of: at least in Texas, when you sell a car, you can leave
the plates on it, then file a form with the state that is basically a
statement saying, "I no longer own this car." This is designed to
achieve the same purpose that people try to accomplish by keeping the
plates, namely making sure that you're not driving around going through
toll booths and getting tickets sent to their mailbox, committing crimes
and having the cops knock on their door, etc. In Texas, there is a
nominal fee for it, something like $5. If Canada has a similar deal,
then the seller can leave the plates on the vehicle, then you can take
them off when you get home. Problem solved.
A little more far-fetched idea is that if you can find someone to hold
the cash in escrow, you can drive the car away without legally owning
it, and the seller-to-be can still have protection against your stealing
the car. Then you can't get in trouble for not registering the car
because you don't own it (yet).
Finally, if neither of these ideas work and nothing else does either,
just tell the guy you're not going to buy the car. You may be morally
obligated to honor your verbal agreement, but you're also morally
obligated to follow the law. I think the latter trumps the former.
- Logan
BeaF...@msn.com
You might check with Oregon. Oregon has a thirty day temp. I see cars
all the time with Washington plates and Oregon temp permit.
Rod Speed
Or they notice the little kids and the OP and decide that its a plausible story
and at most write up a violation and he can just ignore that if he chooses to.
> Now, if you're really determined to buy that van, there is one option
> I can think of: at least in Texas, when you sell a car, you can leave
> the plates on it, then file a form with the state that is basically a
> statement saying, "I no longer own this car." This is designed to
> achieve the same purpose that people try to accomplish by keeping the
> plates, namely making sure that you're not driving around going through toll booths and getting
> tickets sent to their mailbox, committing crimes and having the cops knock on their door, etc. In
> Texas, there is a
> nominal fee for it, something like $5. If Canada has a similar deal,
> then the seller can leave the plates on the vehicle, then you can take
> them off when you get home. Problem solved.
> A little more far-fetched idea is that if you can find someone to hold
> the cash in escrow, you can drive the car away without legally owning
> it, and the seller-to-be can still have protection against your stealing the car. Then you can't
> get in trouble for not registering the car
> because you don't own it (yet).
> Finally, if neither of these ideas work and nothing else does either, just tell the guy you're not
> going to buy the car. You may be morally obligated to honor your verbal agreement,
Corse he is.
> but you're also morally obligated to follow the law.
Nope, not in any way that negates his verbal agreement.
> I think the latter trumps the former.
You're wrong.
OhioGuy
I'd prefer to consider a car rental as a backup plan. I won't rent a big
screen TV from the furniture rental place down the street, either. We
really need a van or something similar to haul all the camping gear and
supplies for the trip. Renting a van for the 3 weeks would cost nearly
$2,000. Not only is that money we simply don't have for throwing away like
that, it also seems foolish to me to pay that much when there are plenty of
used vehicles in the $500 to $1,000 range available in the area. We can use
one of them, then sell it for about what we paid when we get home. Heck, I
might even make a couple hundred bucks, because the cars from the Pacific
Northwest are known for being rust free. (unlike the ones around here)
>car without test driving it and without having a mechanic >inspect it
>first, then driving it around thousands of miles >from home is nuts.
While I've agreed to buy it, I certainly won't hand over the money until
I've looked it over and taken it around for a quick drive. Plus, the guy
with the van will have to drive it to where we are in order for the exchange
to take place. It has to be able to drive there, or we won't buy it. We
will be staying only 2 miles from the airport, so if it all falls though, we
will be able to get a rental car easily if we really have to.
Besides, I hope you are kidding about trusting a new car to be more
reliable. My ex brother in law got a new vehicle, and I got to watch as he
had to take the thing in 10 times in the first year to get all sorts of
things fixed that weren't working right. If something is broken in and
working at the moment, even if it is old, the chances of it conking out
during a 23 day period when it is only driven about 6 times are pretty low.
Plus, a 40 year old car is much less complex - it doesn't have all the
computer sensors and other things that can cause it to have issues if
everything isn't in balance.
OhioGuy
>match
Not really much of an issue, and it has happened to me before. My Mother
gave us our current car as a wedding present. I completely forgot to have
the registration switched over to my name. About a year and a half later, I
was pulled over for speeding.
The police officer noticed that the car wasn't registered in my name, at
which point I explained that when I put our plates on, I had forgotten to
get the registration also switched over. He just told me to do it when I
got home, and that was that. No extra fee/fine, and no problems.
Besides, I just finished talking to my insurance agent. The insurance on
this is no problem at all. She also told me that according to Ohio law, I
am allowed to put my old plates on a new vehicle that I buy, and I have 30
days to get the title transferred over.
I'll already have the title transfer done, plus a signed note from the
original owner conveying ownership of the car to me. And, I'll have my
plates, which are current and valid. You don't think this will be enough?
OhioGuy
> longer than three days.
Excellent idea! I would never have thought of that on my own, but I
believe that Ohio temporary tags are easier to get, plus I think they are
good for a full 30 days.
That way, I'd have the registration in my name, the license in my name,
AND the license information would be linked to the new van, and not to
another vehicle. I think maybe that is the best option of all.
Rod Speed
Corse it is. The worst that might happen is that a cop
might tell you to fix things properly at the end of the trip.
George
>> What you can do, and what makes the most sense, is to >rent a car.
>
> I'd prefer to consider a car rental as a backup plan. I won't rent a big
> screen TV from the furniture rental place down the street, either. We
> really need a van or something similar to haul all the camping gear and
> supplies for the trip. Renting a van for the 3 weeks would cost nearly
> $2,000. Not only is that money we simply don't have for throwing away like
> that, it also seems foolish to me to pay that much when there are plenty of
> used vehicles in the $500 to $1,000 range available in the area. We can use
> one of them, then sell it for about what we paid when we get home. Heck, I
> might even make a couple hundred bucks, because the cars from the Pacific
> Northwest are known for being rust free. (unlike the ones around here)
>
>> car without test driving it and without having a mechanic >inspect it
>> first, then driving it around thousands of miles >from home is nuts.
>
> While I've agreed to buy it, I certainly won't hand over the money until
> I've looked it over and taken it around for a quick drive. Plus, the guy
> with the van will have to drive it to where we are in order for the exchange
> to take place. It has to be able to drive there, or we won't buy it. We
> will be staying only 2 miles from the airport, so if it all falls though, we
> will be able to get a rental car easily if we really have to.
>
> Besides, I hope you are kidding about trusting a new car to be more
> reliable. My ex brother in law got a new vehicle, and I got to watch as he
> had to take the thing in 10 times in the first year to get all sorts of
> things fixed that weren't working right.
A single data point is totally meaningless. How many people buy a new
vehicle and never have issues?
If something is broken in and
> working at the moment, even if it is old, the chances of it conking out
> during a 23 day period when it is only driven about 6 times are pretty low.
> Plus, a 40 year old car is much less complex - it doesn't have all the
> computer sensors and other things that can cause it to have issues if
> everything isn't in balance.
>
>
No, it has issues with things like metal fatigue. Think stuff like
cables breaking, bad bearings etc. I will take my chances with a newer
vehicle anyday. Especially with a situation where you are on vacation
with your family thousands of miles away from home. This isn't you and
your buddies on spring break.
George
> "OhioGuy" <no...@none.net> wrote in message news:f6jlfr$7mr$1...@aioe.org...
>>> How LONG are you going to harang on this? It's not legal as you have
>>> found out and not a single person here
>> What isn't legal? So far, the only things I have found out I can't do
>> are:
>
> What isn't legal? If you get pulled over, the registration card will match
> the plates but will not match the vin# for the vehicle. This happens with
> stolen plates. Even if you don't get pulled over, if there is an officer
> running random checks on plates - the plates will not match the vehicle.
> When you drive into Canada, the vin# on the registration card will not match
> the vin# on the vehicle.
A friend spent the day at the Canadian border with a similar situation.
They have 2 vehicles and decided not to renew the registration on one of
them. They accidentally renewed the wrong registration. So when the
sticker came it was affixed on the wrong car onto an expired plate.
They went into Canada and upon returning they were directed out of the
queue at the border. I had read that they are doing OCR on license
plates and we wondered if his plate had been scanned before the border.
They brought them into the office and they spent over 12 hours (it was a
weekend) before everything was verified.
clams casino
>
> A single data point is totally meaningless. How many people buy a new
> vehicle and never have issues?
>
>
I've owned 14 new vehicles. While a few eventually had a few recalls,
none required any repairs beyond standard maintenance within the first
24k miles.
My 2000 Accord reached 120k before a non standard maintenance repair was
required (burned out headlamp at 120k, then needed brakes at 130k).
Anthony Matonak
>> What you can do, and what makes the most sense, is to rent a car.
>
> that, it also seems foolish to me to pay that much when there are plenty of
> used vehicles in the $500 to $1,000 range available in the area. We can use
> one of them, then sell it for about what we paid when we get home. Heck, I
> might even make a couple hundred bucks, because the cars from the Pacific
> Northwest are known for being rust free. (unlike the ones around here)
If you don't have the money to do something right then you are better
off not doing it at all. A $500 car is that price for a very good reason
and, as you say, it won't be rust.
This whole deal is an example of someone being cheap, not frugal. You
are looking for the lowest cost deal despite knowing that you could
finish paying a much higher price in the end.
>> car without test driving it and without having a mechanic >inspect it
>> first, then driving it around thousands of miles >from home is nuts.
>
> While I've agreed to buy it, I certainly won't hand over the money until
> I've looked it over and taken it around for a quick drive. Plus, the guy
> with the van will have to drive it to where we are in order for the exchange
> to take place. It has to be able to drive there, or we won't buy it.
Being able to move on its own power and being safe to drive are two
different things. I've seen some very unsafe vehicles move under their
own power.
You are clearly very emotionally invested in this deal. You may not be
able to walk away from this even if you know it's going bad.
> Besides, I hope you are kidding about trusting a new car to be more
> reliable. My ex brother in law got a new vehicle, and I got to watch as he
> had to take the thing in 10 times in the first year to get all sorts of
> things fixed that weren't working right.
New cars come with warranties. Repairs cost you nothing and, usually,
you get free rentals if it takes more than a day to fix.
I can offer some suggestions beyond the obvious (Run away!).
Consider this like any other risky purchase from a total stranger.
Get a vehicle history report yourself. They should be able to supply
you with the VIN and other details and you can get this online for
relatively little cost. Don't accept at face value any documents the
seller prints themselves. When you go to purchase the vehicle you
will need to check that it's got the same VIN.
Get a mechanic of your choosing to inspect the vehicle. Don't use their
mechanic. There are mechanics that specialize in this kind of thing so
you can have them check out the vehicle before you go out there. Make
sure they check for flood damage. Get the mechanic to double check at
the time of sale that it's got the same parts and in the same condition
as when originally inspected.
Take photos of the sellers and the vehicle. Get copies of their drivers
license. I would even go so far as to take their thumb prints. Make sure
they have the pink slip and that it's registered in their name. Take
care of the DMV and taxes that day yourself. Don't let them take care of
the paperwork or let them recommend someone to do it for you.
Anthony
Dave L
"OhioGuy" <no...@none.net> wrote in message news:f6m12g$ial$1...@aioe.org...
> >What isn't legal? If you get pulled over, the registration >card will
> >match
>
> Not really much of an issue, and it has happened to me before. My Mother
> gave us our current car as a wedding present. I completely forgot to have
> the registration switched over to my name. About a year and a half later,
> I was pulled over for speeding.
>
> The police officer noticed that the car wasn't registered in my name, at
> which point I explained that when I put our plates on, I had forgotten to
> get the registration also switched over. He just told me to do it when I
> got home, and that was that. No extra fee/fine, and no problems.
Sounds like you were either lucky or there are a bunch of unlucky folks out
there! I've just known of instances where people run into less lenient
cops, cars getting impounded, etc. Same thing can happen to two different
people with different outcomes.
> Besides, I just finished talking to my insurance agent. The insurance on
> this is no problem at all. She also told me that according to Ohio law, I
> am allowed to put my old plates on a new vehicle that I buy, and I have 30
> days to get the title transferred over.
Nice! If that's what your agent said, so be it if that's the state DMV
rules.
> I'll already have the title transfer done, plus a signed note from the
> original owner conveying ownership of the car to me. And, I'll have my
> plates, which are current and valid. You don't think this will be enough?
Sounds good if your ins agent said no prob for the insurance either.
Personally I'd prefer to have the signed note notarized as well. Cost a few
bucks to have done unless you happen to know a notary in the area who could
do it for you.
-Dave
Usene...@the-domain-in.sig
antho...@nothing.like.socal.rr.com says...
> Take photos of the sellers and the vehicle. Get copies of their drivers
> license. I would even go so far as to take their thumb prints. Make sure
> they have the pink slip and that it's registered in their name. Take
> care of the DMV and taxes that day yourself. Don't let them take care of
> the paperwork or let them recommend someone to do it for you.
Go to the DMV (or equivalent agency) WITH the seller. Arrange to
meet them there for the hand-off of car and money. Show the cash
to the seller inside the office, while the DMV drone looks at the
paperwork and vehicle's computer file.
Also be careful about a seller who wants to get a smog
certificate themselves, and then provide it to you. Many years
ago, I encountered a dealer who took a used car off to get it
smogged, and came back with the legit-seeming certificate. But
it later turned out that part of the emission system was broken,
and he must have bribed the inspection station.
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