How to buy a car that is far away

[OfnaRcR4]

I was just reading a thread about ckanderson's bike getting impounded and it got me thinking.
What is the proper procedure with buying a car?
Is it okay to buy it and drive it back without it being in your name yet? What about tags?
Am i just supposed to get temp tags for the drive home?

I bought 2 cars but driving back always seemed like a race to get home before the cops pull me over, so what do i do if they do pull me over?

 

[Ckanderson]

Sit on the curb and dont ask questions.

 

[iwannadie]

I just bought a jeep and it wasnt Far but it was a good 20 minute drive. I asked the seller to drive it to my house. He seemed to not to like that idea at first, but I was like hey if I get pulled over and have no tags etc. So bottom line if he didnt drive it I didnt buy. Just seemed the safest way to me.

Also if the seller thought the car would break down he wouldnt drive it that far lol. I did the same thing when I bought my last bike, that was a good 2 hour drive away. The seller didnt have a problem doing that either since I drove that far to look at it.

Otherwise, towing would have to be the safest way to do it. You can get 3 day temp pass but thats Supposed to be to go straight to the dmv or emissions(in az). It doesnt say anything about driving it home lol. Also insurance is a factor, unless you call them and get it signed up before driving.

 

[willfish]

Sit on the curb and dont ask questions.

LMAO

Will

 

[Ric]

Fly there, drive it back

 

[dugums]

Make sure the seller has the title in hand and ask to see the seller's driver's license. Make sure the information matches exactly and that there are no recorded liens. Also, look up state laws regarding title transfers, some require signatures to be notarized to complete the transfer. Always be willing to walk away if something is not quite right.

 

[theprodigy79]

Many states have temporary "relocation" permits that are purchasable and printable on-line from the DMV website for $5 or so and expire 5 days after purchase (and can generally be renewed as many times as you want). They are intended to be used strictly to transfer from seller's location to buyer's location, however I left my Supra down in Wilmington, NC with my parents for a week with one and nobody bothered them taking it back and forth to their mechanic with no tags... In my case, I purchased one to drive my car from Wilmington, NC to Northern VA (about a 6-7 hour drive depending on traffic). It's hard to see with the tints, but here's mine mounted on the rear driver's side window (look carefully):

 

[OfnaRcR4]

OK, i decided that i am going to just get temp tags for it. Appearently, according to my dad, state farm insurance gives us like 2 weeks of insurance on a new car so that should be good.

Another question tho. Say i don't want to pay $500 on title taxes for a $4000 car. What would be the downfall of me telling the DMV that i paid $500 for it?

 

[Big Wang Bandit]

I drove to LA, Bought my Car, and drove back.

Since I had the title signed over to me, it was registered for 30 days under my name, untill I registered the purchase with the DMV

 

[tte]

I drove to SoCal, put my car on a trailer and towed it back to NorCal.

Cheers,
roy