RacerX1166

Perhaps premature since the PPI is tomorrow but has anyone bought a car in MA from out of state and driven it out under its own power?

I can't seem to find a legal way to do it since MA doesn't have transit tags.

Looking for advice since transport is $800 to PA so I want to avoid that but I also want to avoid having my new toy impounded the day I get it.

Help Please?

J. Brinkley

get a temp from your own state?

jakeflyer

I Colorado, the plates belong to the owner, not the car. I got a car there, drove home on his plates and mailed them back to him.

RacerX1166

PA doesn't offer them.....neither doe MA.

I can beg the owner to let me take the plates and mail them back, I guess. I wouldn't if I were him.

Ed Hughes

Why do you assume you need to beg??

Every car I've bought, or friends have bought and then driven home have come back with the plates that were on it. With a signed/dated bill of sale and the new owner's insurance in effect, why wouldn't a seller accommodate a buyer?. I'd show up and say that the plates go for the drive home, or the deal doesn't finish. What're they gonna say? If they want them back that bad, the offer to mail them back should be acceptable.

RacerX1166

I guess as long as I promise not to run any toll booths and have my own insurance, we should be okay. I'll broach the topic tomorrow after the PPI.

Steely

I was planning to swipe tags off of one of my other cars when the PO made his offer to 'loan' me his - same deal as mentioned here, I just mailed them back w/ return receipt. Never had any issues, bought the car in Dixie and brought'er home to PA. And good luck with the PPI!

RacerX1166

I was planning on doing the same thing until I called the state police to find out what the penalty was for doing that. The letter of the law says that the tag that doesn't belong will be seized and the car towed to a place of safety so I didn't want to risk that. The corporal I talked to was pretty open about what he would or wouldn't do. Plus, he just went through it himself, bringing a car in from MA (he trucked it).

84_Carrera

Officially it's probably like what my registry told me (RI) when buying from MI (which does offer temp tags)...

"Just fly out, buy the car, bring the paperwork back, and we can proceed with getting you temp tags, then fly back & drive it home"

"uh, can't I just put my plate on the car for the ride home? Don't I have like 7 days when purchasing a car like that?"

"Well no, sir, it's THREE days, and only if you're transferring the tags to that car in the end"

"So, if I get pulled over, how is the officer going to know what I INTEND to do with the plates when I get home?"

Silence.


Check to see if you can use your existing PA plates, drive the car back with them. I know someone who drove out of MA with NO tags, did it at night, after purchasing a car here.

Another way is to leave the plates & insurance on the car for the ride home, then mail them back to the previous owner, though most people won't want to do that for liability issues.

srf506

I drove a 996 TT from St. Louis MO to Orlando FL with NO tags, just the bill of sale and insurance paperwork. We were never stopped along the way. Maybe we were just lucky, but since neither state offers a temp or transit tag I'd go that route versus putting another car's tags on it.

rvklein

I borrowed the tags then mailed them back to him when I got home. He even offered.

MUSSBERGER

Trailer?

newsboy

When I got mine, I called my insurance Co. and supplied them with all the information. They told me to take a plate off one of my other vehicle and put it on the porsche to drive it home. They said I would be insured. So you may be able to do this. Check with your insurance Co. first.

RacerX1166

Thanks for the suggestions but I make have planned a premature extrication. Car failed PPI as noted in my thread.

Ugh....

andrew911

How does an insurance company have the authority to speak of state registration laws? The answer is they don't- the car is insured in this case, but not registered. If a cop is behind you and runs your plate (as they do frequently in NJ), and it says honda civic and you're driving a 911, guess what.....pulled over, impound, ticket, etc. I'm not saying it's fair (heck I'm not even saying I might not try to take the risk just to get the car home)- but just to understand it's illegal to simply take a plate off another car and a risk from a ticket standpoint. Definitely get it insured from the day you buy it whatever you do.