fiatrn

If the car is currently registered in Mass, the owner could let you leave the plates on for the drive home. THat would be legal, since you haven't re-registered the car anywhere else. If you provided insurance, then the current owner is at very little risk.
(I did this with my 928)

You could conduct the entire transaction prior to going to Mass - you send the rest of the money, the owner sends you a free & clear title. Then you register it in AZ and fly to Mass with your plates. This takes some trust in each other, or the use of some type of 3rd party you both trust (mutual friend, local broker, etc). This doesn't work if the car needs inspection in AZ prior to registery, but the above rule I quoted might be just fine for you, since you get a set of plates for driving.



I've had good luck with simply calling the DMV in other states and saying "this is what I want to do - how do I legally make this happen." Mass seems a little harder bc supposedly they don't recognize some of the travel passes that other states issue.

chart928s4

^^^This is what I did when buying 928 from a private seller. I had the bill of sale, the title, and insurance binder, and registered the car/got the plates before I picked it up and drove it back. It worked fine and was legal in all states. Check with the MA RMV to see if there are any other parameters.