MikeinBloomfield

I bought my car in California and drove it to NJ. The Cali plates stayed on the car, but I signed a 'waiver of responsibility' so the seller was covered if I got in a wreck or whatever. I insured it under my policy and had the seller sign a receipt, and of course I had the bill of sale. I got stopped (for guess what) in Oklahoma and the Sheriff had no issues with my plates or my paperwork and thought the receipt was a good idea.

My son has the Cali plate hanging on his wall, as long as its not on a car I don't know if anyone cares about sending them back.

You need to check with Illinois DMV. There has to be a solution they offer. I would imagine that driving with no plates or plates that belong on a different care would both be non-starters, at least for me. I knew I was already drawing attention to myself, no plates just adds to it.

EDIT:: NOPE. What I found was for dealers only it seemed.

e90steve

I ended up just paying $300 bucks to have the car shipped to me on a trailer. Far less headache than driving and stressing out about being pulled over. Montway is a pretty cheap option, my car showed up from VA to Atlanta in about a week (open trailer). When I got it to Atlanta, I had a signed title with no date. Technically you have 7 days to have emissions and registration, in the meantime no temp tag would be issued simply drive without a plate.

charlieaf92

I'm not sure what everyone's personal experience with law enforcement has been in the past, but I would be absolutely shocked if anyone gave you a hard time about driving a car you just bought home regardless of whether you have a plate from another car or no plate at all. Assuming you're respectful, have documentation proving you bought the car, and insurance, the most I would expect would be a written warning. I guess you could always catch someone on a bad day, but I'd think that would be a very rare exception.

Elumere

Oh, you’d be surprised, especially if you don’t fit the idea of who should own a Porsche.

motoo344

Or if you use a plate from a few states away. I got pulled over once in Wisconsin with a PA plate, did nothing wrong, people were passing me on the highway. Guy just wanted to check me out, his reasoning was "exhaust was loud" it was just a cat-back.

Skyman911

I purchased my last Targa from out of state. Kept the owners plates on the car and mailed them back when I got home. I also purchased another car out of state, and the prior owner just wanted a picture of the destroyed plates.

SoCal911t

It's all about having the right window tint.

Seriously though, like charlieaf92, I've found being polite and courteous can be a big help when getting pulled over. Not always, because there are arsehole cops and then there are some regular cops who are just having a bad day.

Flyfishnick

Huh, never heard of giving plates back. In WA state, you have time to get new registration (I think 2 weeks from purchase is the law), they give you new plates and you throw the others away or I post on my shop wall for souvenir. Then again, we don't have to do 'inspection' stickers and that kind of stuff. I would just drive with Bill of Sale, insurance and call it good, and obviously don't attract attention to myself, lol. I guess East Coast is a whole different world from us Western Cowboyz...….
I just bought a vehicle in CA , drove it for a month in WA, got new tags/license plate and our Dep't of Lic didn't bat an eyelash. *and was checked twice with CA plates going into Canada from Washington before doing the new reg/plates, but had BOS and told them I haven't been home-I travel a lot and it was fine
Oh well, either way, drive safe

shft22

Bought my 996 in VA and drove it to FL. Kept the sellers plate and registration for the drive down and mailed it back to him when I got home and registered the car under my name.

I did called the insurance while at the seller and got a policy issued for the car. Also had a bill of sale. Figure if I got stopped this should be sufficient, fortunately I did not got a chance to prove this.

wkf94025

Bought a 996TT last week in IL. Debating driving it to CA, but decided it was a wash with airfare, gas, hotel, and miles incurred on the car versus enclosed shipping. So plates NA. Seller kept them. I put the car under my State Farm policy immediately.

Prelude Guy

I used to think like you. I used to even thank them for their service when I randomly saw them when i was out-and-about. I then realized over a decade ago that ANY interaction with the police has a real possibility of affecting your life forever. Yes, there are good ones out there, but the fact that there are "bad" ones is enough to seriously reconsider how you interact with them. I strongly advise people to do everything you can to decrease the amount of time you interact with the police. Things can escalate quickly, even from a simple traffic stop.

Just remember, they aren't your friends. They work for the state and have an incentive to generate as much revenue for the state as possible. Most people don't even realize that speed limits are a guise for generating funds for the state. They aren't meant to keep us safe. Cops ultimately are cashiers with guns.

*Eastep*

I've done it. The sellers and I usually agree to "loan" me the current plate for the car, for the trip. I then fedex the plate back to them, the day after my return, or the first business day after. Theres usually a certain amount of bonding and trust built up between individuals, when exchanging large sums of cash. Communication and negotiations, is the key.

wkf94025

I disagree with this jaundiced perspective. While I've racked up plenty of speeding tickets, and generated revenue for countless jurisdictions, I believe the majority of LLE put their lives on the line because they: (1) hate bad guys, and always have; (2) have an innate desire to protect the public, and believe our country is better for all of us with clear, predictable lawfulness/justice; and/or both (1) and (2). Is every cop perfect? Clearly not. But you paint a very negative picture with a very broad brush.
[/off soapbox]

thefleshrocket

I just bought my 996 last week in Philadelphia and drove it home to Illinois. The seller left his PA plate on the car, but I brought with an IL plate (from one of my other vehicles, so it's in my name) just in case I didn't have the seller's plate to leave on the car. This would be legally a gray area (pretty sure it's not legal to put a different car's plates on a car, even temporarily), but I'd rather explain that to a cop and hope for leniency rather than drive home with no plates and potentially get pulled over multiple times.

Optionman1

90% i'm making the chicago to NJ drive this weekend, sans plates, but with all other documentation. I hope to not have any interaction with law enforcement but not worried if i do. I treat everyone with respect and have politely talked my way out of tickets in the past. (best was when i got pulled over with 3 corporate lawyers as my passengers coming back from a business lunch).