Hi All,

I am possibly buying a 997.2 from a well known Porsche shop in Texas. We have gotten far enough down the path that a PPI is scheduled for next week and I have left a deposit. I am in MA and the car will be shipped from TX to MA. Today I asked how they plan to get the title to me and they said they will send it 3 to 4 weeks after they ship the car out as that is how long it takes for them to get the title from the Texas registry with current COVID delays. I was a little surprised but didn't push the issue much further with them.

The more I think about it, however, the more odd it seems. If they own the car, shouldn't they have the title in their possession already? They claim there are no physical titles in TX. I wonder if there is some sort of curious consignment issue at play here or something else?

One of the main reasons I want the car is to be able to take joy rides in it with my small family. It has become a fun little pastime of ours and one of the positives to come out of this whole COVID nightmare. The last thing I want is to be waiting a month or more for a title to come in and the nice weather begins to disappear.

Curious if anyone else thinks this is fishy or not. Thx

 

They probably just took it in on trade (or consignment) and if the car was financed by the former owner, it may take longer than that in Texas. Took me over 60 days to get title for a car I purchased in Texas in October from a large franchise new car dealership. They will issue you a temp tag until the title comes in so you will be able to drive the car.

 

Appreciate the insight Doug. I don't believe temp tags are valid in MA.

 

Someone from TX can weigh in... but it's not uncommon for the selling dealer to get temp tags in the state they sold it to you (TX in your case), and when you get the title you register in the car in MA. The temp tags allow you to get your inspection, drive the car, have insurance, etc. At least that's how it worked for me for a car coming from Illinois to me in California. Allowed me to legally drive it to get the SMOG, then drive to the reg to have the VIN inspection when I registered the car.

 

what Im wondering is, if its at a porsche shop, what does it need inspection for? cant the porsche shop inspect it?

 

MA does not issue temp tags but recognizes temp tags from other states. The Texas dealer should issue temp tag that is delivered with the car. Every car I’ve bought in TX from a dealer (I live in Ft Worth) has had temp tags, I bought my 911 from NC and it was delivered with a temp NC tag (which was blown off at 120+ and drove for weeks with no tag but another story lol). Always taken several weeks to get the title, even if Texas dealer has in hand. If buying from reputable dealer you should be fine.
Will wonder however if they say Texas has no “physical” titles. I have 3 in my possession

 

Believe a third disinterested party may be preferred.

 

Pretty simple. I want an independent shop (not the shop I'm buying the car from) to look the car over to get an unbiased opinion.

 

Wait. What?

 

Some states no longer issue physical titles, but instead use electronic records. I don't know how TX operates, but it does not sound fishy to me. The other reasons listed are possible benign explanations too. I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially from a dealer (yes, I remember the Champion Porsche story; there are always exceptions).

 

During COVID, things are all messed up.

I live in Vermont and bought my car from a Porsche dealer (CPO) in Rochester, NY. The deal (finally) closed May 9th or so. The car was trucked to me on May 23rd, and arrived with a temp NY tag.

On roughly May 26th, the dealership's title company sent the paperwork to VT DMV. In July I started contacting VT DMV to see what had happened/where were my tags, and they said they were simply overwhelmed due to ALL of their offices being closed and everything having to be done by mail (tags, drivers licenses, etc.). I did not get my tags until about two weeks ago.

And this is a state of only 600K people (and 3 million sheep, but that's another story...), so I can't imagine what a more populous state like TX is doing.

Anyway, farther back in the process when it was clear the 30-day permit for my NY temp tag was going to expire, I went on NY DMV's website and they -- like VT -- were indefinitely extending the expiration date on any temp tag. I'm sure this is common all over, and that MA would honor that, too, from another state.

The fact is that the DMV systems are going through a situation they had never dreamed of and allowances are being made. I would not worry about that, at all.

Thx!

Bob

 

The problem is that Massachusetts does not allow temp tags for any MA resident, period, full stop. Whether or not the temp tags are from another state or not is irrelevant, if you are a MA resident, you need the legit title to register and drive your car legally. Perhaps there is nothing shady about the dealership but the thought that I may have a car sitting for months on end, without being able to drive it, is basically a deal breaker for me. I would put the car away anyway around November.

 

Florida is electronic, I just got the paper title on my 650i last week even though I purchased July 3. If a reputable dealer should be fine, they should give you paperwork showing car in your name at transfer. My dealer gave me a USB stick shaped like a key with all the docs plus a temporary registration sheet for the glovebox.

 

Again, if I lived in just about any other state, I could just drive around legally with some temp tags until the legit paper title came in. No biggie.
Being a MA resident, however, that is not an option. It appears I am left with no other choice but to have the car sitting in my driveway until the paper title is delivered to me. I fear it could be months for that to happen. If it took Doug H over 60 days to get his paper title from Texas back in October (Pre-Covid), I can't imagine it would be any quicker now. That would put me at mid-October before I could legally drive it. Just not worth it at that point as it would be going into storage not long after that.

 

I'm in NJ and recently bought my 08 C2S from a dealer in AZ.

The car took a few weeks to ship, and arrived in late June with temp AZ plates, which I'm still on as I wait for the lockdown-related DMV backlog to subside so I can get my NJ title and tags without having to camp out (seriously). I started driving it the day it arrived, as I had temp tags and registration from AZ and had added it to my insurance. If you have the same, it's everything you need to immediately enjoy the car.

The title came 8 weeks after the sale—long enough to make me nervous, but it finally arrived. My guess is the dealer financed their purchase of the car and needed to pay off the note with my money before they could get the title moving.

At any rate, your situation seems similar, and if it's any comfort, it all worked out just fine.

Hope everything goes well and you enjoy the car. Can't wait to see your next post asking about which transport companies are best!