dave2020

About to purchase a 911 from a fellow Rennlister out of state. Thinking of driving her back instead of truck transport but not sure of logistics in regards to insurance coverage, transfer of title and registration, license plates, etc. Any advice or prior experiences would be appreciated. Thanks.

champignon

I've done both, buying at long distance and shipping, as well as flying out to pick up a car, then driving it back. There are advantages to both, but I'd say more advantages to flying out and driving back.

If you buy at long distance and have a car shipped, usually that means you didn't get a chance to look at the car, personally, before you bought it. Generally speaking, I think that is a bad idea. Just because the seller belongs to or is a participant in an online forum or association (such as PCA) is no assurance that the car is as represented. I've done 5 long distance transactions involving shipping the car. 3 turned out OK in most respects, and 2 were horrible. One of the 2 horrible experiences was 100% my fault, in that I bought a heavily, cosmetically modified car that I never would have bought had I seen it in person, again, my fault 100%. The other terrible experience was a totally misrepresented vehicle that was basically a rusted out heap of garbage, that was sold as being perfect. The seller had participated in an online venue, and he used all the buzzwords people use to describe well-cared for cars, but what he sold me was anything but. A lawsuit came out of that one, and I'm out a lot of money.

At least if you fly out or travel in some other fashion to pick up the car, you will get a chance to see it in person before any money changes hands. The drive back, if not too long, will give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the vehicle.

As to insurance, car shipping companies usually provide that, however collecting on it is something I've not personally had to do, so I can't speak from personal experience on the ease or lack thereof of collecting. Transfer of the title is going to depend on where the car came from, the presence or absence of any liens, etc. If the car is owned outright and the seller is honest, then this should present no problems and you can arrange for the title either to be sent through the mail or via an express service like Fedex, or in some cases it could accompany the vehicle with the transport driver. License plates in some cases go with the vehicle, and in other cases belong to the former owner. This depends on the state. Driving a car that you can't register until you get home is more of an issue if you don't have plates on the car, because you are likely to be stopped by a police officer en route. So, even if the plates belong to the former owner (as they do in Idaho, my state), you could try to keep the plates on the car, then mail them back once you get your car registered in your home state. Alternatively, you may be able to go into your local DMV before leaving to pick up the car, and get a temporary registration, with the sort of tape on paper document that you often get when buying a car from a dealer. You could go into the DMV with VIN # and some evidence that you are buying the car, and likely they will give you such a document in exchange for a small fee, like $15. The requirements to get a "temporary" registration like that are way less than needed to title and register a vehicle.

Note that if you do drive the car back, you will need to insure it. Many insurance policies do have a grace period so technically speaking you may be able to drive it back without calling the insurance agent, I would not do that personally and would get the car insured and a document to that effect. Worse comes to worst if the car is not as billed, you can call the insurance company and get the car dropped off the policy, usually with a full refund from day one, if you never actually did the transaction.

Good luck.

bkrantz

Like champy, I have bought long distance cars both ways. And I second his recommendations, especially that getting eyes on the car before taking ownership is very important.

Beyond that, if you have the time (and not buying a beater or project car), driving the new toy home can be a very special event. Insurance should not be an issue; most agents can pre-arrange coverage based in the VIN, or even start a policy via phone when necessary.

dave2020

Thanks for the feedback, very helpful!