Transporting a new purchase

[Ryan Wright]

Gardner, I've bought and drove home many vehicles. There's really
nothing to this.

When you buy a vehicle it usually already has license plates and
current tabs on it. If you're buying used it's already licensed unless
it's been sitting awhile and the thing has expired. Therefore, just
drive it home - you've got the plates and you're legal.

When I bought my DeLorean, the previous owner had custom plates he
wanted to keep. So I drove it the 17 hours & three states home without
license plates. Saw several cops but didn't get pulled over. If I had,
a simple "I just bought this car and can't license it until I get it
home - here's a copy of the purchase agreement / title / whatever"
would have let me right off the hook.

As for insurance it depends on who you're with. My State Farm agent
automatically gives me 30 days of coverage on any new vehicle purchase
so I didn't have to do anything - just drive home and bring it by
their office to fill out a policy when I had time. When I bought my
coach I could have done the same, however due to the money, distance
and type of vehicle involved we decided it would be better if I had it
inspected by a State Farm agent in Texas. That way, if something went
wrong on the way home, I'd have proof that the damage wasn't there. So
after purchase we drove a couple of miles down the road to the nearest
agent, she looked at it, called my agent and said "It's beautiful" and
we were on our merry way.

Anyway, don't fret about this as it's really no big deal at all. Don't
even worry about messing with some out of state DMV. You'll be wasting
your time and money and chances are they'll have no idea what to do
with you anyway. If you're especially worried, go down to your local
DMV before you leave and buy a temporary permit, most states sell
them. Technically it's not valid in other states but it's another
piece of official documentation to show any cop who stops you. Just
say, "Well, I just bought it but can't license it until I get it home,
so I bought this here temporary permit so I can legally drive it
home." I had one on hand when I bought the DeLorean just in case but
didn't need it. Think I paid a whopping $15 for it.

Do drive your new toy home - It's some of the most fun you'll ever
have and will create memories to last a lifetime. I have wonderful
memories of all of the vehicles I've driven home from other states,
especially of the Wanderlodge.

-Ryan

On Dec 5, 2007 11:06 AM, Gardner Yeaw wrote:
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> I was wondering how people deal with getting a new purchased Bird
> home. If I were to go half way across the country to look at one, I
> would rather pay up and drive it home than go to the expense and time
> of another round trip. Naturally I couldn't get it licenced and
> registered in my home state, New Jersey, without being there, so what
> method of temporary licencing is available? Do you obtain it from the
> resident state or the purchase state? I expect it varies from state to
> state, but today I am interested in Texas. I don't have a friend with
> dealer plates, and playing with the law isn't in my plan, so a
> legitimite solution is what I am looking for?
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> Any experiences out there?
>
> Gardner
> 78FC33 (for now)
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