Transporting a new purchase

[Ryan Wright]

On Dec 6, 2007 4:17 PM, bubblerboy64 wrote:
>
> If you happened to be involved in an accident or a traffic violation
> and you are pulled over what do they ask for? Your license, your
> insurance, and your registration. Anyone argue with that? Think a
> bill of sale is good enough?

Yes, actually, a bill of sale is good enough. Haven't you bought a car
from a dealership before? You never leave with a registration, at
least not in the states I've bought vehicles in. You pay the fees and
the registration is mailed to you in a couple of weeks. In the
meantime you are driving a car that hasn't yet been registered. This
is allowed because you just bought it and most states - I'll bet every
state - has a grace period for vehicle purchases.

So, yes, you show them a recent bill of sale and that's good enough,
you're on your way.

> I would not sell a car and let a fellow
> drive it on my registration and I would not ask to do so in return.

Then how do you ever expect to sell a car? No, you don't give your
registration paperwork to the guy, but he is technically driving "on
your registration" as far as the state is concerned until he registers
it in his name. Every time you sell a car, do you take the person down
to the local DMV and make them transfer it into their name? Would make
it awfully hard to sell a car to someone from out of state.

I've sold cars to people from out of state many times. You simply sign
the title over and send them on their way. You then fill out a little
form at the bottom of the title and mail that to the state - that
certifies you sold the vehicle to so-and-so on such-and-such date.
That form is your waiver of liability - if the guy does something
stupid, he is on the hook even if the registration is still
technically in your name. Sure, the cops might come by your door but
you simply say, "I sold it to this guy and mailed the form off
yesterday." Case closed.

> I don't loan cars to people either but that is essentially what you
> are doing legally until the registration is changed over or at least
> it could be interpreted that way in the you guess it a "court of
> law".

No, that's an incorrect statement. You aren't loaning the car to
anyone. You've signed the title over to them. The car is therefore
sold. The registration has absolutely nothing to do with ownership.

Once you report to the state that the car has been sold they cancel
the registration.

This is not rocket science, folks. People have been buying and selling
cars for a really long time now. The authorities have it all figured
out; you don't have to transfer title or registration the second the
car trades hands. That is what titles and purchase agreements are for.
Yes, these can replace the registration for a short period of time
while you get the car home.

Think about it: If things really worked as poorly as you seem to think
they do, nobody could ever buy a car on a weekend or holiday or after
5pm because the local DMV office is closed. Yet people buy cars when
the DMV is closed ALL THE TIME. In fact I would venture a guess the
vast majority of cars are sold during evenings and weekends, after DMV
hours, and you know what? People get along just fine because it's not
illegal anywhere in this country to drive your newly purchased car
around for a few days until you can get down to the local DMV office
and get your registration in order.

> I checked with my local DMV in
> Pa and they told me that as far as Pa was concerned if you did not
> have a dealers tag you better have the vehicle trailered.

You talked to some idiot at the DMV office. That does not mean what he
said was the law. Call your local police department instead. Tell them
you're buying a car from some guy on the other side of the state and
you need to drive it home but you're picking it up on Saturday and
won't be able to register it until the DMV opens on Monday. Ask them
if that's OK. Then you'll have your answer.

> And as far as a binder not being necessary because the insurance
> company gives you 30 days. I don't trust that one either. I can't
> repeat "insurance companies are our friends" over and over enough
> that I want to take any chances with them. So I get the binder in
> writing which of course you have to have to get that temporary tag.

You're making this way more difficult than it has to be. My freshly
signed title has always sufficed in place of a registration and
insurance cards for my other vehicles have always sufficed in place of
an insurance card on the new vehicle I just purchased. Just give the
cop the "sir yes sir" he wants to hear and you'll be on your merry
way.

-Ryan