According to the seller, he gets to keep the license plates off the car we are buying. He says that I need to bring "my own plates"...how the hell am I supposed to do that? Apparently, in Illinois, you can transfer the registration from one car to another...is this true?
I'll be flying out Tuesday night to pick up the car, but am not sure what to do about driving it back w/o plates. Maybe I should just photocopy the plates and write on the sheet "I refused to give the buyer of this car the license plates because I'm insane" and have the seller sign it.
Buying a car from Illinois, but having issues with license p
It's not unusual at all. Some states require you to turn in plates in order to cancel a registration and insurance liability. Regardless, I always advise people to keep their plates. Even if both parties sign a bill-of-sale, the plates are registered to the seller, not the buyer and they are not only invalid for the buyer but can become a liability to the seller...like when you go through photo radar on the way home or become involved in an accident.
Most states provide some method of temporary transport but I have no idea what that is in California. Check with your DMV in the state where you reside and will title the car. In Virginia for $5 or $10 the state will issue you a "Trip Permit for Prospective Purchaser" that you are supposed to tape to your back window. It is valid for thee days from the date of sale as listed on the bill of sale which you need to get when you buy the car. I'm sure there's something similar available in California.
-Phil
Most states provide some method of temporary transport but I have no idea what that is in California. Check with your DMV in the state where you reside and will title the car. In Virginia for $5 or $10 the state will issue you a "Trip Permit for Prospective Purchaser" that you are supposed to tape to your back window. It is valid for thee days from the date of sale as listed on the bill of sale which you need to get when you buy the car. I'm sure there's something similar available in California.
-Phil
-
Rich in Richmond
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
Hey Raj...
Yeah, he keeps his tags.
Have him overnight the title (with his signature) tomorrow -- hopefully you have an afternoon flight.
Then call your insurance company, put it on a policy, and go to the DMV and get tags, registration, etc.
That's the way it goes in most states:
1) Title transfer (don't have to be present for signatures)
2) Insure it (quick phone call)
3) DMV it
4) Inspect it
There are also temp tags from what I understand specifically for right after the purchase. The guy that bought my E23 off of me went to the Virginia DMV before the final exchange and got one -- then pasted it to the back upper left corner of the rear window. From what I understand, they're good for either point A (purchase site) to point B (home) -- or 72 hours or something like that. When I bought a car in NJ and lived in PA, I got that kind of a sticker/window license.
Get on the horn first thing in the morning or go the CA DMV website and see what they say.
Third option? Snag the tag from your 535 and screw it in when you get there and just drive it. Not that that's ever been done before.
Note: Just read Phil's post before posting this, sounds about right.
HTH...
Rich
Yeah, he keeps his tags.
Have him overnight the title (with his signature) tomorrow -- hopefully you have an afternoon flight.
Then call your insurance company, put it on a policy, and go to the DMV and get tags, registration, etc.
That's the way it goes in most states:
1) Title transfer (don't have to be present for signatures)
2) Insure it (quick phone call)
3) DMV it
4) Inspect it
There are also temp tags from what I understand specifically for right after the purchase. The guy that bought my E23 off of me went to the Virginia DMV before the final exchange and got one -- then pasted it to the back upper left corner of the rear window. From what I understand, they're good for either point A (purchase site) to point B (home) -- or 72 hours or something like that. When I bought a car in NJ and lived in PA, I got that kind of a sticker/window license.
Get on the horn first thing in the morning or go the CA DMV website and see what they say.
Third option? Snag the tag from your 535 and screw it in when you get there and just drive it. Not that that's ever been done before.
Note: Just read Phil's post before posting this, sounds about right.
HTH...
Rich
Interesting...every car I have bought/sold was left with the plates, and then mailed back to the original owner if requested.
Problem is, I cannot register the car right away and seller's lienholder currently has the title. I will receive the title within 2 weeks of buying the car. Reason I can't register it yet is it has to have 7500 miles to be legally registered in California. Car currently has 3400, and will get 2100 more on the drive home. According to California law, I have 30 days from when the car physically enters the state to register it, which would be plenty of time to get the car up to 7500 miles. But for the time being, looks like I'll have to get a temporary permit of some sort.
Insurance is not an issue.
Problem is, I cannot register the car right away and seller's lienholder currently has the title. I will receive the title within 2 weeks of buying the car. Reason I can't register it yet is it has to have 7500 miles to be legally registered in California. Car currently has 3400, and will get 2100 more on the drive home. According to California law, I have 30 days from when the car physically enters the state to register it, which would be plenty of time to get the car up to 7500 miles. But for the time being, looks like I'll have to get a temporary permit of some sort.
Insurance is not an issue.
-
Evan#2 Seattle
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
[QUOTE="Raj"]Problem is, I cannot register the car right away and seller's lienholder currently has the title. I will receive the title within 2 weeks of buying the car. [/QUOTE]
This would bother me more than anything. What proof do you have of title? Or proof that even if you pay the asking price and get the physical vehicle that you'll ever see the title or that the loan will indeed be paid-off? You could end up in court...back in Illiniois! !@#$
I'd ask the owner to make the payoff and give you the title while you're there if you're paying with certified funds. If that's not possible I'd make damn sure I'd spoken with the lienholder and assured myself that my interests were covered. If a dealer played funny with a title there are procedures for handling it and both yours and the seller's locality DMV will be on your side. If it's just an individual vs. another individual all the legwork and legal expense is on you. Unless you know the seller personally (and even then...) I'd make sure to have done a bit more due-diligence and not worry about the tag as much. IMHO
This would bother me more than anything. What proof do you have of title? Or proof that even if you pay the asking price and get the physical vehicle that you'll ever see the title or that the loan will indeed be paid-off? You could end up in court...back in Illiniois! !@#$
I'd ask the owner to make the payoff and give you the title while you're there if you're paying with certified funds. If that's not possible I'd make damn sure I'd spoken with the lienholder and assured myself that my interests were covered. If a dealer played funny with a title there are procedures for handling it and both yours and the seller's locality DMV will be on your side. If it's just an individual vs. another individual all the legwork and legal expense is on you. Unless you know the seller personally (and even then...) I'd make sure to have done a bit more due-diligence and not worry about the tag as much. IMHO
-
C.R. Krieger
- Posts: 14507
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Halfway up the left side of Lake Michigan
- Contact:
Actually, I think it's true in most states. CA and TX seem to be the biggest exceptions.Raj wrote:According to the seller, he gets to keep the license plates off the car we are buying. He says that I need to bring "my own plates"...how the hell am I supposed to do that? Apparently, in Illinois, you can transfer the registration from one car to another...is this true?
No need to be nasty about it; he's right. I'd certainly hesitate to give you my plates for you to haul them 1500 miles away and then maybe return them because you think they have no intrinsic value to me. Where I live, they do.I'll be flying out Tuesday night to pick up the car, but am not sure what to do about driving it back w/o plates. Maybe I should just photocopy the plates and write on the sheet "I refused to give the buyer of this car the license plates because I'm insane" and have the seller sign it.
Illinois has a paper temporary tag they can issue. While I have no direct experience with Illinois, most states that do this will issue them on an assigned title or a bill of sale. Take this to the DMV and pick up your plate for a nominal fee. It's usually good for 30-45 days. By then, you should be able to get your CA tags. It would be best if someone in IL would answer this with more certainty.
-
Damon in STL
- Posts: 474
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: St. Louis
Raj,
Just get a temp tag for it and then cruise over to 5ER FEST in SC. Then back to Cali on Sunday. :p That will get you the 4300 miles you need for the "Used Car" status.
Or,
You could buy it and I'd be glad to hold it for you until you receive the title. And, I'd even help you out with the mileage thing.
Just trying to be helpful.
It's a sweet car!
Damon in STL
Just get a temp tag for it and then cruise over to 5ER FEST in SC. Then back to Cali on Sunday. :p That will get you the 4300 miles you need for the "Used Car" status.
Or,
You could buy it and I'd be glad to hold it for you until you receive the title. And, I'd even help you out with the mileage thing.
Just trying to be helpful.
It's a sweet car!Damon in STL
Well, thanks all for the help, but I've now decided to pass on this car. The car is EXACTLY what we wanted, but the whole experience of TRYING to buy this car has left a real sour taste in my mouth. The way I see it, if we were meant to buy this car, the process would not have been so ridiculously difficult.
I sincerely appreciate the offer, and at one point considered taking you up on it (including the miles thing), but the whole deal has gotten a bit out of hand. Give me a call sometime and I'll tell you about it.
You could buy it and I'd be glad to hold it for you until you receive the title. And, I'd even help you out with the mileage thing.
I sincerely appreciate the offer, and at one point considered taking you up on it (including the miles thing), but the whole deal has gotten a bit out of hand. Give me a call sometime and I'll tell you about it.