Buying a used car/truck: How to get it home withou

Say you buy a used car or truck and want to drive it home. How can you legally do it without getting plates for it first?

When I bought my first car, I drove it about 150 miles with no plates. Didn't get pulled over.

When I bought my truck last year, I got pulled over. Cop said I should have paid for the truck, went to DMV to get plates, and then picked up the truck. Is that the only legal way to do it? If so, its kind of a pain, especially if the vehicle is any distance away.

Back in the day, my dad would just take any old plates he had that were current, and put them on the new vehicle to get it home. Not legal, but it worked.

BUT...i will one day!!!!! !!!!! !!!!

I like the process described below that is used in ND. Every state should adopt that one.

In Utah, they expect you to go to the DMV with your new title, pay your fees and they give you a 96 hour (4 day) permit so you can drive it around getting it inspected etc. Then when you return to the DMV with your inspection form, they hand you your new plates. Well, that still means 2 trips to the DMV and that's just not acceptable to most people, so they just drive home with no plates and take their chances. I've done that a few times. I've been pulled over once but the cop let me off the hook when I showed him the title signed over and dated that day proving that I had just barely bought it and was just taking it home. Legally he could have cited me and impounded the car, but he was reasonable.

Another solution is to take your truck and trailer when you pick up the car and just trailer it home.

Soundguy

I know that my insurance will cover me in pretty much any vehicle that I drive, including rentals. I specifically asked if I would be covered in a vehicle I bought on a Saturday night and drove home Sunday (unable to call agent and add coverage) and they said yes.

YOU need to check with your state DMV and insurance agent to see what will be legal.

When I rent a vehicle I have the same coverage as I had on my own, but the vehicle has to be in a similar or "lesser" class. I can't own and insure a 2006 Taurus and go rent 2007 Corvette and be 100% covered for collision. They are not going to allow me to insure a $70,000 car with a policy written to cover a $10,000 car. They also specifically exclude coverage on any vehicle that is owned by my employer.

As for tags - if all you are going to do is drive it home - "borrow" a tag off a vehicle you already own but make sure you have insurance before you leave. Not being properly tagged could cost you a $100 ticket at the most if you get stopped. Not having insurance could easily be more then double and if you get in an accident it could cost several thousand.

Of course, you need to have insurance on the vehicle. A call to your insurance company will get you an insurance certificate. Most companies give you some time before you notify them of a new purchase, but that's not going to satisfy the patrolman.

The best way to do it for both buyer and seller is if you can both meet at the location where you go to register the vehicle. (Secretary of State in Michigan.) That way you leave with plates and a clean registration, and the seller leaves with their money and old plates.

Of course the other solution is to trailer the vehicle.

In N.Y. if it's not registered then you are not issured either.

You will get the following tickets
Improper use of Plates
Driving an unregistered Motor vehicle
Driving without insurance

Manditory 1 year suspension of License
$300 dollar fine.
lottsa points on your drivers license when you do get it back

I found out the hard way over 20 years ago.