Driving across the country without plates?

I'd like to tap into the vast wealth of experience here. I would like to visit the south and possibly buy a vehicle. I would want to drive it back home (to Canada).

I know what I need to do in order to import it once I get to the border BUT ... is it legal to drive it across x number of states without plates? I would have to call my insurance company and tell them about what I am doing, so that end should be covered.

Do states offer temporary plates to move vehicles? How does that work?

Thanks in advance! :-)

Yes, states offer temporary plates to move vehicles. I don't know the details, but the DMV of the selling state may be able to explain. I don't think you can get a temp plate from the destination state.

What if you got into a fender bender? Plates would be the least of your issues. Does your home State offer tempoary-transporter plates?

I would get the VIN of the vehicle you're looking at, get 30 days worth of insurance and some kind of tempory plate.

Bolting an invalid plate may work, if you're lucky. Running cross country with NOTHING on the front or back of the car? Put your hands behind you like you're praying and spread your feet apart.

Farther.

Dan

Keith wrote: Yes, states offer temporary plates to move vehicles. I don't know the details, but the DMV of the selling state may be able to explain. I don't think you can get a temp plate from the destination state.

Yes and no. You will get a temporary plate if you buy the car from a licensed dealer. In some states I think you can get one from the DMV if you buy it from a individual, but you'd have to call the DMV in that state for details. As long as you have proof of insurance, most places will just give you a ticket for false registration as a worst case scenario. A few years ago a friend of mine was visiting a friend in Florida, and his license plate was stolen. The cops gave him a tiny piece of paper to tape in the back window, explaining that the plates had been stolen. He was expecting to be pulled over constantly, but never had a single problem.

What I did when I bought my bike was I had my friend who works as a title agent give me a temp tag for it. He just needed the sales price and vin and all that and made one up for me. Not sure if they can normally do that.

When I bought my pathfinder I gave the guy a copy of my bill of sale and my driver's license and asked (and received) permissions to drive it home with the tags on and overnighted them back to him as soon as I got home.

I wouldn't go without tags. You are looking at a handful of tickets and the car likely being towed and impounded if you get pulled over. Not worth the risk, IMO. You should be able to get a temp. transport tag or something but call the state DMV where the vehicle is and find out first.

It is littered with a bunch of advertising but once you get through the ads there is some good info here. http://www.dmv.org/

I've seen things on that site there weren't correct or current though, and I would argue that an incorrect reference site is possible worse than none at all. Stick to the state DMV for the state you want to make the transaction in.

Expanding on the topic to "where to buy from" I was under the impression that either Southern Alberta or Saskatch. was a region of Canada that was known for "rust free" examples due to a cold but dry climate. Is this true?

914Driver wrote: Bolting an invalid plate may work, if you're lucky.

I learned years ago (the hard way) that using an invalid plate (Misuse of Plates) is a much more serious violation than Driving an Unregistered Vehicle.

Most states offer some sort of Transit Permit that allows the buyer of a vehicle a couple of days to get it home, as others have already mentioned.

Don't think it's been mentioned yet:

The importance of having plates pales in comparison to the importance of having insurance. Get the VIN before you go down, and have your insurance company fax/email you proof of insurance. No plate = potential ticket, though I think most states give you 30 days from the date of purchase to get the car registered. I don't think andrave's scenario of a gazillion tickets is plausible. No insurance = berkeleyed.

Whatever you do, don't do the "Tag applied for" cardboard on the back. That says to cops "I'm running drugs, please stop and search my vehicle." - see also, running invalid plates. That E36 M3 will get you arrested.

Don't forget to get an official-looking bill of sale, too.

I knew someone that got pulled over in the exact same situation with no plates.

They were written a ticket for no insurance, a ticket for no registration, a ticket for no license plate, a ticket for no inspection, and a ticket for whatever the moving violation was that they were pulled over for in the first place. And they actually didn't have insurance on it so it was towed to the impound lot.

You may not think its plausible, but for planning purposes, you have to look at the worst case scenario.

Now, I drove home with no tags once in a beat up old 240. I had a signed and notarized bill of sale and a signed title, certificate of insurance, etc, and showed them to the cop (all dated that same day). Told him I was just getting it back home and planned on going to the DMV the next day to apply for tags. He let me go.

If I was planing a cross continental drive, though, I'd rather not depend on the mercy of law enforcement officers.

Each state is different and some can be rpicks. In SC I am covered by insurance automatically for 30 days when I buy a car. But, I sure would want something from them if I am driving a car out of my native country (or state). In SC you can get a tempory tag from the DMV, but you can also drive on a bill of sale for 30 days without one. But its a cop magnet if you don't have a tag. We just went through this when my wife bought her new car.

And get this. You can get a title immediately from the local DMV if you pay an extra $20-30 in adtion to the cost transfer cost. Or you can just wait for it to go through the central DMV office where it takes 30+ days for multiple people to handle a single transaction. Talk about screwed up.

And if they tow your car for whatever, the tow charge will be rediculous. And the storage cost (often by the same thief that towed it) will be rediculous too.

Just give the DMV in the origin state a call. I've found it's usually fairly easy to get good information this way. Web searches and forum queries are fun and everything, but the telephone is usually much more accurate. And despite the horror stories, faster.

My insurance automatically covers any new car I buy for 72 hours or something like that. But if you're going to pick up a particular car, it's child's play to get it covered with a single phone call to your insurer as long as you know the VIN. Don't even need to do it ahead of time, you can call from the US.

This is more of an issue if your buying used than new. I've driven through a few states with dealer temp tags with no problems. I have heard that cops in the N.E. are a bit more shiny happy persony than here in the south

well yeah. if youre buying from a dealer they will give you a temp tag. thats true for used or new.

And in some states (like texas) the tags go with the vehicle... (until its removed from the state, theoretically).

Plates don't necessarily go with the vehicle in Texas. The seller has the option to keep them. (This is a fairly recent change.) Texas will also issue a transit permit if the seller keeps the plates.

What I've done in the past, and what I recommend, is get the seller to let you keep the plates until you get home and then send them back. You'll be cop bait with no plates.

Also, the insurance issue may not be as bad as some people suggest. My policy covers any car I buy for 30 days. Check your policy (preferred) or talk to your agent to find out what yours says.

andrave wrote: When I bought my pathfinder I gave the guy a copy of my bill of sale and my driver's license and asked (and received) permissions to drive it home with the tags on and overnighted them back to him as soon as I got home.

I've done this twice when buying my own cars, and also co-drove a car from CA to CT this way with a friend.

billy3esq wrote: Also, the insurance issue may not be as bad as some people suggest. My policy covers any car I buy for 30 days. Check your policy (preferred) or talk to your agent to find out what yours says.

I'm covered for a week (I think, just changed companies). So technically don't need to prearrange it with the company. But if you do get pulled over, I suspect you'll be glad to have a proof of insurance that clearly applies to that particular car.

keethrax wrote:

billy3esq wrote: Also, the insurance issue may not be as bad as some people suggest. My policy covers any car I buy for 30 days. Check your policy (preferred) or talk to your agent to find out what yours says.

I'm covered for a week (I think, just changed companies). So technically don't need to prearrange it with the company. But if you do get pulled over, I suspect you'll be glad to have a proof of insurance that clearly applies to that particular car.

Meh, just show him the sale paperwork and the proof of insurance from your DD. If the cop pulled you over, he's going to hassle you about something, might as well make it easy for him to figure out what.

I will admit to "borrowing" the plates from my DD to bring a car home

Thanks everyone for all the replies!

jrw1621 ... I'm in salty wintered Ontario (not far from Buffalo NY), so I'm not sure about the west of Canada. I do know that there are spots in Alberta that have desert-like climate, so you could be right.

My insurance guy says that all he needs is the VIN to cover me. It was the plate part that I was unsure about. I obviously don't want to raise any red flags driving without them.

My plan is to either grab a truck from Arizona or Florida. They seem to be cheap and plentiful, rust-free and like almost half the price!

Aldo, I am located directly across Lake Erie from you so I understand your climate (minus the "lake effect snows".)
I can not say who, but I distinctly remember someone on this board showing us all the well preserved old cars in his home town which was either in AB or SK. The comments were that it was unusually arid there. You might keep up that tangent and then not have to deal with the whole importing issues. If you are willing to travel to AZ then a trip to AB is really no farther.

If you do go the USA route, my advise would be to set aside ample time. Example: pick a town and fly in on a Sat. Shop until about Tuesday. That will leave 2 business days to get paperwork in order, get your insurance papers faxed over to your hotel and do any minor repairs that may be needed or negotiated. On Friday, hit the road for the long drive home.

John

I picked up my $900 Starion in New Mexico. I trailered it (back to Ontario also) so I can't help with the temp. licensing issues, but MAN that thing is rust free. I suspect even a southern-Alberta car wouldn't be that good.

Re: Using bogus plates. I spent the night in a Monroe County jail for that. Florida Keys. They called it ATNA, attaching tag not assigned. Apparently it is a BIG DEAL there. Storage was expensive, too. The whole story is extremely funny, but no room here for it, and it gets quite off-color.

66aldo wrote: My plan is to either grab a truck from Arizona or Florida. They seem to be cheap and plentiful, rust-free and like almost half the price!

Arizona trucks will be rust-free, but remember the desert sun plays hell on paint and interiors.

Florida trucks may be rusty. That salt air can be rough on cars.

If I were you, I'd look at the Southern bible belt states-- Texas, Lousiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Stay away from the areas close to the gulf and cars in those states should be rust-free. Plus trucks are more common than dirt around those parts, so it should be easy to find one you like for a good price. You could probably go north into Arkansas and Tennessee, too. About the only catch: folks in the south tend to USE their trucks, so be careful to find one that hasn't been rode hard and put up wet.