Learn me: purchasing/titling/towing/driving home out of state vehicles to Pennsylvania

I am looking at picking up two Challenge cars currently located in NC. Pennsylvania, being the wonderful commonwealth run by shiny happy people that it is, has been mean to us when it comes to trying to do just this. What I'm hoping to get from the GRM think tank is the most efficient/least painful way to go about handling this situation. Handle the transaction/titling beforehand via mail/email then go down with titles to tow/drive them home (I'd like to do it simultaneous to make just one trip) or handle the transaction in person then driving/towing untitled vehicles home and trying to get the registrations complete? PA has some strange requirements when it comes to titling vehicles here (VIN tracings, etc.). I'm asking because the Mustang I bought my wife last year is still not registered and may never get registered in PA.

I've bought several out of state cars and brought them back. All I've ever had to do was get the seller to sign the title, then drive the thing home (on a random tag from my collection), then go to the notary with the car and they verify the VIN and do the title work. Even AAA, who aren't staffed by the most brilliant retired people these days, somehow manage to do it without turning it into a cluster.

chknhwk wrote: I'm asking because the Mustang I bought my wife last year is still not registered and may never get registered in PA.

Wow, what's the story. I thought you were being a bit over the top, but with your Bob Costas comments at first, but not being able to title a vehicle for over a year is nuts.

I have never had a problem buying them, driving them home and getting them registered. I do get the title transferred when I buy the vehi le.

There's more to the story than what you've said. What is the complication?

I've seen titles fail to make it through PA, but it had to do the out of state title having been through multiple transactions without proper signatures and such. Sometimes can be fixed with a friend from another state taking ownership and selling to you, sometimes not. Depends on the paperwork mess.

PA can be squirrelly when it comes to their historic/antique tags (not title, tags) and the pictures and their interpretation of stock regarding those pictures. Drove my father nuts for about a year with his old Mustang. From hubcaps to the oem trailer hitch and several other stupid things.

So, elaborate on the problems and some folk might be better able to help you.

I'm with the others. Life long PA resident. If you're trying to get classic/antique tags, they're a bit picky. However, for regular cars I've found PA very easy. I've bought cars from out of state literally at least 15 times, probably a lot more. I've never had any issues. Make sure the previous owner signs the title in the right spot and have them give you a notarized bill of sale, and you're good to go. If the notary gives you a hassle, they don't know what they're doing.

PA resident, had a similar problem- after buying my Mustang (clean MD title, no problems at the tag place) they waited 2 months, then sent me a statement saying all I could get was a certificate of salvage. It would need to pass a "reconstruction" inspection before being registerable.

That said, I've bought at least 8 other cars from out of state and had no issues with them.

The issues we've been having are due to Massachusetts putting 9,999,999 miles on the title because the engine was rebuilt. WTF?? Either way Pennsylvania asked for the tags back because they stated there was no way for them to verify the mileage of the vehicle. It's not a huge loss as the car is pretty cheap and the wife and I stripped it to be her drag car. She just wanted to be able to drive it to the track until we can swing a decent tow vehicle and trailer. Like I said, it's not a killer but inconvenient for us.
Thanks for the input everybody, I feel a little better about the whole thing.

I think the moral of our stories is that PA hates Foxbodies .

For the Mustang, call your local state rep's office and ask for their assistance. There used to be a check box on the title for the odometer reading that said "Beyond Mechanical Limits" and that should be sufficient.

For driving a fresh one in from NC, see if NC offers an out of state temp tag. I did that years ago when I bought a Dart in VA and drove it home. Stopped at the VA DMV and paid for a temp sticker to put int he rear window. I think it was good for a week or something. Then all was legit to drive home. Had a couple PA state troopers behind us on the way home and nobody bothered us.

If NC requires their title to be notarized, PA will require it for the title to be transferred to PA. If NC doesn't, PA won't either. The title just needs to be signed by the seller.

The tag place will need a pencil rubbing of the VIN only when it's an out of state vehicle coming in and the vehicle isn't present at the tag place for the official from the tag place to verify. An inspection mechanic can verify the VIN on the same form as the tag place, but for most folks they just drive it to the tag shop.

FYI, PA dropped the picture requirement for Antique and Classic tags last year. And all Fox Bodies should be at least a Classic tag now, and most would qualify as Antique.

If you were closer to here I'd put you in touch with the tag place I use. They have been very good to work with when I bring them something weird.

Many a PA titling problem can be rectified with the proper help from a given local shop. I would be awful inclined to ask around to see who is recommended near you to go visit with this sort of problem.

As an example, I had to deal with PA regarding an out of state untitled but PA registered snowmobile that I was attempted to get PA registration for as an out of state resident.

According to Harrisburg, it was impossible. A visit to Snells on the other hand got me my PA registration in about an hour.

What year Mustang are we talking about? My RX7 is old enough that my new to me title (I moved) doesn't even list the mileage anymore.

Rob R.

It's an '88. I'm told NC requires a bill of sale and a notary but I'm assuming once moving the vehicles out of state the receiving state has priority in deciding what is required and what is not.
Again, thanks everybody for the input! I can't wait to post up my build threads once I get them.

chknhwk wrote: It's an '88. I'm told NC requires a bill of sale and a notary but I'm assuming once moving the vehicles out of state the receiving state has priority in deciding what is required and what is not.

Bad assumption.

Rob_Mopar said: If NC requires their title to be notarized, PA will require it for the title to be transferred to PA.

I would play it safe and do what NC requires.