how to legally buy a car... help?

como · 04-10-2009, 07:27 PM

Okay, I'm working out a deal with someone in Nevada to buy their mr2.

I live in Maine. 3,000 miles apart, this isn't a situation where I go test drive it then sneak back home with plates from a different car.

So what's the best way to do this? Someone told me I need to have him mail me the title, then register the car here in maine and get temp plates here and fly out there with them... But how am I going to convince this guy to send me the title without sending him all of the cash in advance, and how am I going to trust sending all of the cash in advance when I cant be sure this guy is legit?

I'm willing to send half the cash as a money order or paypal with a piece of paper for him to sign saying he has half of the payment and will get the rest when I get the car, but if he isnt willing to send the title at that point what do I do?
Can I register for temp plates when I get down there? I've never done this before, last few times I bought a car it was within 30 miles of home and I just used the plates off one of our other cars and made a point not to get said plates ran by the cops.

Brinkley · 04-10-2009, 07:29 PM

Fly out to see car and purchase it there. You dont want to lay down money on sight unseen

como · 04-10-2009, 07:34 PM

you're covering ground covered, I want to know how to get the car back here legally.

Brinkley · 04-10-2009, 07:34 PM

oh well yea you want to take the plate with you on the car, make sure you insure it first, then you mail him the plate back

Key-Lay · 04-10-2009, 08:44 PM

I drove from Indiana to Florida with a temp plate and a bill of sale. You shouldn't need the title if you have the bill of sale.

i8umup · 04-10-2009, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Key-Lay

I drove from Indiana to Florida with a temp plate and a bill of sale. You shouldn't need the title if you have the bill of sale.

he's right if you go to your motor v place and tell them you have a bill of sale and you need a temp tag to bring a car across state lines they generaly dont have a problem with it. i would lie if they ask you where it was at though i wouldnt be telling them im drivin cross country with it but do this it will work

como · 04-10-2009, 11:05 PM

so I just get the bill of sale and go to the local dmv out where I get the car, and they can hook me up with a temp plate? hmm. what information do they require for this?
The problem here is that I probably wont be getting into that town until several hours after the DMV closes, and I was hoping to have left the state by the next day.

i8umup · 04-10-2009, 11:13 PM

no u get him to fax or mail you a bill of sale and go to your dmv for the temp plate

Ben · 04-11-2009, 01:49 AM

Where in NV?

GINA2MR2 · 04-11-2009, 03:26 AM

omg

just go test it, if its nice buy it ... drive it home...
carry a plate from a insured car with you if you get pulled over show the pig the title and date it. tell him you just bought it and are getting it across state lines.
or find a buddy with a dealer plate and borrow it..
i know i know put the haterade down .. ive done it but if you dont want to risk it then just use your old plate.
and dont drive like a teen

como · 04-11-2009, 08:23 AM

Ben- Carson City, that's all the info I've got thus far.

I want to do this the legal/proper way, I have "poor" luck; driving the most incon****uous looking car I've ever seen I get pulled over a-lot for doing nothing, so I figure if I get behind the wheel of a red "sporty" car I'm going to get pulled over.
Also, I've never driven a manual tranny car before, just a few trucks, so I'm bound to stand out a bit for the first couple hours of driving anyway.

JLee · 04-11-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GINA2MR2

omg

just go test it, if its nice buy it ... drive it home...
carry a plate from a insured car with you if you get pulled over show the pig the title and date it. tell him you just bought it and are getting it across state lines.
or find a buddy with a dealer plate and borrow it..
i know i know put the haterade down .. ive done it but if you dont want to risk it then just use your old plate.
and dont drive like a teen

1) Oh, that's nice.
2) Is that legal in your neck of the woods?

como - call the Maine DMV at 207-624-9000, press 1, then extension 52149. You should be able to trust their answer.

8589 · 04-11-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLee

1) Oh, that's nice.
2) Is that legal in your neck of the woods?

como - call the Maine DMV at 207-624-9000, press 1, then extension 52149. You should be able to trust their answer.

the state where the car is located is the one issuing temp plates not where you live in, seller can help you with that or find a sweeter deal..the best deals are waiting for you since you are willing TO TRAVEL!!
Have fun!

the only guy refusing to lend me his plates for the trip back home was an mr2 owner..

David · 04-11-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GINA2MR2

or find a buddy with a dealer plate and borrow it..

My dad owns a dealer. So he's explained it to me. You have to be an employee of the dealer. So you have to be registered with the dealer's insurance, and the car has to be registered with the title in the name of the dealer.

como · 04-11-2009, 11:45 AM

heh, good deals on these cars are hard to find.
Most of them have been abused, riced, or generally messed up. This one is stock, fairly low miles, and a fair price; It's also in nevada, and has no rust. If you're from new england you can appreciate how much that means to me.

anyways the seller is real busy, so I dont get to chat with him often. I've been getting reply emails back from him at a rate of about one a week, so I'm trying to work out as much of this as I can by myself.

8589 has been the most helpful so far here, letting me know that its the nevada dmv I need to be interested in.
any idea how much the seller can help with acquiring temp plates for me? I'd be willing to throw the guy some extra cash if he could just make this problem go away (throwing money at problems to make them go away is okay by me) but I just dont know. I've never purchased a car on my own before, and I've never dealt with insurance on my own before either. This whole thing is very new to me in all aspects, and I just dont want to screw it all up. Deadline is approaching, I plan to go out there as soon as classes let out, so I've got four weeks to get the insurance figured out, the plates issue dealt with, and I have to deal with getting four new rims/tires down to the car and the current four shipped back up here, and also deal with having enough gear to make the week long journey home sent down there, and plane tickets to get there, and working out scheduling with the boss for myself and my co-pilot... ahh!

JLee · 04-15-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by como

heh, good deals on these cars are hard to find.
Most of them have been abused, riced, or generally messed up. This one is stock, fairly low miles, and a fair price; It's also in nevada, and has no rust. If you're from new england you can appreciate how much that means to me.

anyways the seller is real busy, so I dont get to chat with him often. I've been getting reply emails back from him at a rate of about one a week, so I'm trying to work out as much of this as I can by myself.

8589 has been the most helpful so far here, letting me know that its the nevada dmv I need to be interested in.
any idea how much the seller can help with acquiring temp plates for me? I'd be willing to throw the guy some extra cash if he could just make this problem go away (throwing money at problems to make them go away is okay by me) but I just dont know. I've never purchased a car on my own before, and I've never dealt with insurance on my own before either. This whole thing is very new to me in all aspects, and I just dont want to screw it all up. Deadline is approaching, I plan to go out there as soon as classes let out, so I've got four weeks to get the insurance figured out, the plates issue dealt with, and I have to deal with getting four new rims/tires down to the car and the current four shipped back up here, and also deal with having enough gear to make the week long journey home sent down there, and plane tickets to get there, and working out scheduling with the boss for myself and my co-pilot... ahh!

When I bought my car, I went to the DMV with the former owner and got a temp plate there.

Each state may be slightly different, but the easiest way to get an answer would be to call them and ask.

muffinman · 04-15-2009, 04:16 PM

^+1
Why don't you just call the DMV of the area your buying the car instead of taking guesses from random people? Call your local DMV and ask if not find the number to the one where the car is and call there.

04-10-2009, 07:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 517 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	how to legally buy a car... help? Okay, I'm working out a deal with someone in Nevada to buy their mr2. I live in Maine. 3,000 miles apart, this isn't a situation where I go test drive it then sneak back home with plates from a different car. So what's the best way to do this? Someone told me I need to have him mail me the title, then register the car here in maine and get temp plates here and fly out there with them... But how am I going to convince this guy to send me the title without sending him all of the cash in advance, and how am I going to trust sending all of the cash in advance when I cant be sure this guy is legit? I'm willing to send half the cash as a money order or paypal with a piece of paper for him to sign saying he has half of the payment and will get the rest when I get the car, but if he isnt willing to send the title at that point what do I do? Can I register for temp plates when I get down there? I've never done this before, last few times I bought a car it was within 30 miles of home and I just used the plates off one of our other cars and made a point not to get said plates ran by the cops.

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04-10-2009, 07:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
Brinkley My name is a killing word Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 389 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	Fly out to see car and purchase it there. You dont want to lay down money on sight unseen

04-10-2009, 07:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 517 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	you're covering ground covered, I want to know how to get the car back here legally.

04-10-2009, 07:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
Brinkley My name is a killing word Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 389 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	oh well yea you want to take the plate with you on the car, make sure you insure it first, then you mail him the plate back

04-10-2009, 08:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
Key-Lay Tecky Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orlando FLA Posts: 223 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I drove from Indiana to Florida with a temp plate and a bill of sale. You shouldn't need the title if you have the bill of sale.

04-10-2009, 11:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 517 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	so I just get the bill of sale and go to the local dmv out where I get the car, and they can hook me up with a temp plate? hmm. what information do they require for this? The problem here is that I probably wont be getting into that town until several hours after the DMV closes, and I was hoping to have left the state by the next day.

04-10-2009, 11:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
i8umup Beams Owners Group Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 29 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	no u get him to fax or mail you a bill of sale and go to your dmv for the temp plate

04-11-2009, 01:49 AM	#9 (permalink)
Ben Same In The End Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oceanside, CA / Reno, NV Posts: 3,927 Thanks: 18 Thanked 276 Times in 258 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (11/100% )	Where in NV?

04-11-2009, 03:26 AM	#10 (permalink)
GINA2MR2 Not A VR6 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: J-Town Posts: 329 Thanks: 3 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	omg just go test it, if its nice buy it ... drive it home... carry a plate from a insured car with you if you get pulled over show the pig the title and date it. tell him you just bought it and are getting it across state lines. or find a buddy with a dealer plate and borrow it.. i know i know put the haterade down .. ive done it but if you dont want to risk it then just use your old plate. and dont drive like a teen

04-11-2009, 08:23 AM	#11 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 517 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	Ben- Carson City, that's all the info I've got thus far. I want to do this the legal/proper way, I have "poor" luck; driving the most incon****uous looking car I've ever seen I get pulled over a-lot for doing nothing, so I figure if I get behind the wheel of a red "sporty" car I'm going to get pulled over. Also, I've never driven a manual tranny car before, just a few trucks, so I'm bound to stand out a bit for the first couple hours of driving anyway.

04-11-2009, 11:45 AM	#15 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 517 Thanks: 13 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	heh, good deals on these cars are hard to find. Most of them have been abused, riced, or generally messed up. This one is stock, fairly low miles, and a fair price; It's also in nevada, and has no rust. If you're from new england you can appreciate how much that means to me. anyways the seller is real busy, so I dont get to chat with him often. I've been getting reply emails back from him at a rate of about one a week, so I'm trying to work out as much of this as I can by myself. 8589 has been the most helpful so far here, letting me know that its the nevada dmv I need to be interested in. any idea how much the seller can help with acquiring temp plates for me? I'd be willing to throw the guy some extra cash if he could just make this problem go away (throwing money at problems to make them go away is okay by me) but I just dont know. I've never purchased a car on my own before, and I've never dealt with insurance on my own before either. This whole thing is very new to me in all aspects, and I just dont want to screw it all up. Deadline is approaching, I plan to go out there as soon as classes let out, so I've got four weeks to get the insurance figured out, the plates issue dealt with, and I have to deal with getting four new rims/tires down to the car and the current four shipped back up here, and also deal with having enough gear to make the week long journey home sent down there, and plane tickets to get there, and working out scheduling with the boss for myself and my co-pilot... ahh!

04-15-2009, 04:16 PM	#17 (permalink)
muffinman Brain Surgeon Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,797 Thanks: 24 Thanked 102 Times in 99 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	^+1 Why don't you just call the DMV of the area your buying the car instead of taking guesses from random people? Call your local DMV and ask if not find the number to the one where the car is and call there.