Can someone enlighten me on something?

"JGrabowMSt" (jgrabowmst) 04/16/2014 at 22:37 • Filed to: DMV

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So I'm looking to buy a new (to me) car, and get off my parents insurance, and etc etc once I graduate college. This is not a question of money, as I'm not itching for something expensive, it's a question about insurance, and registration.

So, obviously, I have to go to the DMV to deal with the registration, and insurance I need to shop around with, but here's my question..

If I buy a car tomorrow (hypothetically), what's the rules about taking a car off the road for a length of time to figure that out?

Specifically, I'm looking for a Dodge Magnum RT. I see a few for sale around my general area that I could go buy at a moments notice. I do not however have a place at home to put it. I have a couple friends who both have driveway space for it though, so I can easily call AAA and have them tow it wherever.

Will the DMV come after me if it takes me a couple months to work out insurance for it? Or will they fine me or penalize me in any way? It'll likely go under a tarp, on jack stands with the wheels off (for safety) until I can get plates on it, and valid insurance/registration.

Basically, if it's something where there wont be a problem, I can buy the car in the next couple weeks and have it stored and waiting for me, and I can even work on it a little. If it's a logistical nightmare (or I'm looking at a potential problem), then I'll hold off a little more.

This will be the first car I'm buying myself, putting in my name, etc etc, so I'd like to get into this with confidence, and a little know-how about what I'm specifically looking to do. I also only have 3 tows for AAA, so I don't want to use one when I may need it in the meantime (or even once it's all sorted out).

Have a Magnum for your troubles..

crowmolly > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 22:39

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Well, what are your town's rules for unregistered vehicles? That's a big one.

Ducky > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 22:42

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it's my understanding that if the car is on private property and stays on private property and does not go out onto public roads the government doesn't give a shit about it. you can register it whenever and as long as the bottom half of the title (the buyer's half) matches the top (the seller's half) the dmv won't give a shit if you register it tomorrow or 20 years from now.

JGrabowMSt > crowmolly 04/16/2014 at 22:44

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That I'm aware of, they've changed somewhat recently. I know that you're not really supposed to have an unregistered/uninsured vehicle on the property, but I'm not sure if that specifically changed. I guess I'll have to ask the local PD, because I think they'll have the best answer, considering any tickets would really come specifically from them. The DMV around me is just a disaster, so going there may not be the best idea...There used to be three, then they revamped one and closed two thinking the newly moved one could handle the load, then things got worse. So yeah, I know a couple people on the force, so it's not a big deal, I just have to catch them next time I see them.

Aaron James > Ducky 04/16/2014 at 22:52

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Not where I live, the city threatened to fine me and tow my Durango because I forgot to put my sticker on my license plate. Got the threatening letter and a copy of the city ordinance stating that no inoperable or unregistered vehicles may be parked in any driveway in the city. It's a small city, a middle class suburb but anyway it's different city to city. Also in Ohio there are now penalties on any car that is transferred but not registered in 30 days. Not a big fine maybe 30 or 50 bucks. Also the State of Ohio sends out random letters to car owners asking for proof of insurance. So if you have a registered car even if you don't drive it, you have to have insurance on it. How's the Miata treating ya?

Aaron James > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 22:53

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It all depends on your city and state. Read my reply to Ducky, that's what I know specifically about my little city in Ohio.

Janson Rodger > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 23:06

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There has been a titled and not registered 1967 Merc 230SL in my dad's garage for approximately 30 years now and he's never heard anything about it from the state or town. This is in a very rural part of PA.

Renescent > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 23:09

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You'll need to have it insured to pull it off the lot if you finance it... why not just wait?

JGrabowMSt > Renescent 04/16/2014 at 23:12

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I'm not buying from a dealer, I'm buying from a private seller.

Doug DeMuro > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 23:22

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Here in GA, if you don't register the car within 30 days, you're fined $150.

But dude: you'll want to insure it the MOMENT you get it. I insure my cars a few days BEFORE I get them just to be sure. And if you finance, your bank will not let you buy the car without insurance since they have an insurable interest in the car. You do not want to possess an asset worth as much as a car and not have it insured — plain and simple.

Once you have it insured, registration is the easy part.

jariten1781 > JGrabowMSt 04/16/2014 at 23:29

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You've got to look into your local regs. I've lived in places where unregistered cars can rot parked at the curb for decades without anyone caring and places where they'd be ticketed and towed within a couple days even if they're in perfect condition and parked in your driveway.

Where I live now the state registration can lapse for an indefinite period of time but it has to be registered with the county for personal property tax within 30 days (this is solely for the tax and doesn't require insurance and doesn't allow you to drive it).

JGrabowMSt > Doug DeMuro 04/17/2014 at 00:02

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I need to have a VIN to even get a quote, and I'm still shopping around. I should have included this before, but there wont be any financing involved, I'm outright purchasing the car from a private seller. I'll probably go to a different insurance company from my parents for this car, they've been our provider longer than I've been alive, but they have not been treating us kindly the past couple years. I guess they just don't like having to pay up when it comes down to things. We had one car totaled and one damaged during hurricane sandy, and my parents have been in a number of fender benders. All this after many years of no trouble at all. Luckily, I recently did some work for an insurance company, so maybe I can stop in and talk to them in the next few days. The biggest thing is that to the best of my knowledge, I can't be under my parents policy and have my own at the same time (it wouldn't make much sense anyway). So I need to time things accordingly so my parents can drop me from their coverage, and I can get my own in a reasonable time span.

Zibodiz > JGrabowMSt 04/17/2014 at 00:06

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Here in Middleofnowhere (pronounced: Wyoming), you can drive it on the bill of sale for 14 days, so you can legally get it home. You have 50 days to pay sales tax and transfer the title into your name, but aside from that, as long as the vehicle remains off the road, you don't have to do anything. There is one (kinda major) caveat though: if you delay registering it, you will wind up having to pay for the time anyway. In other words, I don't legally have to register it when I buy it, but if I park it in my yard for 5 years, then license it, I'm going to have 5 years of back registration due. Some counties are nicer than others, and will only charge you for the current year, but the entire state bases your registration renewal date on the date of purchase, not the date of registration, so even if you're in a nicer county, you'll still pay for up to a year of unused time.

chuck07 > Aaron James 04/17/2014 at 10:32

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Sounds like hell. I would hate to see what HOA's are like there. In Maryland, you have to title and register it before you can legally move it. That means you can't just go and buy a car on the spot, it is a two trip ordeal. What I have always done is drive it home with tags from another car and bank on not getting pulled over. I leave it in my driveway until I get the tags. I am not sure about any time limit. You just have to get insurance before you register it.

Ducky > Aaron James 04/17/2014 at 10:50

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the Miata is so awesome. Not having a radio and not having the time to do the foamectomy yet is killing my hamstrings, but holy shit dude it's like this car wants to see you slide and make it out on the other side. It is going to be tremendously difficult to not just slide around every 90° corner.

Aaron James > Ducky 04/17/2014 at 11:05

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Oh I know, they're fun to flick around, it's like driving a go kart when you go from something bigger and heavier.

noringnocare > JGrabowMSt 04/21/2014 at 17:27

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It's not illegal unless you get caught. Keep it wrapped from prying eyes and you should be good.

DropTopEnvy > JGrabowMSt 04/21/2014 at 18:44

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I work in an insurance agency in Washington State (Not sure where you are or your states/locality's laws, so this is by no means insurance advice, but some good, general points, but this is not meant to be legal advice)

A few points: The companies I work with do not require VINs for quotes, ask major insurers such as Progressive, Safeco, Allstate, Farmers, etc, as most are the same and do not require VIN #'s. Go online. Progressive.com lets you run your own quotes. Just be sure to give accurate information, as a quote is only as good as the information provided (Social Security Numbers actually do help! Shocking. Use REAL INFO!)

In my state, if you buy a vehicle, you will automatically have the "best and highest" coverage on the insurance plan that you are insured under for 30 days after buying a vehicle. This means that your vehicle is insured the moment you buy it without having to add it to the policy immediately.

If you plan to switch to your own insurance DO get quotes BEFORE buying and/or switching off of your parents policy, as most companies offer an "advance quoting" discount, and if you drive a vehicle without insurance (if your parents take you off their policy) your rates WILL increase immediately. NEVER GO UNINSURED.

Also, your credit is a big factor in your insurance rates, so make sure you pay bills etc on time and keep that score high.

Ask around, you may know an agent that you might not know is an agent (Facebook friend who doesn't post that kind of stuff - like myself) You never know who's out there and willing to help.

Good luck!

JGrabowMSt > DropTopEnvy 04/21/2014 at 19:42

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Hey! You're the man! That's definitely some of the best help I've gotten so far.

I ran a quote with Progressive, and muddled around with the details, and to my belief, I got a quote I could actually afford. Granted, it was only for one car, because I haven't quite gotten to the second yet, but it's a start, and I'm happy with it. I'll probably also look at All State and Geico, because I have many friends who are covered that way, and I suppose I'm hoping that referrals still mean something? Not the end of the world though.

Can you by chance answer two questions for me?

If I'm insured under my parents, am I able to get my own policy and have them remove me from their coverage after all my stuff is squared away? Or, to try and simplify, can I insure myself before my parents drop my coverage, or do they have to remove me first? I don't quite understand that part of the process.

Secondly, I'll admit I got one speeding ticket in PA. It was for 23mph over. I live in NJ, so I wasn't really sure how to list that. On progressive, it listed NJ speeding tickets specifically. The ticket I got in PA said Moving Violation across the top. Is that just a wording difference for the same thing? That happened in Feb 2012, so it's been two years with no violations. I did know that the deer was a non-fault accident, I'm just not sure I entered the ticket correctly. I also understand you may not quite have the answer, but the worst that happens is you don't know, right?

I don't think I expressly have credit though, I don't have a credit card. It's something I've just never had the time to take care of until more recently, as where I work, we moved to a new building, across the street from my bank. I guess I should sort that out before getting a policy...

DropTopEnvy > JGrabowMSt 04/21/2014 at 22:31

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Glad I could be of come help! First, I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge, however I'll start off by saying I don't really have an answer about your second question; tickets can vary from state to state, and the insurance company will run your motor vehicle record (MVR) before you purchase your policy, no matter what, but definitely do list your ticket - like you did - as acknowledging a ticket on your record, whether correct or not - it actually does benefit you. Some people try to hide their records (we will find out! hah) and it actually does increase their rate because the insurance company then thinks you're trying to hide something.

Anyways, I digress.. On to your first question! Absolutely you can! I definitely encourage you to get your own insurance before your parents take you off of theirs. It will help your rate, and if you come up as having no insurance score (common for young drivers getting a new policy) you can prove that you had/have insurance by showing you as a driver on their policy. Again, ask the agent (or online) to set the effective date 7+ days in the future, as most large companies give you the advance quote discount. :)

Also, your parents' agent/insurance company can back-date when they want to remove you - so let's say you get insurance on May 1st, and you notify your parents insurance co. on May 15th, they can back-date to May 1st to remove you - again, at least here in Washington, but it should be the same nationwide.

Any further questions, feel free to ask!

DropTopEnvy > JGrabowMSt 04/21/2014 at 22:35

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Oh, and one more thing.. unfortunately referrals don't seem to count - at least price wise. A referral to a specific agent is always welcome, and you do tend to get nicer service and treatment! But otherwise, you're just ones and zeros to the company writing the insurance, with some caveats - having little to no claims is always good, underwriters do help out with cost further down the road if you've been a good customer for a few years and complain about the cost (to your agent.. nicely) but the referral in and of itself won't do much other than get the agent to like you a bit more, which can help in the future.

JGrabowMSt > DropTopEnvy 04/21/2014 at 23:15

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That is a ton of great info. I most definitely could not thank you enough. Now that I have some great info, I can definitely rest easier about getting the Magnum, because while I do need a more solid quote, the initial one from Progressive is within my affordable range. It's a tiny stretch with my current job, but I could pay for 6 months easily, and be able to get the magnum, and worst case, it could be insured and registered so I can work on it. My parents definitely wont have a problem keeping me on their insurance until I officially move to my own car, but it will be a great way for me to start things off. Obviously, I'll double check it all, but you've definitely made this a whole lot easier for me to understand!

The person I was talking to about the magnum will be back in a week, when I'll hopefully be able to see it and test drive it. If everything works out, I'll probably try to split the payment with them so I can give them a sort of "down payment" of whatever we agree on, I can purchase the insurance, and get it registered right away and in my name. I could even park it where I work, and no one will bother it, which gives me access to a pretty sweet tool kit, and close to a parts store. It's just down to the final price and sales tax. I'm going to see what condition the car is in, and see if it needs work, because that will affect whether I try to talk them down, or just be friendly, and get a new car. The magnums are so hard to come by that I really don't want to miss the opportunity on one in really good shape.

I definitely owe you! If you're ever in the greater NYC area, let me know!

DropTopEnvy > JGrabowMSt 04/22/2014 at 00:27

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Not a problem! Glad I could help and give you some insight into the *crazy* world of insurance! Haha, most people never want to know or care enough (and then just complain when they don't understand why their premium increased..) so they just never bother to ask - you asked, and I feel it's sort of my duty to help those that ask since you can't learn without that first step!

If I'm ever in NYC, I'll try to let ya know - good luck with the Magnum, those are fun cars! That Hemi is a great engine, good power, reliable.. I love big rwd (and awd) wagons too - I just got a new Wrangler, which is sort of a big rwd wagon? And had an Outback XT before this, but looked deeply into the Magnum as well.

And who doesn't love a lil' Red Wagon? When I saw your picture you posted, it immediately reminded me of this: