Buying private party out of state

"Old Red Wagon" (wr10)
02/15/2019 at 12:52 • Filed to: None

Happy Friday Oppo, so I may be buying a used car private party from someone in Georgia. I live in Florida and will be driving the car back but wanted to know how license plates work. The seller will obviously keep his Georgia plates thus leaving me with no plates. It’s a pretty far drive from Atlanta to Miami so I have a feeling I’d likely get pulled over without a plate of any kind. Is driving with the title and the bill of sale good enough? I plan on registering it the day after I get back so that won’t be an issue. My main concern is that drive back.

I’m sure some of you have done just this s o I wanted to see what others have done. It probably varies state to state as well but thought I’d ask anyway. Thanks!

DISCUSSION (20)

nerd_racing > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:05

Purchase transfer plates from the DMV in the state you buy it from. You may also have to purchase a small insurance policy to do it that way.

smobgirl > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:11

I’d check with the GA DMV . When I bought a car in AZ I paid $1 online for a paper temp tag (transfer tag?), printed it out, and stuck it in the back window. It was valid for 72 hours or some similar short period of time as a stopgap until you can go in person. Some states will make you come in and present paperwork for a temp tag, and sometimes it’s ok to bring your current plates as long as you also have a bill of sale for what you purchased.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:14

https://dor.georgia.gov/motor-vehicle-titles-and-registration

edit: sorry this looks like its for in state registrants. my bad

XJDano > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:20

Ca ll your insurance agent and make sure they know its happening. He told me i have 30 days from purchase to get insurance, but i also already have insurance for anything i buy as long as i get a policy within 30 days.

Loks like Florida gives you 30 days to get it registered, so as long as uou have a bill of sale and title perhaps, and your current insurance card shoild be ok.

https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/buying-vehicle-florida/buying-private-sale/

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:32

Like others have said, one of the two states will give you temp tags. Usually it’s the state you’re buying the car in (so, FLA) and you pay a few bucks when you do the title transfer. I know VA gives them out to basically anyone with a VA license, might be the same for Georgia.

Even if you don’t need to, go to a tag place and get the title transfer notarized. It’ll be worth the $10.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:38

Why would he keep the tags? I always leave the tags on when I sell a car and where the buyer lives is their concern, so long as I write down the address on their driver’s license.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 13:39

Not sure how it works in GA, but here in WI I can legally transport a vehicle home without plates upon purchase so long as I have the signed title/bill of sale.

Sammyno55 > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 14:08

Bought a GA car to take back to FL last year. Took my FL plate with me. Already arranged with the insurance company and FL DMV before I left FL. I did have to have an officer of the court in GA verify the mileage for the title because the car hadn’t been registered in 4 years. Good luck.

4kc > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/15/2019 at 14:11

Plates stay with people and not cars in many places. I n Massachusetts you can keep the same plate for your whole life and however many cars you choose to use it on.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 4kc
02/15/2019 at 14:21

I did not know that, but now that you mention it, maybe I did. There’s a thing in one New England state where the older tags are numbered and the lower your number, the higher your status.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 15:04

It will depend on his state laws and yours, but in many states the bill of sale and proof of insurance from some car in your name (many/most policies cover a newly acquired car for 30 days) is enough. That said, you may or may not get pulled over for no plate. In NM, I wouldn’t worry about driving without a plate. As far as you’re going in the South, I’d probably look into getting a temporary tag.

Most states have the option for some kind of temporary tag or transit registration. When I lived in Texas, there were very low cost options for a 5 day transit tag (that even an out of state buyer could get) and a 30 day temporary registration. Both were filling out a form online and then printing off the tag.

Some buyers will hang onto plates, some won’t. I’ve never left a plate on a vehicle myself. Technically, I’m supposed to turn them into the state. I’ve never done that; I nail them to the garage wall as a keepsake.

Tristan > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/15/2019 at 15:13

I’m not sure about GA, but I now in FL the plate belongs to the owner, not the car. Here in OR, you can do either, and most people leave the plate with the car. Last time I sold a car (my briefly-owned Volvo) I let the new owner have the plates. 7 months later I got a red light camera ticket and a toll-by-plate bill from Seattle because the new owner never registered the car. I’ll be keeping the plates from now on.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 15:53

I can tell you as long as you are insured in Georgia you have 14 days to tag the car. So you’ll be fine until you hit the State line. You will get stopped in Lowndes county but they’ll let you go.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > smobgirl
02/15/2019 at 15:55

No temp tags in Georgia except at the dealer and hell those were written in marker up until recently.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Tristan
02/15/2019 at 19:03

Yes, I got one of those as well. we have a release of liability form in California that we need to submit, but the driver gave me a no-good address. So it never stuck. And as far as I know, he drove the car for a year and never registered it.

Tristan > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/15/2019 at 21:50

I was lazy and didn't send it in. Lesson learned.

Old Red Wagon > Old Red Wagon
02/15/2019 at 22:28

Thank you all for the replies. I just moved to Florida so i am unfamiliar with laws here. It’s a bit strange but tags are not done at a local DMV office. The office where drivers licenses are issued are separate from those that issue plates. Someone can correct me if i’m wrong of course but after going through the DMV locations section all of the locations that do tags seem to be separate from those that issue licenses . They are tag agencies. I called one of them and they told me if i have a proof of insurance on the new car i can come in and they’ll issue me a 30 day temporary tag for $10.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Old Red Wagon
02/19/2019 at 14:47

The S2000? How are you planning the transfer of funds?

Old Red Wagon > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
02/20/2019 at 11:21

NC Club Miata actually. I decided to hold off though. As much as I want a fun car the wife and I are able to get by with one car for now. We’re saving for a house so it doesn’t make much sense to buy something right now that I don’t really need.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Old Red Wagon
02/20/2019 at 11:48

Every once in a while, the rational mind prevails... ha!

I’ve been saved Autotrader listings for LBB M2s for the past hour. =)

The Competition version is killer, but I’d be very, very happy with one like yours.