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How to tag car I'm driving between states?


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I'm buying a truck in SC.<BR>I'm driving it home to PA<BR>PA won't give me a tag without a title, which I won't have until I buy the truck.<BR>SC uses the title as 'temp registration' instead of issuing a temp tag like PA.<P>Uhhh, how the heck do I get this thing home without a hassle from officer cop? confused.gif" border="0

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i assume this is not a late model Cadillac or something. Use a tag and reg from one of your existing cars. Tell your insurance company what u r doing too. Drive defensively. If pulled over explain the situation to the cop and have all of your documentation. Give no reasons for the cop to be suspicious of anything and everything should be ok.

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In Ga. the tag stays with the person that purchased it if they want it, but it may not be the same in S.C. You may be able to just use the S.C. tag.

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Guest De Soto Frank

Dwight,<P>Either leave the vehicle there until you get the paper work done and can put your legal PA tag on it(with appropriate insurance), or trailer it.<P>Those are the two surest ways not to run into potential problems with the Law!<P>If you were to break-down, or be involved in an accident and didn't have the vehicle properly registered and insured, the penalty could be really stiff. PA gets really unhappy about this kind of stuff; went through it myself once. frown.gif" border="0 <BR>Don't know about those southern states you'd be passing through, but they might delight in "catching themselves a Yankee who wasn't in compliance with the motor vehicle code".<P>Just my thoughts; plus, if this is an older truck of uncertain condition, would want to risk such a long trip as your 'get-acquainted trip'?<P>Hope you get it home without incident, whichever way you achieve it!

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The temporary tag or whatever "document" they give can be taped to the back glass. They do that all the time in Florida and the troopers have certainly seen it enough times on those "snowbird" cars going back North for the summer! They haven't got time to be messing with somebody obeying the speed limit. Wayne

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The insurance issue is handled, and I will have adequate proof of that.<BR>I am not going to trailer it...the whole purpose of buying this truck is to tow a trailer with it! rolleyes.gif" border="0 <BR>I will be followed by the spouse in the regular car. I've considered sticking one of my other plates on it for the purposes of looking visually ok, but it was suggested I'd get in bigger trouble having an 'illegal' tag on it vs. nothing at all. confused.gif" border="0

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Trailer it. Save the hassle, someone should be able to help you locate a suitable trailer and tow vehicle. There will be no worry about registration, insurance, breakdowns, etc. Good luck and let us know how you make out. A transport story is good reading.<BR>Try U-Haul, I used a full-size car trailer from them last year and it towed very nicely. Could have it for 4 days for around $220. Their web page will give the dealer closest to the local of the vehicle your picking up.<p>[ 08-15-2002: Message edited by: 54 Oldsman ]

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Puting a plate that doesn't belong on a car is a really bad idea late model caddy or old truck. <P>Putting a improperly registered plate on a car shows intent to break the law. Having no plate is a lesser offence but easier to spot. I suspect the insurance company would object to a improperly registered car being covered.<P>As others have said, check with the DMV of the orgin state for a paper "in transit" plate. This kind of buy and drive home has been going on for years and is nothing new.

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No Problem!<P> "Non-Resident Temporary Identification" (paper plates) have been issued by states for decades for this very purpose. In a nutshell: A non-resident buys a car out of state and obtains one of these "paper plates" for a small fee which exempts him from paying sales tax in that state. The "paper plate" is good for anywhere from 10 to 30 days. Upon arrival in your home state, you pay the home state taxes, fees, etc. and apply for title & registration in your home state.<P> Use your search engine and type in: South Carolina Motor Vehicle. That'll get into the motor vehicle code. Apparently So. Carolina does their DMV work through the county offices. Any of the URLs I tried just didn't work, so I couldn't post a link here.<P> The Non-Resident Temporary Identification system works well. I must have driven cars and towed trailers tens of thousand of miles using them issued from many different states.<P> Tom

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