Out of state purchase advice

Thanks all! Appreciate the help!

It may not be a requirement in the state where you register the vehicle, but it might be worth your time to type up a "bill of sale" for both parties to sign, date, etc. when you are face to face and close the deal. You can get a boilerplate copy online to "fill in the blanks" if you choose. My state (New Mexico) requires one. It was a pain to get later because I bought the vehicle used from a private party. At the time it was licensed in Washington State and it was parked in Arizona. Then, I moved to New Mexico to register the vehicle. It took two weeks to track the previous owner down, in Washington, and get the required paperwork. It wasn't a problem, but, it could have been easily solved if I knew at the proper time.

Chum lee

I bought one from afar. Flew there and was picked up. I was told they never used the toilet and the shower. Found out the reason why, the rubber 3" pipe between the tank and the pipe valve was almost totally split in half and was not much fun to change. $7 in price only. They had not used it for quite some time. The V10 engine block is a lovely place for squirrels to build a nest. It was packed with over 2.5 gallons of seeds and I had to take the doghouse off to get at half of them. Bloody wonder it did not catch fire. One broken light fixture, replaced with a much better LED unit. It took me two days to clean it properly.

But the deal was all done in about 90 minutes and I drove it home. We do enjoy it a lot.

If you are offered the opportunity to have full replacement insurance, consider putting it on for a few months then cancelling it. If there is something drastically wrong, as I found out, and the vehicle is a total loss, you get a brand new one.

Only had one experience with an out of state purchase but trying to get a temporary registration was not an option. Went to the DMV for the temporary and they advised it would take 7 to 10 business days to process the change of ownership at which time they could provide me with a temporary registration. I was out of state that same day.

Not sure if it would apply to an RV purchase but I know some banks and credit unions will want to see the vehicle being purchased in person before granting the loan.

Might also need to consider emission requirements. Not sure what your state requires but here in CA they can make you jump through lots of hoops.

We discussed with our credit union finance officer, was approved for the loan. They requested a buy/sell agreement signed by both of us *private seller,and a copy of their title. When we went to look at it in person, we had a cashier's check payable to the seller. In our case, we did not go ahead and purchase, so we returned the check to the credit union and they closed out the loan ( showed as paid in full on our credit). When we did find another motorhome a month later, they did a new loan and paid the small dealer where we purchased it.

Temporary plates were available in the other state for a small amount that would have allowed us to drive legally back home with the motorhome if we had purchased it. We then would have titled and paid sales tax in our home state. Contact your agent regarding the insurance.

This is an often discussed topic. The quick answer:

1. Get the VIN from the seller.
2. Arrange financing and insurance but don't activate it until the deal is done.
3. Plan to meet with the seller at their financing institution or bank to close the deal. The sellers financial guys will contact your financial guys to make the funds transfer. They will also handle any financial transfers if you plan to pay part in cash.
4. Acquire a temporary registration in the municipality of sale. It will be good for 30 days to get you home where you'll complete the registration.

It depends a bit on the states involved, but usually it's something along these lines:

1. Contact your insurance agent to obtain a binder (just call/stop in and give them the VIN, typically). This is their guarantee that they will cover you en route, and in my experience doesn't require paying them a fee.
2. Pay the seller, obtain the title signed over to you. If you have financing with the vehicle as collateral there may be some additional steps here since the lender would have a lien on the vehicle; I don't know how all those details work, but they (your bank) should be able to tell you.
3. Go to the DMV in the state you're buying in and get a transit permit (which may have a different name). Many/most states have these temporary registrations for just this sort of circumstance. Usually it's a very nominal fee; when I bought my motorhome out of state, New Hampshire charged me all of $10 If I recall. If tax is charged, keep the paperwork; often no tax is assessed for a transit permit.
4. Drive home, go to your local DMV, and get your title and registration, pay your taxes, and all that fun stuff. If you paid out of state taxes, most states will offset the amount paid against the tax they charge you.
5. Go to your favorite state inspection station and get a clean bill of health for your new vehicle.

The alternatives to a transit permit are not very good. You could drive on the previous owner's registration, if they let you, which is a liability quagmire. Alternately, once you have the title signed over, you can take the title, bill of sale, etc. to your DMV and get a registration etc., and they drive back and put the plates on the new vehicle, and then bring it home. You may need a certified odometer and/or VIN statement from e.g. a police officer or other official to get a registration without having the vehicle present.

There are exceptions. Massachusetts is particularly unhelpful as they neither issue transit permits nor recognize those from other states for their residents who are registering vehicles. I handled that by rejecting outright any vehicle being sold in Massachusetts when I was in the market as not being worth the hassle. In some cases you may be able to get a transit permit from the state you'll be returning to, I think.

1. Decide that the unit is worth driving to see (pictures, conversations with seller, etc).

2. Decide that you want to buy it (check it over and test drive and likely have it inspected by someone familiar with your choice).

3. Agree on price, closing date and get a copy of the title showing clear title in their name. If lien, you will be dealing with their banker-- not a problem, but changes how things will work.

4. Safest way to protect both buyer and seller is to wire transfer money to the seller. My suggestion is on closing date to physically go to where the unit is (make sure all is OK). Then, contact your banker (I always pre-arrange with my banker so they expect my call) to wire transfer money to seller (your banker to his banker if you are more comfortable that way). You take possession and title once seller confirms $$ in his account (usually less than one hour).

5. Paperwork needed depends on where it is registered and where you will register it.

Have done exactly this process both buying and selling expensive motorhomes and boats.

" but how do you handle registration and tax?"

Get a finance company on board that is experienced with out of state purchases. They will get it insured and the taxes paid.