Check with the Michigan Secretary of State office.
I know there is a way to do a Michigan registration without the car being physically present, because this past summer my daughter totaled her car enroute from Detroit to Wichita for a temporary job (internship). She bought a replacement (used) vehicle in Kansas and had her Michigan title and plates before the Kansas temporary license expired. However, she knew she was going to do this, so that the dealer in Kansas could get the paperwork and tax payments right.
It helps if you have a contact in Michigan to go to a Secretary of State office. There are Michigan firms (and dealers) who will serve as agent, particularly as vehicles bought in Michigan are usually titled and tagged before leaving the lot. In the fall she had to buy a second car, and the independent agent selling the car handled of all the paperwork in about 30 minutes online.
