Logistics of purchasing out of state/private seller

[Weimaraner]

We are looking at purchasing a rig 2000 miles away from a private seller. I can't wrap my brain around the logistics of this. Will we pay the seller cash and he just transfers us the title? How do we drive home without it being registered? (We will be forming a Montana LLC and registering it as a business vehicle. Would the company that does this tell us what to do with regard to driving it home before that's done?). Leave the seller's plates on it? What else do we need to know?

We are getting all of the info possible before flying out there, but we don't know even what more we need to do/ask.

Advice would be most appreciated! TIA

[Dsallach]

If I were you in would take the time to obtain a temporary tag from the state in which you are picking it up. when I bought mine out of state I actually went ahead and obtained a Tennessee title in my name and a temp tag. This way you are sure of no title issues. When I got to Florida I then obtained a Florida title with no issues at it was already titled and registered in my name. My car insurance company covered any vehicle I bought for 30 days so insurance was not an issue
Do not drive on the previous owners plates as that is a fictitious license plate if the title has been assigned. You also will have no insurance

[miniceptor86]

Bill of sale and title signed over to you your good to go.

[neub]

Having just done the same this past March a few items you may want to check into. Is the title free and clear or is there a lien and if so how/when will you receive a clear title. Depending on the state you are purchasing from you may need to have the LLC in place as the puchaser/LLC name may to be listed on the selling documents including title...ck with the attorney setting up your LLC. Some states do not have temporary tags available for private sales....mine didn't. DMV told me I could legally drive it back with a bill of sale or title that is signed over but to carry proof of insurance. Even though my insurance company would cover a newly purchased vehicle for 30 days, I purchased insurance beginning when I was going to take delivery so that I had insurance documents in my name along with the bill of sale in the event I would get pulled over for no plates which never happened. You may need to discuss with your insurance agent if you need to purchase it prior...your auto insurance may not cover it since it isn't you buying the unit but rather a company (LLC).

[exgman]

I would call the LLC attorney. When I researched using a Montana LLC a few years ago, the law firm I was using knew all the details about how to obtain title, how to get it home legally, and get it insured. I was using Bennett, but any reputable firm should provide the info you need.

[Mark D]

We are registering through a Montana LLC. Ours takes a few days, we paid the $800 and selected a name in advance. You then overnight the documents to them and they register the day they get the packet and overnight back. So you could just hang out there for a few extra days. I assume an inspection was made, if you are 100% maybe get the ball rolling before you get there.

[TyCreek]

I just sold my RV to out of state buyer and my terms of sale were that the money cleared my bank before I signed over the rig.

1) A wire transfer from his bank to my bank was the initial plan as those can clear or be verified in an afternoon or at least by next morning (if initiated late in the day). This would be my recommended transaction plan. Fast for the buyer and safe for the seller.
2) Had buyer's local bank branch office cut me a cashiers check in person (was late in the day). A bit more risk for seller, though I was ok with this method and was willing to transfer vehicle title and sign BoS directly after my deposit as I was sure the check was clean.

Buyer went to DMV and got a temporary tag for the drive home.

If you insist on arriving with a cashiers check or a suitcase full of cash ... don't be surprised if the seller doesn't sign over title until the funds clear his bank.

[George Schweikle]

This may or may not apply to your situation:
We bought a motorhome from someone who had it registered in another state, and I was required to have an inspection done before I could obtain a KY license plate. A representative from the state Fire Marshall's office came to our house and performed the inspection for $35; much cheaper than the same thing at our local RV dealer.

Originally Posted by Dsallach

If I were you in would take the time to obtain a temporary tag from the state in which you are picking it up. when I bought mine out of state I actually went ahead and obtained a Tennessee title in my name and a temp tag. This way you are sure of no title issues. When I got to Florida I then obtained a Florida title with no issues at it was already titled and registered in my name. My car insurance company covered any vehicle I bought for 30 days so insurance was not an issue
Do not drive on the previous owners plates as that is a fictitious license plate if the title has been assigned. You also will have no insurance

[Winemaker2]

When we recently did a private purchase in NC we had to overcome a few hurdles. NC does not issue temp plates to individuals - only through dealers.
Being from NY we wanted to make one trip not multiple ones.

Owner still had a lien against title and couldn't sign it over immediately.

What we agreed on.

1. Deposit sent to hold the unit until inspection
2. After Inspection & check-out (unit looked good and waiver right to have mechanical & house inspection by a dealer) Paid major portion of sales price w/ certified check - withheld a sizable amount pending receipt of clear title
3. Owner provided bill of sale but had to wait for title to clear - they let us drive unit home w/ their plates (they still had title / owned it) I did obtain insurance and they kept their policy in affect
4. When they had clear title and forwarded to us we sent the balance withheld to complete the purchase
5. I then registered it in NY w/ BOS & clear title

Above took a certain level of trust on both sides - we were comfortable w/ each other after meeting and getting familiar w/ each other & background.

Getting driver license up graded to be legal was another adventure but that's now also behind us.

[nothermark]

If you have not read the threads on Montana LLC's you will find them interesting. In short if you park it in Texas expect a bill from Texas in a year or two. LLC's work OK for full timers who want to keep their domicile in a high tax state. They do not work for folks who live in a high tax state and plan on staying there most of the time.

[hohenwald48]

We bought ours out of state and the seller didn't want to accept a cashiers check since they are pretty easy to fake. I can understand that. Fortunately my bank had a branch in his town so we went to the bank and I got a cashiers check while he watched. That way he knew it was legitimate.

He signed the title over to me right then and there and I drove it home (after buying new tires and notifying my insurance company) with no tags or registration. I had a bill of sale and recently signed title. I took the chance that any LEO who might stop me would be reasonable.

Your deal sounds a lot more complex than mine.

[89sandman]

First thing you need to do is get the vin number and call the Dmv in the state the unit is registered. Make sure the title is clean and there are no liens against it. It is easy for someone to have the title and then file for a lost title. They then have 2 titles to the vehicle. They then use one to go and get a loan against the unit. They get the loan and still have the second title in hand, then they can sell the unit to anyone who isn't smart enough to check for liens.





A cashiers check should be no problem, if the seller questions it just have them go online and get the number to your bank. They call your bank and verify the check is real and the amount it was issued for, no way to fake that.

[Forkyfork]

We did a wire transfer. All you need is the "to" banks routing info. Your bank handles the transfer into their acct. The money hits their acct in a short time, usually a couple hours.

NC is a PITA when it comes to paper tags. When I moved to Ohio I had a resident get power of atty papers from the BMV I gave them power of atty and they got me 30 day tags. I dealt with the title when I got there from Utah.

You also need to know whether the state you are in is reciprocal with the state you are purchasing from. Because FL isn't with NC we only had to deal with HWT taxes to NC at time of purchase which were a small fortune. lol I think there was a possibility had they been reciprocal we could have paid sales tax.

[Dsallach]

One note, there have been several posts about taking chances no police officer would stop you or driving on others people's license plates and or insurance. Among other things I am a retired police officer and I also worked for an insurance company as a claims adjuster. License plates, insurance and liability are never an issue, until they are, in an accident situation. Whatever you do, make sure you are legal and covered in all states you will be driving through. It will be an issue if you drive on other people's plates and insurance if you also have insurance on the same vehicle or their is a bill of sale or paper trail showing transfer of funds before the accident date. I don't care what the previous owner said, it will be an issue for them or their insurance company. I have seen it where both insurance companies denied covereage due to this. IT IS NOT WORTH THE RISK!