[ember1205]

tl;dr

If I can close the deal on a car this weekend, I'm likely going to have to trailer it home or let it sit on the dealer lot for what could be 5-6 weeks while I'm waiting for DMV to process a new registration.

So...

What sort of options do I have for a car hauler? Will something like the standard car trailer that U-Haul rents allow me to actually load the car onto it without scraping up the underside and damaging something? What about once it's ON the trailer? The U-Haul site spells out that the wheel straps attach in a way that they may well rub up against the paint.

Who has trailered their car successfully with a rented trailer?

[jamala00]

Why do you have to let it sit 5-6 weeks waiting on the DMV? I'm in WI and our DMV is not open. I had to print out all the forms, fill them out and mail them in. All they said is make copies of the paperwork and keep them in the car until you receive your plates and registration. I won't get my stuff from probably close to 6 weeks as well, but the authorities know this is going on, so it isn't an issue. If you can't drive it, then what's the point of worrying about getting it home? I had mine shipped a few weeks ago to me.

[closs2sx]

he's buying the car in Mass and they have different rules since they do not give out temp plates the car must be registered. When I bought my Z06 in Mass they actually drove up to nh met me at the town hall so I could pay the registration and gave me a ride back to mass so i could drive it home. They actually will estimate what it will cost you over charge and do it themselves then when they get actual costs send you a check back for the amount they over charge. Any other state that gives out temp plates and he could just drive it home.

[ember1205]

Basically, @closs2sx spelled it out. The long-winded version is that CT is run by idiots and has been for the last two centuries.

If I were to buy the car in NH or NY (as but two examples), I would get a 21 day in-transit tag because THOSE states issue them. That would make this much more palatable.

As to why worry about getting it home... Yeah... So, how much sense would it make to "take delivery", be paying for insurance, and then leave it on a dealer lot 100 miles away where you have no idea what might happen to it? Uh uh. It will sit in MY garage where there's zero chance of vandalism or theft.

[TWG1]

Assuming you have a truck, Post an ad on local craigslist for short term rental of race car trailer/car hauler. Print out a standard lease and both sign it. Lots of trailers sitting idle in people’s driveways. I’ve done this in the past. Usually cheaper than uhaul, and better trailers too. If you don’t have a truck, your options are more limited, but lots of folks with trucks and trailers on Craigslist that flip, race, or transport cars.

Full shipping options are usually $500-1000 for a full service shipping company.

[jamala00]

Originally Posted by closs2sx

he's buying the car in Mass and they have different rules since they do not give out temp plates the car must be registered. When I bought my Z06 in Mass they actually drove up to nh met me at the town hall so I could pay the registration and gave me a ride back to mass so i could drive it home. They actually will estimate what it will cost you over charge and do it themselves then when they get actual costs send you a check back for the amount they over charge. Any other state that gives out temp plates and he could just drive it home.

No Temp Plates issued here either.. DMV just said to keep a copy of the paperwork in the glove box just incase I was stopped. My brother is an office as well and he said the same thing. No worries they won't do anything as long as you have the paperwork... That sucks if they won't let you drive it because they won't let you register it.. That's a crock of $hit...

I get wanting it back in your garage. I'd be too tempted to drive it with it sitting in my garage.

[closs2sx]

with my insurance company if the car is not registered its not covered if in an accident so if I hit someone and its my fault or their fault and they have no insurance i am out of luck. At a minimum a car i own under my insurance needs a temp plate to be considered registered. Just to clarify that includes now under covid-19 times also as I was going to be trailering my car to CT 2 weeks ago and I wanted to add collision to it as I take it off for the winter since my cars sit in my garage on four post lifts covered for the winter and they told me I needed to register it before they would add insurance so I had to register it which was a process during these times prior to moving it.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by closs2sx

with my insurance company if the car is not registered its not covered if in an accident so if I hit someone and its my fault or their fault and they have no insurance i am out of luck. At a minimum a car i own under my insurance needs a temp plate to be considered registered. Just to clarify that includes now under covid-19 times also as I was going to be trailering my car to CT 2 weeks ago and I wanted to add collision to it as I take it off for the winter since my cars sit in my garage on four post lifts covered for the winter and they told me I needed to register it before they would add insurance so I had to register it which was a process during these times prior to moving it.

Yeah, the insurance part can be tricky in the best of times. As the saying among adjusters goes, "what the bold print giveth, the fine print taketh away."

[jamala00]

Originally Posted by closs2sx

with my insurance company if the car is not registered its not covered if in an accident so if I hit someone and its my fault or their fault and they have no insurance i am out of luck. At a minimum a car i own under my insurance needs a temp plate to be considered registered. Just to clarify that includes now under covid-19 times also as I was going to be trailering my car to CT 2 weeks ago and I wanted to add collision to it as I take it off for the winter since my cars sit in my garage on four post lifts covered for the winter and they told me I needed to register it before they would add insurance so I had to register it which was a process during these times prior to moving it.

Ya, that is interesting. Glad that is not the way it is here. I had insurance the day I had the shipping company pick up the car. I have my insurance card in my car with all my registration paperwork waiting to get my title and plates in the mail. Hope you get everything taken care of as soon as you can.

[relxn88]

I bought a car in New Hampshire and they had a private delivery service option available to drop the car off at my home for $150. You may want to check out services available for a cheaper price.
The price was per mile and I live about 75 miles from the dealership.

[TP2SS]

I live in MI. Bought my car in Utah in December and had it trucked home (1800 original miles and never seen snow or rain). Summer toy. Titled it in MI in December but couldn't register it because I was only carrying comp coverage for storage. Then the COVID hit before I could put full coverage on it and get it registered. Secretary of State (DMV in MI) closed all offices and was only doing stuff online, but the catch is you can't get an initial registration/plate online, even if you own it. The car showed up in my online SoS account as being owned by me, but I couldn't get a plate. In early April I took a chance and wrote a blind letter to the SoS, with copy of title, insurance proof, and a check for what their online fee calculator said it would cost, and sent it all to the main office in Lansing. Crickets for 4+ weeks! In that time, a member here who owns a Chevy dealer locally offered to issue me a tempo plate after we had a discussion about something else and I asked if he could possibly issue me a plate. He couldn't make it work in their computer system, so I was stuck.

I owned the car, had the paperwork to prove it, and had full coverage insurance, so I said F-it, and made this up! Drove the car for several weeks with this beauty, with title and ins in glovebox.

5 weeks after sending in the letter, my check cleared the bank but nothing showing in my SoS online acct, still showed car as "no valid registration exists for this vehicle". Another week later it showed up as registered and a tempo plate issued, with my personal plate request being "reviewed". Another week later I got the actual plate and the personal plate shows up now as the plate for the car in my acct (4-6 weeks before I get the plate, though).

Buy the car, carry the paperwork with you at all times, and drive it! What are they going to do, arrest you for not complying with their laws that they are preventing you from complying with because the DMV people aren't "essential" while Walmart workers are?!

[ember1205]

Actually, they can ticket you and tow and impound the car. I have spoken with a local trooper and his best advice was to park it and wait a short bit as the DMV could be announced to reopen very soon.

I'm going to be pursuing some other avenues as well including going through RegUSA if they can still commit to the 30 day timeframe.

The biggest issue with doing this through the mail in CT is that the process is actually not well documented for this scenario and you can't get a person by phone no matter what.

I may have a state agency level connection that I might be able to leverage to at least get info....