Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and DMV

How can I drive a car in CA before my license plates arrive in the mail?

twblalock — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:09:25 -0800

I am in California and I am about to buy a car last registered in Michigan. The car is here. In Michigan, the plates follow the owner and therefore the car won't come with any plates. Once I take it to the DMV and register it, will they give me some kind of window sticker or something so I can drive the car around before my CA plates arrive in the mail?

Help me navigate the DC DMV

Bulgaroktonos — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:55:55 -0800

So after three years of living in Maryland, I'm moving inside the District, help me navigate the DC DMV. Right now my wife and I each have a MD driver's license, and we have a car titled and registered in my name alone in MD. From reading the DMV website, and an old thread here's what I know:

1)I don't need to pay the excise tax
2)I need to get the car inspected, before I do anything
3)The wait will be long and I will want to kill myself

Here's my questions
1)When do I change my insurance information? If I change it before the day I go to the DMV, won't my current MD insurance lapse and cause me problems?
2)What is the minimum set of documents I can bring?
3)Can this actually be done in a single trip?

Anyone who's done this who could walk me through the process?

Help us transfer our plates!

PhoBWanKenobi — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:19:24 -0800

Florida DMVFilter: what's the easiest (and cheapest) way to register Mr. WanKenobi's car in the state of Florida? Mr. WanKenobi just moved in. Yay! He brings with him a nice, newish RAV4, which he owns outright and is currently registered in the state of NJ.

Since I hardly use my own car, which is registered in Florida, and since we certainly don't need two cars, I've just sold it on craigslist. I have the plates and all of that.

Now we're trying to figure out the best way to register Mr. WanKenobi's car. I would just send him over to get his own plates, but the state of Florida charges you an extra hundred bucks the first time you register any vehicle in the state, whereas transferring the plates would only be four dollars. We have no problem sharing the ownership of the car--we'll both be using it, after all--but I can't find anything on the website about transferring the title to a new co-owner, if that makes any sense. Do any of your Florida mefites have any experience with this? We'd like to avoid paying that hundred dollar "initial registration fee" again if at all possible!

License Limbo

Falconetti — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:40:21 -0800

Help me figure out how to get a new driver's license. I had a DC driver's license and then moved to New York about two years ago. I became registered to vote in New York for the Presidential election. Shortly thereafter, my DC driver's license and social security card were stolen. I don't drive, so I've just been using my passport for an ID when needed, but in about two months I will need to rent a car and drive and I need to get this figured out. Both the NY and DC DMV have been giving me the run around and I am having a hard time figuring out what I need to do. Not having my social security card is making things a lot harder. I can go in person to either the DC or NY DMV.

Where can/should I register my car?

Maia — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:18:19 -0800

From Washington state, but going to college in Massachusetts. What state should I register the car I just bought? I bought the car in Mass, and am currently there. However, it looks like I need a Mass driver's license to register the car here. Also, it probably doesn't make sense to register the car here since I am leaving as soon as I graduate.

However, if I want to register the car in Washington, it needs to be notarized in Washington state or done in person at a DoL office.

What to do? I want to be able to drive as soon as possible!

DMV hearing on fake accident - what to do?

ilyanassa — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:05:41 -0800

Out of the blue, my spouse received a form letter from the DMV claiming that he caused more than $750 in damages over two months ago. He doesn't know anything about this...what to do? He called the DMV and discovered that someone is claiming that he hit their parked car. Though he could have been in that location that day, he certainly didn't hit anyone's car hard enough to cause that much damage. (He doesn't remember anything out of the ordinary happening on that day.) The lady at the DMV told him to return the form letter without including his insurance info and to request a hearing.

What goes on in these hearings? Will it be his word against this random person who is almost certainly lying? Should we report this to our insurance company? We have plenty of coverage but we don't want our rates to go up. We are in California.

car registation nightmare

MillMan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:37:57 -0800

Help me get my car registered in the state of California. I am at a loss. Here is the history:

Car was purchased new in the state of Minnesota.

Car loan was paid off while living in Massachusetts.

I now live in California, and am attempting to register the car here. The title was lost in the move (and I can't remember which state was listed on the title). According to the DMV here in CA the car can't be registered here without the title (if someone knows that to be false, let me know).

I applied for a duplicate title from the state of MA. They mailed the request back, saying "[loan company] must release the title." I called the loan company, and they said "all we can do is send you the lien release." I received that, but a rep from the state of MA on the phone still says the loan company has to "release" the title. I can't get anything beyond this conflicting info. Anyone have an idea of what to do here?

I don't want a pickle...

sourwookie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:00:01 -0800

How to recover a lost title for a scooter I would like to purchase from someone who got it in another state? I'm in Missouri, the title was in Illinois. Simplicity is a priority. I normally wouldn't hassle, but it is mint and the price is better than right. Additionally--I've heard rumor about some mysterious trick involving Arkansas--that just may make everything easier. My barber has a scooter that his father-in-law would like him to sell here in Missouri--AND I WANT IT. The problem is it's 80cc (therefore requires licensing) and has a lost title from Illinois. It is showroom-perfect, like a time machine version of a 1995 Honda.

How do I go about getting a title for it, with minimal involvement from father-in-law (the whole reason he is selling it so cheap--he's a cranky old cuss--is that he wants his involvement with recovery, DMV fees--all hassles really--kept to a minimum)?

Can I buy it and then apply for lost title in Illinois? Can I buy it then get a new title in Missouri? Does he have to get a title, then transfer it over to me? If so, how do I do as much of that as possible for him?

Also I've heard of a way to just get a new title sent to me from Arkansas--a loophole, if you will. Anyone know of any truth to that?

May I please pay you for new license plates?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:04:04 -0800

The state DMV won'’t let me renew my registration on my current car because I owe property taxes on the old car. Is that legal? Can the state refuse to help me comply with one law if I am potentially violating another one? In 2007, I made a good-faith attempt to renew my registration after I noticed it had expired, and was told by the woman behind the DMV counter to drive off in my unregistered car because the DMV could not renew my registration until I sorted out property tax issues with the city where I live (this is in Virginia). My license plates were no longer even in the DMV’'s computer records because of how long I had waited to attempt to renew them. The woman behind the counter offered the example that if the police pulled me over and ran my plates, the plates would not turn up. Then she sent me on my way, refusing to take the money I wanted to pay for my renewed registration. The DMV seemed to be saying that my city's tax collectors' demands outweigh a state agency's driving regulations, which is surprising.

Fast forward to the present, where my car registration has now been expired for about two years. I understand some of you are lawyers but none of you are my lawyers. Is paying the property taxes I owe on the car I no longer own my only recourse, or is there some way I can bring my current car into compliance while I deal with the old car'’s property tax issues instead of after? I have been driving on expired tags for some time, yet with a valid driver’'s license, paid-up insurance policy and up-to-date state inspection on my car. The DMV has never sent notice that my license is suspended, and the state-approved inspection service operated by my car dealership has never had a problem with updating the inspection decal on my windshield. Why can't I put a new sticker on my license plates before I drive down to pay my tax bill?

Was I born every minute, too?

metaculpa — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:57:49 -0800

Buying a used car from a dealer who bought it at an auction - and he doesn't have the title. Heya,

I'm buying a used car from a dealer who bought it at a dealer auction. I've had the car checked out mechanically and whatnot, and I'm comfortable with that side of things. The title is "in transit" from the owner, and so the dealer doesn't have it. He says he'll complete a temporary registration in the meantime, and pass on the title when it comes.

This seems a little weird to me, but I havn't bought a car this way before. Thoughts? Preferably quick thoughts?

Thanks!

personalize my personalized plate

sephira — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 05:45:36 -0800

I need help thinking of a new license plate... I live in VA, arguably the United States vanity plate capital. I've had a personalized plate for several years now, and after having my current one for a year, it is now considered profane. I have to choose a new one, but I'm having trouble thinking of something.

Your mission: a funny or geeky license plate. Difficulty: 8 spaces, one of which has to be a dash (-) or a space. No special characters (#, $, &, etc).

Bonus points if I love the new plate more than my current.

Can I get a North Carolina owned and registered vehicle inspected in the State of Vermont?

doomtop — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:27:16 -0800

Can I get a North Carolina owned and registered vehicle inspected in the State of Vermont? My wife has an Audi that is registered in North Carolina and the title is in the name of her father, who lives in North Carolina.

We currently live in Vermont. The car has North Carolina license plates. The inspection sticker from North Carolina is several months expired. I would like to get the inspection up to date.

Would this require transferring ownership and registering the vehicle in Vermont?

Pray for public transportation.

youthenrage — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:29:01 -0800

How can I prove to the DMV that the lien on the car I just bought has been paid off? The secured party listed on the title (a bank) was bought by FCNB bank and then by BB&T bank. I bought a truck from a friends dad about a week ago. The truck was registered in Maryland, but I live in Virginia. I just got the title, which needed to be replaced as they had lost the original one. The bank listed as the lien holder on the title no longer exists, and neither does the bank that bought the original bank. All are under the control of BB&T now. I need to prove to the Virginia DMV that the lien is off the truck, but have no clue who contact about clearing this up. The Maryland DMV? BB&T bank? If it's BB&T, who should I call? Their general 800 #? A branch local to the Maryland town where the truck came from? Will they issue me the notice that the lien is no longer valid even though I'm not the person on the title or in their paperwork?

help please.

Remedy worse than malady?

Wavelet — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:16:57 -0800

The solution to this fix it ticket sounds worse than the ostensible problem-to-be-fixed! I just got pulled over and issued a "fix it" ticket for not having a front license plate (well, technically I got pulled over for driving on the wrong side of the street, but I ended up with a fix it ticket for flp instead). The California DMV page on obtaining a replacement license plate claims that you must surrender the remaining plate(s) in order to obtain a new set.

Why do you have to surrender the other license plate? Are you supposed to drive around with no license plates at all while waiting for the license plates to be reissued and mailed? Isn't this going to lead to being pulled over multiple times in the interim?

Make my car go away for free?

serazin — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 09:10:33 -0800

Recently, my little '90 Civic was towed away. Perhaps it was the fact that my car had been unregistered since November. Or it could have been the $900 in unpaid tickets. In any case, I went to the DMV (California) and I think I got some bad advice from a worker there. He told me to just let the tow company keep the car. He said if they can sell it at auction, I won't have to pay the tow company anything. He suggested that I go to court to petition to lower the tickets, but that even though those tickets would stay on my record, I didn't have to pay them in order to get a new car.

Then Friday I got a letter from the tow company saying I had to pay over $600 just to get them to call it even. That is - I pay $600, and I don't get my car back!

I'm confused. Has anyone dealt with a simular problem? I just want this to be over so I can move on to another car.

-Serazin (Who you may remember from such other MeFi questions as 'What car should I buy?' and 'Should i buy a Peugeot?')

Hooray I own my car

jclovebrew — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 15:05:29 -0800

Paid off my car. The bank sent me the title and a letter that tells me to submit the title to the DMV, who will then issue me a lien-free title in my name alone. The question is, what if I don't do this? Nobody likes going to the DMV. Also, I'm in NJ if that makes any difference.

Bumper Sticker Mystery

gyc — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 20:21:30 -0800

I've seen a number of cars with a sticker of a white number eight on a red background on their back window. Does anyone know what that signifies? I don't think it's a Dale Earnhardt Jr. sticker since the font of the sticker is different. I'm just curious as to what it signifies.