Getting car insurance in Oregon for a car in Minnesota

September 5, 2011 12:15 PM

I live in Oregon and I have never owned a car, but in a couple weeks I am picking up my grandpa's car in Minnesota and driving it back. I know I need to register the car in Oregon and have Oregon car insurance. Is there a way for me to do this before leaving for Minnesota on the 9th of September when I don't have the car physically with me? What information do I need? My parents live in New Hampshire, is it impossible to be added on to their insurance? I am a 21 year old male. I just feel confused and am unsure where to start. Thanks for your help!
posted by Corduroy to Travel & Transportation around Portland, OR (5 answers total)

You've got two main things you need to do. First, you will need insurance before you drive the little buddy home...this shouldn't be a problem. You can get insurance all on your own at 21. Ask around for an agent (i'm in oregon, but am switching companies right now, so I can't really provide a good agent at the moment), you can always get a policy online, as long as your driving history isn't abysmal.

You've got 30 days to register the vehicle in Oregon, so you don't need to worry about that beforehand, and all of that gets handled through the DEQ (depending on your county) and the DMV. Get the title though...you don't want to be doing any of this without the real title. Oh god, it is actually a nightmare without the title.
posted by furnace.heart at 12:24 PM on September 5, 2011

If the car has current Minnesota plates (registration) then you don't need to do any registering of it until you get to Oregon. You can't do it in advance. Make sure you get the title which your grandfather will sign off ownership to you. Details from the Oregon DMV here.

If the MN registration is expired then you need to contact the MN DMV to get a temporary I'm just buying this car and taking it out of state kind of plate.

For insurance, you might be able to get away with being on your parents if you are still a dependent, like if you are a student. Otherwise, you will need your own. You can get quotes from Progressive or Geico before you get the car.
posted by coolsara at 12:25 PM on September 5, 2011

It's possible the car itself has insurance on it through your grandpa, which may be enough to get you through the trip home. You should check. The terms of his insurance may or may not cover other drivers or out-of-state driving or being in an accident.

Once the car is officially yours, you'll want to get your own. Are you actually going to be the owner? If so, as suggested above, you need to get the title transferred.

Call your grandpa or whoever has the car now and find out if it has current plates in MN.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 12:31 PM on September 5, 2011

One other thing. If you're in Portland or the Rogue Valley area, you'll also have to get an emissions test after registering. Details here. If you're not in PDX or Medford, you can safely ignore this.
posted by Hactar at 3:35 PM on September 5, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, it's all figured out!
posted by Corduroy at 8:52 PM on September 5, 2011