OT - Buying cars out of state

[darksabre]

Anyone ever bought a car from a private party in PA and brought it on transfer tags to NY to get titled and registered? I'm curious about the process. Replacing my VW with something cheap might force me down into the land of no-road-salt-ya to get a better deal. 

[deluca67]

Anyone ever bought a car from a private party in PA and brought it on transfer tags to NY to get titled and registered? I'm curious about the process. Replacing my VW with something cheap might force me down into the land of no-road-salt-ya to get a better deal. 

You are going to have pay taxes on it in NY State. Just make sure you have a valid PA title signed over correctly and a bill of sale. 

[darksabre]

You are going to have pay taxes on it in NY State. Just make sure you have a valid PA title signed over correctly and a bill of sale. 

 

Aye on the taxes. I'm just curious to see if I can find something less rotted for the same price as I could pay in NY, taxes being what they are. 

[woods-racer]

PA uses an *anti skid* mixture on its roads in the winter. Its a mix of salt, ash and sand. Not near as hurtful to vehicles. The last 10 years they have been experimenting with salt brine from the gas wells as it's cheap and plentiful. They have only been brining major interstates and it's a pre-treat for upcoming storms. Again, no where near the salt usage that NY has.

 

Using car fax one can get a good idea of a vehicles general area of use. If you can find a car from South of I-80 your golden. As a rule of thumb anything south of 80 sees very little snow a year.

 

Good luck and try to enjoy the search!

[Stoner]

PA uses an *anti skid* mixture on its roads in the winter. Its a mix of salt, ash and sand. Not near as hurtful to vehicles. The last 10 years they have been experimenting with salt brine from the gas wells as it's cheap and plentiful. They have only been brining major interstates and it's a pre-treat for upcoming storms. Again, no where near the salt usage that NY has.

 

Using car fax one can get a good idea of a vehicles general area of use. If you can find a car from South of I-80 your golden. As a rule of thumb anything south of 80 sees very little snow a year.

 

Good luck and try to enjoy the search!

Parts of Somerset County get whalloped with snow and are among the snowiest locations in the country.

 

I wouldn't consider PA, even the southern part of the state, a place you'd want your next used car from, because of the rust factor, but I could be wrong.

[woods-racer]

Parts of Somerset County get whalloped with snow and are among the snowiest locations in the country.

 

I wouldn't consider PA, even the southern part of the state, a place you'd want your next used car from, because of the rust factor, but I could be wrong.

 

But Somerset County doesn't count!

 

Honestly what are the chances he finds a car from that desolate land?

 

He'd have a hard time finding a person to buy it from :w00t:

 

And all the snow is on  some obscure mountain top with the wind turbines.

 

Pittsburgh averages 24" of snow per year, Philadelphia less than that. A lot of nice used cars in and around those areas.

[Stoner]

But Somerset County doesn't count!

 

Honestly what are the chances he finds a car from that desolate land?

 

He'd have a hard time finding a person to buy it from :w00t:

 

And all the snow is on  some obscure mountain top with the wind turbines.

 

Pittsburgh averages 24" of snow per year, Philadelphia less than that. A lot of nice used cars in and around those areas.

Oh yeah? I'll call Click and Clack and find out what they think!

[darksabre]

Parts of Somerset County get whalloped with snow and are among the snowiest locations in the country.

 

I wouldn't consider PA, even the southern part of the state, a place you'd want your next used car from, because of the rust factor, but I could be wrong.

You'd be amazed PA. Experiment: search for all cars and trucks on Craigslist priced between $500 and $2500 in Buffalo, and then Pittsburgh. It's really noticeable with pickup trucks.

PA uses an *anti skid* mixture on its roads in the winter. Its a mix of salt, ash and sand. Not near as hurtful to vehicles. The last 10 years they have been experimenting with salt brine from the gas wells as it's cheap and plentiful. They have only been brining major interstates and it's a pre-treat for upcoming storms. Again, no where near the salt usage that NY has.

 

Using car fax one can get a good idea of a vehicles general area of use. If you can find a car from South of I-80 your golden. As a rule of thumb anything south of 80 sees very little snow a year.

 

Good luck and try to enjoy the search!

Good stuff, thanks!

[beerme1]

Well I can tell you from experience if you're buying a new car out of state, make sure it has the California emissions rating or you wont get it registered here. :doh: Used is no problem but God help you if you buy new without it.

I was on my way to Ohio to purchase a new car with the deal all worked out pending that clarification on a Saturday morning. The dealer in Ohio called me when I was at Westfield, NY to say the car did not in fact have the California emission rating which is clearly visible on the window sticker and I turned around and came home. Bought the same car, cheaper from a place near Boston :censored:  and had a great experience and made a good football friend with a Buffalo football connection and a hockey player as well. Turned out to be pretty cool actually. I drove to Boston to trade my car in and the had to fly home and then back to Boston to pick the new car up with 150 wings and they were pretty grateful for that and so was I with the deal. Years later that friendship continues. Oh, the car had the California emissions stupidity.

[darksabre]

Well I can tell you from experience if you're buying a new car out of state, make sure it has the California emissions rating or you wont get it registered here. :doh: Used is no problem but God help you if you buy new without it.

I was on my way to Ohio to purchase a new car with the deal all worked out pending that clarification on a Saturday morning. The dealer in Ohio called me when I was at Westfield, NY to say the car did not in fact have the California emission rating which is clearly visible on the window sticker and I turned around and came home. Bought the same car, cheaper from a place near Boston :censored:  and had a great experience and made a good football friend with a Buffalo football connection and a hockey player as well. Turned out to be pretty cool actually. I drove to Boston to trade my car in and the had to fly home and then back to Boston to pick the new car up with 150 wings and they were pretty grateful for that and so was I with the deal. Years later that friendship continues. Oh, the car had the California emissions stupidity.

 

Ohio is a strange place. I won't be looking for a car there. They have no rules. Yearly safety inspections? Nah, do whatever you want. 

[LBJ18]

I just began a lease in NY and moved to Ohio.  What a process. If possible, I would do an extensive Cost-Benefit analysis to see if its truly worth it.  However, if you are buying the car and receive a title, it might be much easier to transfer over.  Good luck!

[Stoner]

Suddenly I feel like d4rk's dad. Son, how do you plan on handling the pre-sale inspection?

[darksabre]

Suddenly I feel like d4rk's dad. Son, how do you plan on handling the pre-sale inspection?

 

I've never done a pre-sale inspection. Never saw the point on a cheap car. I'm pretty good with a flashlight and an OBDII scanner. 

[MattPie]

Parts of Somerset County get whalloped with snow and are among the snowiest locations in the country.

 

I wouldn't consider PA, even the southern part of the state, a place you'd want your next used car from, because of the rust factor, but I could be wrong.

Hell if you're going to look at Philadelphia you might as well look at Northern Delaware, Maryland, and South Jersey.

 

I live in PA and bought my last car in Bel Air, MD.  Dealer did all the paperwork, including the registration.  All I had to do was get the car re-inspected in PA when the registration arrived in the mail.  I had MD temp tags in the interim.

IMO that brine is useless and the virtual equivalent of peeing on the road before a storm.  4 inches of snow is enough to trigger a Winter Storm Warning here, schools and businesses close, and the roads are hell.  A 12" snow is crippling and you will have a minimum of 2 days of schools closed and usually 3 because of melting and refreezing.

 

I tend to agree (Let's go and I are probably near-neighbors); they brine early and often here which ends up being salt-mist when it starts to get wet or salt-dust if they miscalculate and it doesn't snow. Then, if it really does snow (like, a couple inches), they lay down a ton of salt at 25 MPH and block both lanes of the highway in the process.

 

I've bought two cars in a neighboring state (VA -> MD and NJ -> PA) through dealers and it was a painless process as the dealers handled it themselves. Those dealers were close enough to a border that it made sense though; I'm guessing that if you bought a car in Williamsport they wouldn't know what to do with NY registrations. NJ does it in an interesting manner; they put on a 30-day temporary tag until your real plates come in. My Dad bought a car in Atlantic City and he  registered it in NY when he got back.

[darksabre]

I tend to agree (Let's go and I are probably near-neighbors); they brine early and often here which ends up being salt-mist when it starts to get wet or salt-dust if they miscalculate and it doesn't snow. Then, if it really does snow (like, a couple inches), they lay down a ton of salt at 25 MPH and block both lanes of the highway in the process.

 

I've bought two cars in a neighboring state (VA -> MD and NJ -> PA) through dealers and it was a painless process as the dealers handled it themselves. Those dealers were close enough to a border that it made sense though; I'm guessing that if you bought a car in Williamsport they wouldn't know what to do with NY registrations. NJ does it in an interesting manner; they put on a 30-day temporary tag until your real plates come in. My Dad bought a car in Atlantic City and he  registered it in NY when he got back.

 

My understanding is that I have to go to the PA DMV and get a transfer tag from them so I can transport it to NY. Then I have 30 days to register it in NY and all that. I think most states are like this, I've just never tried to do it. 

[MattPie]

My understanding is that I have to go to the PA DMV and get a transfer tag from them so I can transport it to NY. Then I have 30 days to register it in NY and all that. I think most states are like this, I've just never tried to do it. 

 

BTW, there is one PA DMV for car registrations and things like that, and it's in Harrisburg. There's an entire cottage industry of auto tag shops where a notary will stamp everything then a courier takes your paperwork to Harrisburg to be filed. I'm not kidding. There are "Driver's License Centers" sprinkled around the state that handle IDs, but not car registrations. If you go down this road, talk to the seller and see if they have a tag shop they like or find one nearby. Then call that place and talk to the people to figure out the process. It's not a weird as it sounds, FWIW.

Edited July 21, 2016 by MattPie

[darksabre]

BTW, there is one PA DMV for car registrations and things like that, and it's in Harrisburg. There's an entire cottage industry of auto tag shops where a notary will stamp everything then a courier takes your paperwork to Harrisburg to be filed. I'm not kidding. There are "Driver's License Centers" sprinkled around the state that handle IDs, but not car registrations. If you go down this road, talk to the seller and see if they have a tag shop they like or find one nearby. Then call that place and talk to the people to figure out the process. It's not a weird as it sounds, FWIW.

That's kind of obnoxious. PA is a weird state.

[darksabre]

It actually makes it pretty convenient, since there are so many tag shops there's usually no line.  They have Notary Publics inside as well so you can usually complete the entire transaction right there (if you're buying from a private party).  If you're buying it from a  dealer you don't have to do anything, they do it.

 

Also, I wouldn't be at all surprised if most dealers in PA would have the info and forms for NY in the building.  Referencing my own experience, the dealership in MD had MD, VA, PA, NJ, and DE on his menu to choose from and blank forms for the same to feed through the printer.  If I were in say, Williamsport, I'd be willing to bet there is more NY business than you'd expect in a given year.

 

Interesting.

 

I notice one of these tag shops online says they have Saturday hours. That's mighty helpful. 

[MattPie]

It actually makes it pretty convenient, since there are so many tag shops there's usually no line.  They have Notary Publics inside as well so you can usually complete the entire transaction right there (if you're buying from a private party).  If you're buying it from a  dealer you don't have to do anything, they do it.

 

Also, I wouldn't be at all surprised if most dealers in PA would have the info and forms for NY in the building.  Referencing my own experience, the dealership in MD had MD, VA, PA, NJ, and DE on his menu to choose from and blank forms for the same to feed through the printer.  If I were in say, Williamsport, I'd be willing to bet there is more NY business than you'd expect in a given year.

 

Good point. With the rise of ebay/Craigslist, there's probably a ton more interstate sales than I'd think at first glance.

[Stoner]

That's kind of obnoxious. PA is a weird state.

No duh.

[darksabre]

No duh.

:p

[Stoner]

I've never done a pre-sale inspection. Never saw the point on a cheap car. I'm pretty good with a flashlight and an OBDII scanner. 

I guess if you know what you're doing that's OK. Having a mechanic look at it won't hurt, except a little in your wallet.

[darksabre]

I guess if you know what you're doing that's OK. Having a mechanic look at it won't hurt, except a little in your wallet.

A lot of times sellers don't feel like going through the hassle either if they don't know that the car is going to even sell to the random guy requesting the inspection.

[Stoner]

A lot of times sellers don't feel like going through the hassle either if they don't know that the car is going to even sell to the random guy requesting the inspection.

I'm a used car buyer. Makes sense on many levels. I have never bought one without getting it inspected by a trusted mechanic. But that step comes after doing the Carfax, talking to the owner about its history and maintenance, sizing up the owner, looking at the car, test-driving it and so on. I do it when I know I'll buy the car if the inspection checks out. All that's tough when you're buying remotely. Just my opinion, but the salt advantage of buying a car from one state to your south does not outweigh the difficulty in pulling this off. Stay close to home. Father knows best.

Edited July 21, 2016 by PASabreFan