Selling RV Question Regarding Registration For Travel

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Gizmo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Posts
1,786
Location
Bellingham,WA
We have a buyer for our 5th wheel who lives in Massachusetts, we are near Bellingham, WA. I suggested he obtain a temporary plate to get back to MA but he indicated that it is essentially not possible with MA licensing registration protocols. In short he has to have the title etc. in hand, as MA will not provide him a temporary plate to get back to MA. An article link he sent to me confirmed this.

So what he is asking for is to send a deposit to me and upon verification of funds, I send him the title etc., so he can get the trailer registered and have the plate in hand when he arrives.

So my question is, what say those who may have had similar experiences and/or the knowledge on best way to proceed, especially MA residents? From our perspective the ideal solution is to have him wire the funds in full and once verified I overnight the documents. But, I can understand from his point of view he might not feel comfortable doing that, I don't know until I ask, but in the mean time, I was hoping for some guidance on this, especially from any Massachusetts residents who know the system there. Thanks.
 
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I used to live in MA and had to jump through hoops to register my vehicle purchased in Maine there. Found with a random search:

The proper procedure for purchasing a vehicle out-of-state and driving it back to Massachusetts is to register the vehicle first. You should complete your purchase paperwork (purchase and sales contract, etc.), submit payment to the seller, and obtain the title. This information can then be used to register your vehicle in Massachusetts.

In my opinion if the buyer is legitimate, there would be no reason to not complete the transaction with the seller, get the title, then registration in MA is on them. Even with in-state purchases it's cash on the barrelhead before the title is transferred. If the buyer is "nervous" about buying a vehicle 3000 miles away then that'd be a separate problem for them, not the seller, to resolve.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
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Payment in full by wire transfer....period. End of subject.

No Traveler's checks, owned a business and saw a $10,000 Traveler's check bounce.

Sounds to me like he is trying to scam you.
 
As a non resident can he get a temp tag in WA? Here in Ohio temp tags are issued to a notarized title that has NOT been re-issued in the buyer's name. Once you've titled it you cannot buy a temporary tag.
 
Thank you all for your confirming and helpful replies. I did just paid a visit to the local WA MDV and they will issue a 3-day travel plate by presenting a drivers license and paying a $33.00 fee. I believe I heard them to say, but would have to verify, that in the case of having to drive approximately 3000 miles, getting two back to back temporary plates may be possible. In any case I have contacted the buyer I will send the title after receiving and verifying funds in our account and also gave them the option of getting a temporary plate.

Mark_KSLXP the random search piece you included in your reply was what the buyer sent to me to help me understand what he is up against in MA. Sounds nuts and he seemed pretty frustrated by it.

 
Payment in full by wire transfer....period. End of subject.

No Traveler's checks, owned a business and saw a $10,000 Traveler's check bounce.

Sounds to me like he is trying to scam you.
Same with bank checks and certified checks. They can be cancelled.
 
And make sure the check or wire transfer has really cleared. It sometimes takes a while and while you think it has cleared, the bank may recall it a couple of days later.
 
And make sure the check or wire transfer has really cleared. It sometimes takes a while and while you think it has cleared, the bank may recall it a couple of days later.
That's true and I always move the funds to another account when they arrive. Possession is 9/10s and I would rather be arguing while holding my money than have some random computer take it out.
 
Many times you can provide the buyer a hand written, signed bill of sale for the trip,, and leave the Wa. plate on the vehicle and the registration, for the trip.. Then make sure he has insurance on the 5er,, he will be fine..>>>Dan
 
Many times you can provide the buyer a hand written, signed bill of sale for the trip,, and leave the Wa. plate on the vehicle and the registration, for the trip.. Then make sure he has insurance on the 5er,, he will be fine..>>>Dan
I would never, ever ever leave my plates on a vehicle while it was in the position of another person! I learned that lesson the hard way when I "sold" a car to my brother who was living in another state. First, understand that my brother was an alcoholic and drug abuser, although he presented otherwise. He also did a lot of funny things with money, but hey, he was my brother, right? What could go wrong?

Well, instead of transfering the title and getting new plates in his name in his state of residence, he just kept driving the vehicle with my name on it and my plates. I found this out six months later when the northern state airport he had parked in got heavily snowed in, so he called me to find out what the license plate number was so the company that was clearing the lots could identify it!!!!!! After he managed to get the car out of the airport, he also parked in a couple of places illegally, so guess who got the parking tickets??

Getting a vehicle back to his residence state is the problem of the buyer, NOT YOU, so let the buyer solve this problem. Get your money, transfer the title, and take your plates off it before you let it leave your premises!!

Oh, and my brother paid me a couple of hundred dollars, but never did pay me the entire price we had agreed upon for the car. Another lesson learned.
 
You can buy a total of (3) trip permits within a year, and they are good for 3 days each. You have to go to a WA DOL (vehicle licensing/registration not driver licensing) to get the permits.

We just drove an RV without plates from Palm Springs to Seattle, WA. Never pulled over once. We had a CA trip permit if we needed it, as well as sales documentation proving it was ours, as well as a temporary insurance card.

Here's how I sold a vehicle long-distance in the past.....

We both signed a bill of sale indicating the steps each of us we would take to facilitate the transaction, signing it and including photos of our driver licenses. License had to match respective buyer/seller and title information. It stated things like... buyer is responsible for shipping. Buyer assumes all responsibility for the vehicle once the report of sale is filed. Seller agrees to overnight signed title within 24 hours, and failure to do so will obligate seller to refund 100% of the buyer's money.

Send buyer photocopy of title and registration document to prove the title is real, in hand and the vehicle is currently registered under the same ownership.

Buyer wires funds. They may choose to do a test wire of an insignificant amount and have you confirm receipt first. Then, wire the rest.

Upon receipt/confirmation of funds, overnight title document and stay in communication with buyer via text/phone and immediately provide tracking number.

Once title document is received (require signature on overnight Fedex), file report of sale with the WA DOL to absolve yourself of any liability. Personally, I kept insurance on the vehicle until I knew it arrived at its destination. EVEN IF YOU LEAVE YOUR PLATES on the vehicle, the WA DOL Report of Sale protects you from liability. You are stating you sold the vehicle and it no longer belongs to you.

Remember to remove your Plate # from any toll tag/ Good To Go accounts.

FYI...in this particular instance, the buyer left MY plates on the vehicle. They were antique plates and I sold them with the car. He never registered the car or transferred title to his name. He left it parked in his front yard, which garnered infractions from municipal authorities. I got a big 'ol ticket in the mail. So I forwarded them a copy of our bill of sale, my WA DOL Sale report. Not only is he now responsible for the parking tickets, the state will put him on the hook for failing to transfer title and register timely.
 
Can the buyer not acquire a temporary/transport tag in Washington, after the sale is completed, and use that to transport it home to MA, then get the title transferred to his/her home state?
That has worked pretty well in a number of states for quite a few years in our family.
 
I bought a cargo trailer last year and the seller left the plates on and made sure of insurance for a week so I could tow it home. I then returned the plates.
 
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