Questions about registering a car in Massachusetts - Unusual circumstance (sales, insurance)

[ims_33]

I currently have a registered and insured car in Massachusetts. I will be buying another used car from a dealership. What I need to do is buy that car then transfer my insurance to the "new" used car and also have it be registered. Then, once all that is done, I would like to gift my existing car to my mother. She currently drives a 25 year old clunker and does not have the money to get another car. What is the best and most cost effective way to proceed? What steps are involved? I have no idea how to go about accomplishing this properly. For instance, can I transfer my existing plates and registration to the "new" car? I thought I read you could do this, but only if you have already gotten rid of your existing vehicle, which will not be the case. So, if this is true, then do I have to get new plates and a new registration for the "new" car? I don't even understand how I could drive a newly purchased car off the lot if I am still in possession of my existing registered and insured vehicle. I have never bought a car without trading in my old car, so any advice would be so helpful. I am so lost as to how to correctly proceed! Thanks!

[robr2]

It all depends on the timing of how you do things. If you get your "new" car first and want to use the 7 day grace period to insure and register it, then you must "dispose" of your old car. If you plan on transferring the plates and registration first, then the state doesn't care what you do with your old car. See question 6 here: http://www.massrmv.com/Portals/30/docs/21426.pdf

Option 1: get your new car first, go to the RMV to transfer the registration, and attach your plates. Sell your old car to Mom, go to the RMV a second time to transfer her registration, and then attach the plates to Mom's new ride. Dispose of Mom's old car at your leisure.

Option 2: get rid of Mom's car. Sell her your car and attach her plates. Get new car and attach your plates. Go to the registry once and transfer the registrations within seven days.

Cost will be the same - it's simply up to you on how many trips you want to make to the RMV and if you can get rid of Mom's old car.

Your insurance agent should be able to help you out as well.

[gf2020]

Welcome to C-D!

This isn't that difficult; your local insurance agent, your mother's insurance agent and any car dealer will know how to proceed.

You will gift your old car to your mother first and then transfer your existing registration to your newly purchased car.

To gift the car, you will need a simple bill of sale , the family transfer sales tax exemption form and the completed RMV-1 form. Your mother's insurance agent should be able to help you complete those documents.

[ims_33]

Thank you for your responses! I am probably going to have to do what robr2 suggested "Option 1: get your new car first, go to the RMV to transfer the registration, and attach your plates. Sell your old car to Mom, go to the RMV a second time to transfer her registration, and then attach the plates to Mom's new ride. Dispose of Mom's old car at your leisure." Gifting my old car to my mother first as robr2 suggested in option 2 and also gf2020 suggested is, for personal reasons, not an option.

So, it looks like robr2's option 1 is the way I will have to do this. If that is the case then I guess that I would have to have somebody drive me to the RMV since once I transfer plates from my old car, I can no longer drive it. I have to transfer insurance before I can transfer plates and registration, correct?

Also, I took a look at the link to massrmv question 6. The answer given seems to contradict itself or I am just dumb, and therefore I don't fully understand it?

#6. I want to keep my current car and
park it in my driveway until I can
advertise and sell it, but I want to get a
new car right away. Can I take the
registration plates off of my presently registered
car and attach them to my new car?
A
Only if you register the newly aquired
vehicle first. To use the Seven-Day law, you
must transfer or lose possession of your
currently registered vehicle before you may legally
attach the registration plates from that vehicle to your
newly acquired vehicle.


On the one hand it seems to indicate that I could transfer my plates and registration to my newly acquired vehicle and keep my old one to then later gift to my mother. On the other hand it seems to say that I can only transfer my plates and registration to another vehicle if I have already gotten rid of my existing vehicle. Again, if someone can clarify this, that would be so helpful!

Last question, for now. If I am not taking my old car to trade in, how do I legally drive my newly acquired car off the lot and drive it home? I understand that under the seven day law in MA, if you have gotten rid of your old car (i.e. traded it in) you can transfer the plates to the new car for 7 days, therefore one can legally drive the new car home. However, since I will still be in possession of my existing car, how would I even accomplish getting the new car home, legally?

Again thanks for your help!

[robr2]

You're overthinking it. People do this everyday - even not in the proper order - and don't have an issue.

Regarding question 6, it says you can take advantage of the 7 day rule if you dispose of your car or register the new car first.

As for the last question, stop overthinking it. The state is concerned about the plates being on two cars. Get a ride to the dealer and bring your plates. If it's a new car dealer, they can transfer the plate for you online with the registry. If they ask about the old car, tell them you sold it to your mother this morning. Then drive your new to you car home and take car of all the paperwork.

[BostonMike7]

Not really unusual. This is how I bought my last car. I purchased a new(er) car at a dealership. I called my insurance agent, and informed them of the transfer and they prepared the paperwork (I think an RMV-3 for this sort of transfer). Insurance agent handled the transfer for me, and had a runner at the dealership/insurance do all the running around for me.


Other than the initial phone call to my agent, all I did was park my old car in the driveway, and pull the plates off. When I got the dealer, the put them on and that was that. Plates were now tied to the new car I drove home. I literally got this all done within 24 hours of test driving the car.


After that, I hung onto the old car, unregistered, for a month until I sold it off. I had the title to it, so I could have done a family transfer as well.


Not really complicated. Kinda routine actually.