Question about new car purchase and registration (transfer, buyer)

[jmana]

I bought a new car, and had the license plate transferred from my old vehicle. The dealer said they would take care of all the DMV stuff, but it's been 3 weeks and I haven't received anything yet (I know it might be delayed because of the holidays). The problem is I have a side job that I need to use the vehicle for, and they want a copy of the registration. Because I transferred the tag, I don't have a temporary registration. I do have a form that says "odometer disclosure statement" for the new vehicle that almost looks like a registration card, and I was going to email them a copy of this, but they also want the expiration date and there isn't one on this form. Is there anything I can do other than wait? Would I be able to go into the DMV and get a copy of the registration?

[twingles]

I would start with the dealer. If they didn't file the paperwork, the DMV won't be able to help you. I would GO there and handle it if possible.

[saturnfan]

It can take a few weeks to get your DMV forms. Give them a call.

[Poggly Woggly]

They usually say allow about 30 days. I'm waiting for plates and registration now...been 3 weeks already.

[lb27608]

My wife did the same thing when she bought her new car earlier this year. It took about a month for DMV to send the new registration card. I was wondering why the DMV can't have the dealer give a buyer a temporary registration when the plate is transferred just so there's some documentation, but apparently no one has thought of that.

[nothruaccess]

Check with the dealer. We didn't get our stuff from the dealer until literally the day that our temporary plates expired. I called them a few days before to see if we were following proper procedure and they told me that they had just sent them out to us.

[iamweasel]

Originally Posted by lb27608

My wife did the same thing when she bought her new car earlier this year. It took about a month for DMV to send the new registration card. I was wondering why the DMV can't have the dealer give a buyer a temporary registration when the plate is transferred just so there's some documentation, but apparently no one has thought of that.

Because 9 times out of 10 when someone gets a new car they get a new tag, and with that, you can get a temporary white cardboard plate to put on your car. For those who do transfer a tag, you need to make sure the dealer promptly goes to the DMV for you as they'll get a new registration card on the spot. Problem is, dealers around here take forever to go do that. DMV is not going to come out with a form due to dealer's being slow to process things. I hate the DMV as much as anyone but this is not their problem to solve. Dealer's need to move faster.

People like to get new tags for 2 reasons:

1) There is no additional charge for a new plate - you pay $15 to transfer one I think
2) You get a shiny new plate and don't have to keep your old, dirty one

The main benefit to transferring a tag is that you get a 1 year reprieve on your personal property tax. It can take them a year to "catch-up" and put the correct value in there with a transferred tag. So if you had a car with an $8K value and bought a new one with a $25K value, then you get a lower tax rate for a bit....