Buying Used Car from Owner - Can I drive before registering? (Denver: sale, insurance)

[Cfella]

Hi All,
I have tried to search this forum but couldn't find an answer to this question. I am trying to find out if it is legal for me to drive a used car that I purchase from a private owner before registering it. I would only be driving it to my driveway until it is registered. This is what the Colorado DMV site says


4. Operation of an unregistered vehicle. A buyer of a vehicle may operate a vehicle on the highway prior to registering the vehicle or obtaining a temporary permit under the following conditions:

The buyer has purchased the motor vehicle within the last 36 hours from a person who is not a licensed motor vehicle dealer.
The vehicle was purchased either on a Saturday, on a Sunday, on a legal holiday, or between 5p.m. and 8 a.m.
The vehicle is being driven from the place where the seller stored the vehicle to the place where the buyer intends to store the vehicle.
The buyer must carry in the vehicle the bill of sale that identifies the vehicle by year, make and VIN and shows the time and date of sale signed by both the buyer and the seller.
Proof of insurance.



So does this mean I can just buy the car, and then hop on the highway without any plates???? Something about that just doesn't seem right. What if I crash into somebody and kill them.

[SkyDog77]

I think the rules you posted are very clear.

The buyer has purchased the motor vehicle within the last 36 hours from a person who is not a licensed motor vehicle dealer


The vehicle is being driven from the place where the seller stored the vehicle to the place where the buyer intends to store the vehicle.

[TCHP]

What Sky Dog said. Keep your bill of sale with you to validate its recently purchased status within the 36 hour time frame.

Also, the final point in your posted rules is what you need in case you crash into somebody and kill them. You will need insurance before you drive it anywhere and prior to registration.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by TCHP

What Sky Dog said. Keep your bill of sale with you to validate its recently purchased status within the 36 hour time frame.

Also, the final point in your posted rules is what you need in case you crash into somebody and kill them. You will need insurance before you drive it anywhere and prior to registration.

Most insurance companies will automatically cover a vehicle you just purchased for a few days following the purchase without any notification. OP should check with their insurer.

[mettler]

Just call your insurance company and get it insured before you drive it anywhere.

[Cfella]

Thank you all for your input. I assumed after reading the DMV website that I could drive before it was registered. But I am coming from NY and you cant drive a car until you have your own plates on it. Just wanted to make sure before I got pulled over and arrested. Thanks

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by Cfella

Thank you all for your input. I assumed after reading the DMV website that I could drive before it was registered. But I am coming from NY and you cant drive a car until you have your own plates on it. Just wanted to make sure before I got pulled over and arrested. Thanks

Note that you can't cherry pick the statutes for your purposes; ie, ALL of the conditions must apply.

So when you buy a car from a private party, you are allowed to drive it without a registration only if it's an after hours purchase (evenings, weekends, or holiday schedule) for the DMV on your Bill of Sale paperwork. Per the code, have the Bill of Sale clearly identify the vehicle, the time of purchase, and signed by both the Buyer and Seller.

Please note that you MUST HAVE INSURANCE coverage prior to legally driving the vehicle on public roads. You will need Colorado insurance coverage to it's minimum standards for Liability, UI, UIM, and so forth. If you have a carrier in NY, they may be able to provide your coverage for a car purchase in Colorado, but the only way to know for sure is to contact them and get verification PRIOR to driving the Colorado vehicle. They may refer you to a Colorado agency instead.

But that's how you protect yourself and are in compliance with Colorado statutes re motor vehicle insurance. Best to have proof of your current motor vehicle insurance ... even better, get your insurance carrier to fax or email you a certificate of temporary coverage with the vehicle year/make/model and VIN stated. They do this all the time, it's no big deal and well worth your time "in case of an accident".

PS: paying attention to these little details protects both the buyer and seller. I've seen numerous situations where a buyer didn't have the proper paperwork or time frame for a purchase and got into an injury accident on "the way home" from the purchase site. The seller didn't have proof of the time of the sale such as a signed purchase order of copy of the time noted and signed Bill of Sale. The seller got hung out to dry by the buyer when it came to legal liability, medical payments, etc ... because the buyer didn't get their insurance or follow up on the purchase transaction.

[headingtoDenver]

Insurance companies don't ask for a bill of sale. They just ask for the VIN. You give them the VIN and they can supply coverage to you. Do that BEFORE you drive away with the car. Most major carriers have insurance cards within their mobile app so you don't even need to print anything.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by headingtoDenver

Insurance companies don't ask for a bill of sale. They just ask for the VIN. You give them the VIN and they can supply coverage to you. Do that BEFORE you drive away with the car. Most major carriers have insurance cards within their mobile app so you don't even need to print anything.

Not quite.

While your call to advise an insurance company that you want to cover a particular vehicle identified by a given VIN is part of the process, there's an implication in that contact that "you've bought a vehicle". Typically, a buyer tells their insurance company that they've "just bought a ___ and here's the VIN information".

Otherwise, you'll find most insurance agents will ask if "you've bought the vehicle" or confirm that it's yours and whether or not there's a lender involved in the transaction that must be named on the insurance policy. Effectively, the insurance agent;s conversation is getting all the information they need to write and bind a policy, even if they don't ask the proof of a purchase question directly. My agents have always asked for a copy of the bill of sale, too, although it wasn't required upfront to write a policy. I believe they're asking for the bill of sale to verify the valuation of the vehicle; ie, if I buy a car for $5,000 they are reluctant to write a comprehensive coverage for a much higher stated value without an inspection/proof of the higher value.

There are situations where you insure a vehicle as a named driver, for example, that you don't own and the underwriting/rates can be different than if you were the owner. BTDT on borrowed vehicles where the owner had allowed their primary coverage to lapse from lack of use (on overseas assignment) but wanted me to keep the car up to snuff and drive it now and then.

[brown_dog_us]

Have the seller drive the car to your place of storage and complete the sale there. Then you don't need to drive the car without plates.