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Can I drive a car out of state with temporary tags but no title yet?

I purchased a car, in full (Cash, all upfront), last month (January). I received temporary tags, I transferred my insurance from my old car onto this new one, and everything.

The dealership I brought it from promised me the title of the car within a week. Which, when my tags began to expire (February 23rd is when they would go out), I called and continuously tried to see what in the world was going on with my title. We called the title company and they assured me that titles did not come in within 30 days and only after 30 days. They continuously checked up on that dealership for the title as well and weren't sure what was going on.

I went back on February 22nd (I live more than an hour away, I can't exactly drive up to the location often at all) and talked with the dealership. They did not have the title still and assured me that they would get it soon, though they didn't care to explain what the hold up was. They renewed my temporary tags and now I'm good until March 22nd.

So, keeping in mind that the missing title so far is the dealership's folly, I cannot get a license plate, pay off my sales taxes, get it registered, etc. However, I do have all of the information on my car otherwise. All the paperwork to prove that I bought it (Other than the title, that is), all the paperwork for my insurance, and so on. And, obviously, my temporary tags are good.

I have been waiting for a while now to get this title and I'm getting impatient. The dealership I'm butting heads with is procrastinating a whole lot on this and seemingly taking their sweet time. From what I can gather from listening to them, it seems like I won't even get my title until perhaps my next tags threaten to go out, on March 22nd. I wish to go visit my family in a neighboring state. The visit will not be long and I will be back within a few days, not long at all. The state I'm living in is Arkansas and the state I wish to visit is Oklahoma.

My question is...Is it alright if I drive to Oklahoma from Arkansas with no title yet? Obviously, I have all other paperwork, insurance, good temporary tags, and etc. It's the dealership's fault, I could even provide contact information to an officer if they happened to pull me over jut to clarify with the dealership that yes, I did buy it, and yes, they still have yet to receive the title in; it's not my fault. I have the money to get my car registered and everything, but this wait is frustrating.

If I really am forced to, I suppose I'll wait longer, but I really wish to make this trip if I can. Would law enforcement penalize me for something like this, pull me over, or etc...Or am I good right now?

2 Answers

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  • Isabel
    Lv 7
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I don't trust this, there's no reason you shouldn't have gotten the tags unless they are scamming you. Go to your local motor vehicle department and see what you can find out. Do not wait, and I'd even consider stopping into a local police department and let them know what's going on. I've never heard of a title company for vehicles, vehicle ownership titles are issued by motor vehicle departments. You should probably get a carfax report for the vehicle to make sure there are no problems - there's a lot of issues about salvaged cars being sold and that's one reason there may be a title issue. And stealing cars and selling them in another state is a popular way of avoiding police issues, so I'd be very suspicious of this delay.

    edit: and I guess I didn't really answer - yes, you can, but I'd be cautious - in the event there's something wrong with the transaction make sure to take all your paperwork and keep it handy if you get stopped.

  • 5 years ago

    Id definetely touch the DMV for the reason that that sounds incredibly shady to me. I paintings at a dealership and so they might potentially get fined for this movement. Id search aid with DMV instantly.

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