Temporary Tags

[hlweyl]

So here's the problem.... i'm buying an out of state NSX- i'm flying to Georgia to buy the car and want to drive it back. Problem: Maryland will not give me any type of tag unless I have the title signed over and bill of sale.. i can't get those until I buy the car. Georgia does not issue any type of temporary tag.

I definitely don't want to fly there twice and prefer not to have the car shipped. Any suggestions?

 

[KGP]

The temp tag should be available from the state for which you are traveling to for the purchase. Check with the Georgia DOT. I went through the same thing, except Florida was where I purchased from. However, it was made a bit easier for me as the seller just let me use his tag for the drive home.

 

[hlweyl]

Georgia DMV said the tag MUST stay with the owner and they do not issue temp tags... only car dealers can do that.

I've been calling state police and so far Georgia and S.Carolina says its ok just to make a paper tag and put it in the back window. Proof on ins. and bill of sale must be with me also.

North Carolina, one officer said I cannot drive through without a tag. So I called another barracks and the officer said the same as SC and Georgia.

the story continues.......

 

[Zishan]

I drove 500+ miles crossing states with NO TAGS!! Ofcourse, I don't recommend it. I didn't have any problems, but if I had gotten pulled over, I had the bill of sale, title, insurance, owner's info., wire transfer agreement, drivers license, etc, etc, etc. So I don't think I would have been ticketed if I explained the truth.
Good Luck
Z

 

[hlweyl]

It seems after cars being on the road for over 100 years there would be some type of system in place to make it more convenient to buy an out of state car.

Anyway I just had the car inspected and it need a new air compressor(ready to fail), new cluth/master slave cylinder(currently leaking into driver's footwell), alignment(currently chewing up the front tires), air filter, and oil pan gasket(leak).... plus the car is 10 years old and still has original timing belt/water pump (55k miles).

What do you guys think? Should the owner pay for these items and keep the price the same or just increase the price by how ever much these items cost to repair? Or maybe I should start shopping for a different NSX?

 

[Lud]

Whether the price of the vehicle should change or the buyer/seller should pay for the repairs depends entirely on how it is currently priced!

Is it already priced low because the owner knows it's in rough shape? If so, then it's already priced correctly and you get what you pay for.

Is it priced like a mint condition, fully maintained car? If so, the price needs to come down or the seller needs to do some work on it first unless he is just waiting to see if someone who doesn't know any better will buy it.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the fact that the vehicle seems to have been poorly maintained than about haggling over who should pay for what. Several of the items you mentioned are not terribly expensive to fix, so why were they all ignored? What else has been ignored? Did you do a compression/leakdown test? Does the owner have any service records to show you?

The timing belt is the only single expensive item, and until it breaks it doesn't hurt anything. But again, we don't know if the need for timing belt change has already been factored into the asking price for the car.

 

[hlweyl]

Whether the price of the vehicle should change or the buyer/seller should pay for the repairs depends entirely on how it is currently priced!

Is it already priced low because the owner knows it's in rough shape? If so, then it's already priced correctly and you get what you pay for.

Is it priced like a mint condition, fully maintained car? If so, the price needs to come down or the seller needs to do some work on it first unless he is just waiting to see if someone who doesn't know any better will buy it.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the fact that the vehicle seems to have been poorly maintained than about haggling over who should pay for what. Several of the items you mentioned are not terribly expensive to fix, so why were they all ignored? What else has been ignored? Did you do a compression/leakdown test? Does the owner have any service records to show you?

The timing belt is the only single expensive item, and until it breaks it doesn't hurt anything. But again, we don't know if the need for timing belt change has already been factored into the asking price for the car.

Lud, thanks for the input.

The asking price was originally 32k, the owner already stated that the bottom price he'd be willing to accept is 30k, which seemed like a fair price prior to the inspection.... i knew i'd have to pay for the timing belt soon after purchase.

I assume a leakdown test isn't part of a normal pre-purchase inspection unless the mechanic found something that warranted that test. I'm not positive about that though.

As far as the timing belt being the most expensive, I was quoted $1600 for the air compressor assembly and another 750 for the clutch master/slave cylinder. Seems like most guys are paying around $1100 for the timing belt. I feel like this deal is going a bit south at the moment... maybe I should let it

 

[Ojas]

I feel like this deal is going a bit south at the moment... maybe I should let it

I think you should. I think $30K would be able to buy an NSX in much better condition with verifiable history.

 

[dougjgreen]

Lud wrote:

Whether the price of the vehicle should change or the buyer/seller should pay for the repairs depends entirely on how it is currently priced!

Actually, Once the sale has been made, who pays for repairs is entirely a function of the specific representations that were made in the terms of sale of the car, NOT the PRICE of the car, although certainly, the Price should reflect the terms of sale.

If the car were specifically sold "As Is", then no warranty of condition is implied or given, and the seller is NOT legally obligated to provide any compensation for the costs to make the car worthy of use. However, if specific representations about the car were made and can be proven, and those representations can be shown to be false, then the buyer would likely win in a court case, and the seller would be obligated to make it right. However, the default assumption in any used car purchase is definitely "AS IS - Buyer beware", and any understanding to the contrary will need to be proven with hard evidence (in writing, or a tape recording, etc).


That being said, once a car is represented to be in pristine shape, if the buyer can establish such a representation was made, and NOT legally disclaimed, they could recover costs in a legal action. It should be assumed that the price will reflect the actual condition, but the obligation is squarely on the shoulders of the Buyer to diligence any claims made, absent a written warranty of condition.

 

[Lud]

I didn't mean to say they were ALL inexpensive, just several such as the air filter, oil pan gasket, alignment... pretty fundamental things that don't cost a ton to take care of, so when they have been neglected you have to wonder how well other maintenance was taken care of.

$1600.. you must mean the AC compressor! I thought you mean the air compressor in the trunk toolkit, sorry. But $1600 sounds high even for the AC compressor. I haven't had to replace one, but I think it should be closer to $1k if I remember correctly. Maybe I'm just going senile... Still expensive though.

You mentioned the clutch master and slave cylinders, but do they BOTH really need replacing (meaning - is it leaking at both ends)? If so, man, what a maintenance nightmare this car is sounding like! If it's JUST the master cylinder (the front leak you mentioned) I think more like $250 will replace it.

Compression and leakdown testing are not part of a standard pre-purchase inspection. You have to ask for them, and they probably add... oh, maybe 1.5 to 2 hours of labor to your tab depending on the shop.

The price sounds high given the amount of work it needs if it's an early '90s model, and the inattention to maintenance would personally scare me away. If you are shopping for a '91 in the $30k+ price range, I'm pretty confident you can find a nicer car!

 

[Lud]

Actually, Once the sale has been made, who pays for repairs is entirely a function of the specific representations that were made in the terms of sale of the car, NOT the PRICE of the car, although certainly, the Price should reflect the terms of sale.

Yeah, that's great in theory, but

1) Because he had the car inspected and got a report on the problems, it is now documented that potential buyer has knowledge of the problems prior to purchase.

2) As you said, unless the seller is spelling out a condition of the car in the sales contract (what private party doesn't sell "as is"?), good luck with the legal action against someone from another state who sold you a used car. Even if you recover, the legal action will cost as much as the repairs and you'll waste tons of time.

3) Who wants all that hassle... even if you win in the end, you still lost!

 

[AKUDOU]

I think you should. I think $30K would be able to buy an NSX in much better condition with verifiable history.

I have a blank Temp Tag I would mail you if you decided to buy, but personally I would pass on that NSX.

 

[hlweyl]

$1600.. you must mean the AC compressor! I thought you mean the air compressor in the trunk toolkit, sorry. But $1600 sounds high even for the AC compressor. I haven't had to replace one, but I think it should be closer to $1k if I remember correctly. Maybe I'm just going senile... Still expensive though.

You mentioned the clutch master and slave cylinders, but do they BOTH really need replacing (meaning - is it leaking at both ends)? If so, man, what a maintenance nightmare this car is sounding like! If it's JUST the master cylinder (the front leak you mentioned) I think more like $250 will replace it.

duh! I did say air compressor lol Yep I meant AC compressor. They said the leak was near the top of the clutch pedal and leaking into the drivers compartment.

I just got off the phone with the current owner and he's not convinced anything is wrong with the car. He says the AC comp. has sounded like that for 5 years and that he doesn't see the leak anywhere. i.e. he is definitely not paying for any repair.

I read in the FAQ not to get the "got to have it" attitude and i'm gonna use that advice now. Thanks nsxprime! ...the search continues