Boring administrative type question, but my mother-in-law in gifting us a 2009 Saturn, which would be good as a station car/third car.
It’s currently sitting in Michigan, drivable but unregistered (it has a Michigan plate) so I’m planning to drive it from Michigan.
Does anyone have experience with what I need to do to drive it legally and then register it legally in CT? Do I have to go to the CT DMV to register it beforehand or do I have to try and get it re-registered in Michigan first?
I would go the the CT DMV before hand with the title and see if they will give you a moving pass so you can get it home. Then you would likely need to get smog/safety/whatever inspections are required in CT.
If it were me, I’d get it registered either in Michigan or CT before you drive it. While some states have exceptions for newly bought cars, in most states you can’t drive an unregistered car on the road. If you can get to a CT DMV, just bring them the title and proof of insurance and you should be able to get plates. Can probably do the same in Michigan, but it doesn’t make much sense to register it in Michigan and pay fees only to re-register it in CT.
Alternatively, since it has plates on it, you can try your luck at driving it on what I assume to be expired registration, but you might run into some serious trouble with state troopers on the interstate.
Possible to sign over title and FedEx to you along with a bill of Sale showing it as a gift to your wife as they’re related and you’re not. Then take it to the dmv there to get temp plates or something to take with you to bring it.
You will have to go to the CT DMV twice. You’ll need the title signed over and you’ll have to fill out all the forms and pay the fees to register it, but you will only be able to get temp plates. Once it’s in CT, you’ll have to bring it for emissions and a VIN verification before proceeding to the DMV for the permanent plates.
If it’s less effort to get a MI temp plate I would just do that and only have to make one trip to the CT DMV. You can get the emissions and VIN verification done while it still has out-of-state plates. The CT temp is not a prerequisite to the test, just to operating the vehicle on the road.
I think I’ll have to do the double-CT DMV trip because the temporary Michigan plates require proof of no-fault insurance and it is currently uninsured in Michigan.
So I will insure it from CT, get the title sent to me, go to the CT DMV to get a temporary registration. Drive it to CT and then get emissions done, which it. may fail because it sounds like it needs a new flex pipe, and take it from there.
