Pardon the stupid question - I am trying to pay the least money possible for the title transfer/registration while avoiding breaking any traffic law or other codes.
My friend that is giving me their 2010 Prius can only meet me in Atlanta, GA. I am assuming that the only way to legally process that the car is in my name is if the former owner is there? or can I bring with me a form from Florida that transfers ownership? I am admittedly a bit out of my depth here so if anyone can offer guidance it would be much appreciated
Start with the Florida DMV website . If no real answer there then go to a physical site and get the answer . The exchange location has nothing to do with this transaction . He can even sign the title before he leaves Texas and have a Notary witness it.
ask your friend if he will leave the plates on and registered until you drive it the rest of the way home. then mail him the plates back and register it in florida.
If your friend can tell you the vin number, you can get temporary tags from Florida to bring with you. Florida only requires a signed title as the bill of sale so no notary is needed. Contact your insurance and tell them details about the car and where you are picking it up.
Meet your friend, get the title, make sure they sign it, get their address and contact info, put the tag on the car and drive it to Florida. Apply for a title and tags in Florida with the car. You may need an notarized affidavit that the car was a gift so you won’t pay taxes on it.
It is possible that there could be a follow-up, even several months later. Back in '74, my father transferred a car to my ownership for $1. Something like 9 months later, I got a letter from the State Treasurer’s Office, correctly noting that the real value of the car was considerably higher than $1.
My father and I had to complete an affidavit affirming that I really paid that amount for the car, and our signatures had to be notarized. If we had not submitted that document, I would have had to pay sales tax based on the market value of the car. I submitted it, and never heard anything further about the issue.
Thank you and everyone else for their advice. I will look into the affidavit for the gift and everything. Your message especially made me feel much less stressed about the situation. I will likely have insurance and the title transfer ready to go when I pick the car up, or else I will risk driving uninsured for the short trip from Atlanta - Florida and set it up when I’m in my home state.
I would not drive without insurance. Like I said in an earlier post, why not just ask your friend if they would leave the insurance, registration and plates on for an extra day or so. just until you drive the vehicle home, then you can mail him the plates back.
State Farm is 14 days and is limited to the highest level you have on current vehicle . Some are as low as 4 days . Of course the simple thing is to call with the VIN as soon as you can.
If I were giving a car to someone,there is no way in hell I’d leave the registration (and insurance) in my name for him to drive anywhere with that car.
so, you never lent a vehicle to a friend? If my friend needs to borrow my truck to pick something up, I lend it to him. when my mom needs to go to the dr. she cannot get in and out of my truck, so he lends me his car. maybe we are just different than others. but if you can’t trust your friends, then they are not really a friend. anyway, it was just a thought.
As long as the new owner is covered by the new owner’s insurance for the car, fine. I wouldn’t ask my friend to cover me after I got a car from them.