# Unregistered car **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426 "2011-04-06T14:52:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![novicecarbuyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@novicecarbuyer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/novicecarbuyer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/1 "2011-04-06T14:52:26Z")
My car is currently unregistered. Can I use it as a trade-in at a dealership in Massachusetts? ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/2 "2011-04-06T14:56:25Z")
The registration doesn’t prove ownership, the TITLE does. Do you have clear title ? Any liens on the title ? Go trade it in if you can prove ownership. ---
**Author:** ![novicecarbuyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@novicecarbuyer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/novicecarbuyer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/3 "2011-04-06T14:58:20Z")
I have the title and the car’s paid off, so no lienholder. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/4 "2011-04-06T15:09:01Z")
They’ll take it as a trade. ---
**Author:** ![novicecarbuyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@novicecarbuyer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/novicecarbuyer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/5 "2011-04-06T15:13:51Z")
Great! Thank you everyone … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twotone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@twotone](https://community.cartalk.com/u/twotone)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/6 "2011-04-06T15:15:24Z")
Since it is unregistered, you will not be able to drive it. It will need to be towed to the dealer. ---
**Author:** ![novicecarbuyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@novicecarbuyer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/novicecarbuyer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/7 "2011-04-06T15:18:07Z")
I know, but that’s OK. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/8 "2011-04-06T16:49:08Z")
Problem is getting it there… To be legal…You’ll have to get a temp plate or have it towed. ---
**Author:** ![wayneelowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c6cbf5/32.png) [@wayneelowe](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wayneelowe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/9 "2011-04-06T22:41:17Z")
Any dealer with a dealer plate and a buy contract will give you the dealer plate to get the car to his location. It would even be legal after you sign the trade agreement; it’s now his car. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/10 "2011-04-07T11:39:10Z")
That may cover the plate, but I wouldn’t drive it an inch until I was certain it was also covered by insurance one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/11 "2011-04-07T19:31:31Z")
Another prime example why I keep pushing people to lobby their insurance industry to – insure the DRIVER separate from the vehicle. ---- Insure the DRIVER for liability and collision, then insure the vehicle for comprehensive, collision, and uninsured motorist. Then what ever and whenever the driver is operating ANYTHING their actions are insured. You’d carry a card just like you carry your driver’s license that proves you, as a driver, are insured. That twice a year RV trip, the occasional boat outing, ATVs, motor cycles, AND the long ago parked car you want to trade in, rented and borrowed vehicles, the work place fork lift… YOUR driving activities would ALL be insured if you the driver could carry individual operator’s insurance. * * * Wouldn’t help right now today for this case, but it’s a long term change we all need to push for. Especially us car ‘collectors’ who have four in the driveway, only two of which are daily drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Bladecutter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bladecutter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bladecutter)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/12 "2011-04-07T20:14:31Z")
You idea works right up to the point where the vehicle has a defect, while parked, starts rolling on its own, and then collides into a pedestrian, or another object. Then since the vehicle has no liability insurance on it, and there was no driver, dealing with insurance becomes a nightmare. BC. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/13 "2011-04-07T20:30:57Z")
Still need the option choice to exist in the industry. ---
**Author:** ![realbinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@realbinky](https://community.cartalk.com/u/realbinky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/14 "2011-04-07T21:14:35Z")
last driver, then maybe? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/15 "2011-04-07T21:43:33Z")
Ken, call your insurer. You can easily buy a policy that will ensure you when driving another vehicle. They’re commonplace. The caveat is that the vehicle has to be legally registered and compliant with state vehicle regulations. ---
**Author:** ![Wha-Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9f8e36/32.png) [@Wha-Who](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Wha-Who)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unregistered-car/63426/16 "2011-04-08T18:35:42Z")
I agree with this and have asked my agent for this kind of policy but it is simply not offered by any company in my state. We have several vehicles and only one or two are driven at any one time so the liability insurance for the stationary vehicles goes for nothing. My agent says that we get a multiple vehicle discount but it does not go far enough. One company has what they call “Snapshot Insurance” which might help. Low Mileage Insurance with Google gets a few hits. There is also collector vehicle insurance. If you want to push this a little harder, you might want to write a letter to your state’s insurance commissioner or equivalent and/or your state government representative or senator. I have not done this.