If there are any Virginia residents up right now, I could really use your help!

[Redfire_USMC]

So I'm active duty military (I'll tell you why this is relevant in a sec) and I recently bought a car from Georgia that was delivered here to a Virginia tuner just today. I will be able to pick it up tomorrow but apparently, there are quite a few laws that I have to abide by before I can even start driving the car.

One of the things is that I know I have to have an emissions test within the last 12 months from one of their approved states. Luckily, I got that taken care of and it was smogged last week in Georgia, which is one of the approved states.

Now, the laws that somewhat confuse me. So apparently I have to have it pass a vehicle safety inspection before I can register it and operate it. Does this have to be done by a law enforcement officer?

Also, before I can register it, I have to title it? Can someone please clarify for me the exact process that I have to take to drive my car around here? If I can't drive it until I register it, how am I supposed to go to the dmv, smog stations, and safety inspection stations? Sounds like a stupid question but I'm currently going through a training course in with the Marines here in Quantico and I just don't have time to knock all of these down at one time. This is where me being active duty military can be relevant.

I may not have time to register, title, or have this thing inspected for quite some time because by the time I am released every day all these previously mentioned service stations are already closed. Am I pretty much SOL until I actually do have time to take care of it all or is there a way around some of this? Or do I have the process mixed up?

Please, anyone with info or knowledge on this situation, if you could please enlighten me, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

I just want to drive my car without being hassled...

 

[TRBO VNM]

Have you ever bought a used vehicle before? This stuff is standard in most states.

You should be able to go get a temp tag from the MVA or DMV(whichever it is called in Virginia) and that will allow you to register it and drive it for a certain number of days so you can get it inspected and bring that back to the MVA.

Inspection stations should be at any dealer, some gas stations that have automotive service as part of the station, Mr Tire, etc. They can do the safety inspection and give you the signed form if it passes or tell you what it needs and either they do the work or you bring it back after getting the work done. That approved form is what you take back to the MVA.

MVA usually has saturday hours. Inspection places you need to call around and see if they have specific hours, but I know Mr. Tire is open till 7 or 8pm and they may be able to do the inspection pretty late or drop it off one night and get it the next.

 

[Redfire_USMC]

I've bought a handful of vehicles before, all were in California though. In Cali, you can still drive a car around there even if its not registered to you yet. That's what's throwing me off the most is that I can't drive it without getting it inspected first and registered and titled first. I'm hoping that I will be able to get all of this taken care of before I get pulled over is the thing. I don't want to deal with any hassles that I would have to report to my chain of command...

 

[lafeva]

If the emissions has been done they should give you tags. All I've ever had to do is have the title signed over to my name and sometimes a bill of sale when going to the dmv. They never say anything about a safety inspection. If they do hassle you about emissions, I am a va state emissions inspector and can help you/give you some guidelines. Where did you have the car sent to?

 

[DannyBoy08]

I've bought a handful of vehicles before, all were in California though. In Cali, you can still drive a car around there even if its not registered to you yet. That's what's throwing me off the most is that I can't drive it without getting it inspected first and registered and titled first. I'm hoping that I will be able to get all of this taken care of before I get pulled over is the thing. I don't want to deal with any hassles that I would have to report to my chain of command...

I think the source of your problem is comparing any other state to California. In my opinion, there are two ways that anything is done...the way California does it, and the way 49 other states do it .

Jokes aside, best of luck with the DMV. One good drive and it will be worth it! Just remember...radar detectors are illegal in the "lover's state" of Virginia

 

[Redfire_USMC]

If the emissions has been done they should give you tags. All I've ever had to do is have the title signed over to my name and sometimes a bill of sale when going to the dmv. They never say anything about a safety inspection. If they do hassle you about emissions, I am a va state emissions inspector and can help you/give you some guidelines. Where did you have the car sent to?

Funny that you chimed in here, I have your signature saved as one of my desktops and phone background haha.

But I had it sent over to Performance Autosport. I wish I had written up a bill of sale but I figured that since Bill of Sales' don't really hold much weight in Cali, that they wouldn't hold much weight here. Apparently, they do??

Any help regarding my problem will be much appreciated, not to mention, awarded a beer and and some chow maybe?

 

[Redfire_USMC]

I think the source of your problem is comparing any other state to California. In my opinion, there are two ways that anything is done...the way California does it, and the way 49 other states do it .

Jokes aside, best of luck with the DMV. One good drive and it will be worth it! Just remember...radar detectors are illegal in the "lover's state" of Virginia

Lol, You are right on all counts here, I just wish that one good drive didn't have the possibility of ending up with some sort of ticket lol.

 

[Blown38]

You can get a 3 day transport tag if need be. But just take the title to DMV and get it titled and registered and they will give you a tag right then. You don't need a safety inpection to get the tag unless they recently changed that because the safety inspections are now input to a computer. If you can get a bill of sale faxed to you it might be worth it but shouldn't need it. You can read thru this. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles It does state that all you need is the declared sale price from the seller on the title if GA has a spot for that. VA does. If not then you will need a bill of sale.

Good luck. Don't go to the DMV office in woodbridge.;-) A southern one would be better.

 

[Blown38]

Oh and make sure you have insurance on it.

 

[Redfire_USMC]

You can get a 3 day transport tag if need be. But just take the title to DMV and get it titled and registered and they will give you a tag right then. You don't need a safety inpection to get the tag unless they recently changed that because the safety inspections are now input to a computer. If you can get a bill of sale faxed to you it might be worth it but shouldn't need it. You can read thru this. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles It does state that all you need is the declared sale price from the seller on the title if GA has a spot for that. VA does. If not then you will need a bill of sale.

Good luck. Don't go to the DMV office in woodbridge.;-) A southern one would be better.

Thanks for the help man. I'm going to see if I can put a bill of sale together. If I don't have the sale price listed, will they just not register it? From what I heard they will go off of the Nada value of the car in order to tax me, am I mistaken?

 

[Redfire_USMC]

Oh and make sure you have insurance on it.

Full coverage was definitely the first thing I took care of before it went in the trailer lol.

 

[RDJ]

Thanks for the help man. I'm going to see if I can put a bill of sale together. If I don't have the sale price listed, will they just not register it? From what I heard they will go off of the Nada value of the car in order to tax me, am I mistaken?

they will GENERALLY go off of the sales price of the vehicle. if you try to scam them i.e. put a sales price down that is too low, they will pull the NADA and charge you top dollar. if you have the signed title you don't need a bill of sale.

and there are two ways to take care of this … the Kalifornia way and the right way.

 

[Redfire_USMC]

they will GENERALLY go off of the sales price of the vehicle. if you try to scam them i.e. put a sales price down that is too low, they will pull the NADA and charge you top dollar. if you have the signed title you don't need a bill of sale.

and there are two ways to take care of this … the Kalifornia way and the right way.

I'm not trying to scam anyone, I just don't have the bill of sale. I can't get one as quickly as I would like either because I don't have a fax machine for him to send a signed copy of it. He mailed the title to me via overnight shipping ups yesterday so I'm hoping he filled out the title correctly, which is why I'm not sure if he put the dollar amount or not; because I don't physically have it with me right now. So I'm hoping they can just pull off the value from Nada if the seller didn't list it.

 

[RDJ]

I'm not trying to scam anyone, I just don't have the bill of sale. I can't get one as quickly as I would like either because I don't have a fax machine for him to send a signed copy of it. He mailed the title to me via overnight shipping ups yesterday so I'm hoping he filled out the title correctly, which is why I'm not sure if he put the dollar amount or not; because I don't physically have it with me right now. So I'm hoping they can just pull off the value from Nada if the seller didn't list it.

I didn't say you were trying to scam anyone … I merely told you how they work. you can't make your own bill of sale either that is illegal as hell when you use it for official purposes. IF there is a spot for it and he signed the title but didn't put the price in there you can write it in yourself. I have done it many times in Virginia.

 

[Blown38]

They want the price so they know what to charge for taxes. You can check NADA and see if its less or more than you paid to see which way you should go. If you need a place to fax to you can send it to my shop. I'm just up the road from Quantico.

 

[Blown38]

Or just do as RDJ said. Just don't go crazy low, thats when they start asking questions.

 

[Redfire_USMC]

I didn't say you were trying to scam anyone … I merely told you how they work. you can't make your own bill of sale either that is illegal as hell when you use it for official purposes. IF there is a spot for it and he signed the title but didn't put the price in there you can write it in yourself. I have done it many times in Virginia.

That's the problem with forums, it's hard to tell how someone is saying something. I know you weren't saying that I wasn't scamming anyone, I was just confirming that I wasn't and gave you the scoop on what is going on for evidence.

 

[Redfire_USMC]

They want the price so they know what to charge for taxes. You can check NADA and see if its less or more than you paid to see which way you should go. If you need a place to fax to you can send it to my shop. I'm just up the road from Quantico.

That would be awesome help man. I get the title tomorrow, hopefully I won't need it. Or I'll just write it in, lol. That's easy enough.

 

[livnlrn]

You will need insurance on the car & a bill of sale & the signed title. Pay the taxes & they will give you plates. Pretty easy, if you have all of these things with you. You can then get it inspected when ever you have time.

 

[fr03cobra]

my 2001 cobra i bought from a private seller. I paid 27k but he wrote me a bill of sale for 20k.lol saved some money on the sales tax. lucky FL stopped doing emission test down here.