classic car purchase question

[hertzad]

Hi,
New to the site and to the classic car world so am looking for advice on a couple of things.
1. I'm in Pa. and plan to purchase a 66 mustang from my Uncle in Ca. He's the original owner and we share a last name, so I'm wondering if we can transfer the title without me counting as a second owner.
2. What's the process for buying the car in Ca if I'm going to register it in Pa? Our plan is to drive the car back across country, so it will need tags of some sort.

Thanks.

[Dave B.]

Originally Posted by hertzad

Hi,

1. I'm in Pa. and plan to purchase a 66 mustang from my Uncle in Ca. He's the original owner and we share a last name, so I'm wondering if we can transfer the title without me counting as a second owner.

No - Last thing in the world you want to do. Trying to finesse a title will get you in trouble every time. The folks at the title bureaus aren't dumb - they see this stuff every day. Just do it right the first time.

Originally Posted by hertzad

2. What's the process for buying the car in Ca if I'm going to register it in Pa? Our plan is to drive the car back across country, so it will need tags of some sort.

Option 1. Your uncle puts CA tags on the car, then insures it. You two drive it to PA and go to the Pennsylvania DMV. Follow their instructions.
Option 2. You could probably buy the car in CA and possibly get a set of temporary tags on a bill of sale after you get proof of insurance from your agent. You could then do the paperwork when you get back to PA. California is notoriously hard to deal with on auto paperwork, so I wouldn't guarantee that method. You sould talk to both states' DMVs before you start this transaction.

Just FYI, I bought an antique car out-of-state two years ago. I spoke to the DMV offices in both states before I started the paperwork. One of them noticed a problem that would have been quite difficult to overcome after the sale. As it turned out, my little chat with the clerk saved me both time and money.