kur1j

Well to start off you probably are thinking that it is a speeding ticket but this IMO is a pretty bull**** ticket.

I found a really good deal on a used 2008 Lexus IS350 with EXACTLY everything I wanted and I am extremely happy overall.

I found the car in SD, I live in AL. I had to take some time off of work or I would lose the days, so it worked out great. My parents are retired and wanted to go as they didn't have anything to do and they haven't been in that part of the country.

I made an offer he took the offer got out there did some sight seeing and got the car. The buying process went without a hitch. The guy I worked with was VERY professional and was better than any dealership I have been around.

Since we knew that we might be getting the car, we made sure the insurance would cover the car and checked with our DMV to make sure what we needed to do for registration.

This is where the trouble started. In AL you required to own the vehicle to get a temp tag (duh) and they have to check the cars VIN (if it is bought out of state, which it was) their self before it can registered. The DMV in AL told us that as long as we have the title, bill of sale, and proof of insurance that we have a 20 day grace period to get the car registered. At this point we are thinking that we won't have any problems.

We met up with the guy and ended up taking the car. The tags stayed with him because we knew we had a 20 day grace period to register the car in AL.

So there are no tags on the car but we have bill of sale, title in hand, and proof of insurance.

Going through Johnson county in IL we saw a cop pull out on the interstate. He sees that I don't have a tag and pulled me over. I figured okay, I have all the documentation this will be pretty cut and dry because I KNEW he didn't catch me for speeding because I was doing 60 in a 65.

He goes through his normal "Do you know why I pulled you over". I said "Sir, I assume you are pulling me over for no tag." I explained to him I had all the documentation (bill of sale, title, ins etc.) that my state DMV told me to provide if we were stopped. He said "Well in the state of IL you are required to have registration". I explained to him that I understood that and AL has a grace period of 20 days from the purchase date before registration is required etc etc. He asked why I didn't have a temp tag, and I explained to him that the AL DMV will not issue a temp tag without ownership of the car. He asked me for my information and he went back to the car with it. Did his thing and come back saying "I am issuing a ticket because of no registration". It will be $75 dollars please send the check to blah etc etc. I asked him to explain to me how I was supposed to get the car home to AL legally if I couldn't get a temp tag until the AL DMV saw the car. He could not answer the question other than "Sorry sir, I am unsure how you would handle that". The ONLY helpful thing he did say was "You could have called the IL to get a permit".


By the laws of AL we have a LEGAL vehicle... so let me get this straight...I need to CALL EVERY STATE that I pass through to get a permit made for a car that I DIDN'T EVEN OWN at the time??!?!

It is a catch 22...Need registration/temp tag...can't get registration without owning car, can't get to my DMV without driving it to the DMV to get it registered so they can see the car.


I am sorry but this ticket is TOTAL bull**** other than to get money. But looking at it again I would expect something like this from a state like IL...see governor.


My mom doesn't work and said she is going to cost them more money in phone calls and time with employees than the ticket is worth.

BTW the car rocks .

I8ABMR

the ticket sucks, but at least you got a deal on the car. If its in a state you are not planning on visiting again for a while just trash the ticket . I would pay and write a nasty note

raytseng

There is a legal solution: load car onto a truck (that's registered duh) and then truck it over to your state, so it's not technically an impossible situation.

You DO need to be aware of different laws when crossing state borders. It's no picnic, but ignorance is not a valid defense.

Do a quick search on the intertubes and IL dmv, Check the laws to find out if you're really in the wrong here.
You might want to search/then contact the DMVs from both states to find out what their guidance would be on how to properly perform your transaction.
It could be the cop got it wrong.

LexFather

There is a good chance if you go to court the judge may drop the case once you provide all the documentation you say you have. The cop figures you are not going to fight it and pay the $75 as he doesn't know the details. As raystseng stated though in court, "ignorance is no excuse of the law".

Luvmy350

iTrader: (2)

This isn't legal, but what I used to do is take a temp tag that wasn't expired and just slap it on there. That way NOBODY pulls you over. They aren't going to know which car it belonged to. If the cops want to be an azz, then you go around the system.....a little.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

but he'd have to go to IL to go to court!

kur1j, what i would have done is taken a plate off my other car with me and stuck that on it for the drive home. chances are you'd never get pulled over.

anyway, pay the $75 TAX (because that's what it is with states running short on funds for their bloated budgets), and move on.

kur1j

We weren't ignorant. In AL there is a 20 day grace period for us to get registration.

The law that he put on the ticket was 625 ILCS 5/3‑701

This is what we would fall under.
So my understand is that we would fall under the above law as a vehicle eligible for Reciprocity.

So the way I understand that, is if AL is giving us 20 days for registration of the car as long as we have the proof of that information then IL should be reciprocal to that law. Because I was legal in AL.

If that isn't the case, IL could bust every single person from out of state without having a reciprocity permit.

Driving to IL is about an 8 hour trip and would cost more in gas than to pay the ticket.

The issue was I could NOT get a temp tag without owning the car. Alabama will not issue a temp tag without ownership and seeing the car if the car is out of state. In lieu of that so you can get it up there to the DMV to register it in AL, if you have that information (bill of sale, title, insurance) you have a 20 day grace period to register the car.

LexFather

kur1jm, bitkahuna is right....IL basically taxed u with the ticket. FYI, out of towners, no tags, are like big bright neon lights to cops. When the cop knew the car was from AL he was giving you a ticket, period. The hassle to fight it (forgot you would have to go to IL) would be to great he is thinking. He helps hit his quota and you won't show up in court. Easy ticket for him.

Technically, you are RIGHT but sadly many times we still just pay the ticket b/c they make it so hard to fight it (or expensive) that people just absorb the "tax" aka ticket.

kur1j

What if I got in a wreck with the car and I had different tags that was registered to a different car? That would have been illegal.

What you just said is illegal. What I did was completely legal and by the books according to the state of AL, which IL should honor.

kur1j

Well it has throughly pissed off both of my parents as they helped me with getting the information prior to our trip about registration and tags etc.

It might sound stupid but my parents are going to cost them more than the 75 dollars with phone calls and taking up the DMV personnel time.

I bet anything IL has a grace period for getting registration on a car just as long as you can provide documentation on the car as well. Just like AL. We will find out tomorrow though.

LexFather

This is how it works. Ticket is issued. You have a 24 hour window most of the time for when that ticket hits the system. If you "know" someone on the force or the officer, they don't have to enter the ticket in the system. Otherwise you will have a court date.

Talking to DMV etc will only provide you with documentation to take to court if you don't pay the ticket. DMV cannot dismiss the ticket.

It is VERY sad, the sad bloated, fat, sometimes useless system that angers and abuses good American citizens.

trukn1

This may be the case, but you are aware of the fact that they are also talking about you being pulled over within the state of ALABAMA only. Essentially, once you got the car home, your state will allow you a 20 day grace without tags if you get pulled over as long as you have the documentation on hand. This allowance does not necessarily, cross over into other states, nor do they have the obligation to honor your state's provision on this matter.

Question:
Answer:
Not sure if you flew out to the West coast or if you guys took a drive cross country, could have loaded the car on a trailer from u-haul, or contacted a shipping company to send the car back home to Alabama. No hassles, no worries.

Big gamble in doing so, and while you MAY not get pulled over, if you do the penalties for doing this are even worse than no tags at all. Falls into the same category as falsifying documents, and in some states can result in jail time. Cops CAN tell which car a temp tag belongs to. In some states, the VIN number is also listed on the temp tag, and it better match the paperwork that you give them. In other states, the VIN is not listed on the tag itself, however ALL states are required to register a VIN # associated with a temp tag into the DMV computer. Only takes him a quick check on the computer to find out that the temp tag that you have for a MERC. does NOT belong on the LEXUS that he has now pulled you over in with that tag. Yes, I know that most cops will not catch it, nor look that deep into it, but it isnt that hard for them to find out.

Same as above,, you MAY get away with it and not get pulled over, but is very risky should you get pulled for anything and the tags get run. Legal tags on wrong vehicle = Falsification of LEGAL, DOCUMENTED paperwork and will cost you more in fines then no tags at all. In some states, you can face jail time as well as impoundment of the car.

Kur1J- Bottom line, just about everyone is in agreement with what happened and in this instance you were wrong only by misinterpreting the info given to you. State laws, provisions differ by the state, and one state is not obligated to follow/honor the provisions of another state. As everyone else has stated, just pay the fine and chalk it up to an expensive learning experience. You are really lucky that the car was not impounded; even with the proper proof of purchase/ownership etc. It is still an unregistered vehicle, and until you get tags/temp tags, is not legal to drive on the roads except in AL where they allow you the grace period provision.

The reciprocity clause that you mention above, would apply to you IF you have plates/temp tags (which had been issued) already on the car. You yourself state that the car had no tags at all (temp or otherwise), which will send up a red flag to law enforcement no matter what state you are in.

Not trying to bust on ya or anything, but I have had the opportunity to talk with law enforcement all over the country as a cross country trucker. Yeah the system is messed up and not uniform, and it is not hard to get lost in the masses of beauracratic hassle in the attempts of trying to interpret a legal answer.

raytseng

If you want to pursue this,
I think instead of trying to interpret the law,
just ask the DMV (for the state you got the ticket in) for clarification of your exact situation and how they expected you to handle the transport.
You'll find out whether the DMV agrees with you, or agrees with the cop.
20/20 hindsight, but might have been good to get an interpretation as it fits to you before starting the trip.
Each state is independent (heck the US federal basically has a truce with texas) so yes you'd have to do this with every state you're crossing.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

yeah you're right, but WAAAAAY more expensive. plus you don't get to drive a fun car home.

kur1j - best of luck to you, i don't think you'll get anywhere fighting it, and if not, $75 - oh well, not the end of the world.

congrats on the new car!

IS-SV

Sorry (yes it's a bummer), but I can't get too excited about paying $75 especially if it's not a moving violation impacting insurance cost.