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Old 07-12-2021, 09:24 PM   #1
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Name: Kathie
Trailer: class c looking for a small fiberglass
Kentucky
Posts: 12
Buying from another state

As I look at the fiberglass trailers for sale. I am wondering how do you legally purchase in one state and bring it home thru one or more states without getting plates/30 day tags etc on it. Watching video's looks like you go you pay and leave. At dealerships which i know you cant buy the there they do it all. what paperwork will you need? just a receipt or bill of sale? insurance before you leave the past owners house? while i will be buying one hopefully sooner then later, I doubt i will find one in KY . Seems like you would have to have the seller go with you and do all the legal stuff? I haven't answered any of the classified i was interested in cause I don't know basic answers. TIA Kathie
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Old 07-12-2021, 10:27 PM   #2
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Name: Alexander
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1300
New Hampshire
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First thing is to check and see with your state what is required to register a trailer. You will have to make sure the seller can supply what is required or what a work-around would be. It can get complicated if the state you buy the trailer in doesn't require a title and the state you live in does.
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Old 07-13-2021, 04:38 AM   #3
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Name: Carl
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA
Florida
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Most states typically require a title on commercially manufactured trailers. Florida, for example, requires a title on any trailer over a certain weight, but not on those under a certain weight, even the small commercially manufactured cargo trailers like those sold at Tractor Supply or Lowe’s. And Florida, under an interstate agreement with several other states will collect sales tax from the buyer for his/her State of residence because Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, etc. do not want a resident purchasing out of state and bringing a trailer back to use as an unregistered hunting cabin or camp. Furthermore, it is legally wise for the seller to complete the transaction at his/her DMV because the transfer of ownership is on record, and the seller cannot be sued if the buyer screws up such as the trailer disconnecting a mile down the road injuring, killing, or damaging property. Do you due diligence and call the DMV in your State of residence and also in the State where the buyer resides.
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Old 07-13-2021, 05:16 AM   #4
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
Posts: 5,155
Some states will issue a temp tag / plate to an individual but many or most don't. You can check with your DMV. Some people put just any tag on the trailer to get it home but thats more likely to give you a problem than not having a plate at all. In this state its a higher level of infraction. As long as you have title with proper ownership transfer (nortized if required), a bill of sale, and are within a few days of the sale, there is almost no chance you will get in trouble. If its been a month since the sale and you are not reasonably between the place of sale and your home, then you might have a problem if stopped.

From a quick look.. it seems that KY gives you 15 days to register a vehicle after you buy it. And in Ky it seems that the local Sheriff needs to inspect it to make sure it is what is on the paperwork, so that requires you to transport it from out of state. Rules for trailers were not clear so be sure to ask or research it further.

And yes.. if you own it, and as soon as you own it, if you are not willing to take the financial hit, then insure it. But as far as I know, you are not legally required to insure a trailer anywhere in the US... the tug insurance covers the legally required insurance on towed vehicles but of course does not cover it when not being towed.
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Old 07-13-2021, 06:01 AM   #5
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
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When in doubt just check with your local tag office. Every state has its own rules and there are lots of differences. In the last 20 years, every vehicle I have bought was out of state. Why? Because that’s where I found the best deals, and in the case of molded FG, the only deals..

Only once did I get a temporary tag. It was more hassle than it was worth. I’ve never done it again. Again, ask your tag office. On insurance, a quick call to your insurance agent will clear that all up.

In the world of used molded FG trailers, if you limit yourself to in state only, the chances of finding anything is remote.

Don’t buy a trailer without a valid title!

Cars, trucks, RVs and so on are bought out of state every day. It’s not unique or unusual.

+10 in my state, the rules in the state I am buying from apply. So the pickup I bought in TN, TN rules, which are more lax, applied rather than NC rules. No idea how KY does it. When in doubt, do more,. So when I bought my F150, we went to the seller’s bank, exchanged money and I got his signature notarized (not required in TN).

+10 some sellers never transferred the title into their name, which can make signing off the title to you a problem.
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Old 07-13-2021, 06:04 AM   #6
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Name: Kathie
Trailer: class c looking for a small fiberglass
Kentucky
Posts: 12
Thanks

Thank you for all being so complete with your answers. I appreciate it very much. I will be calling my local office. I did know the sheriff has to check it. It has to have a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector. Guessing he also may check turn signals, and brake lights. Once again. I thank you for all your help. Kathie
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Old 07-13-2021, 06:17 AM   #7
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Name: Lisa
Trailer: Boler 1700
Michigan
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+10 to doing your due diligence on what the state you are buying from requires in titling a travel trailer. Your secretary of state will know what other states require.

Also if you are buying from a title state, make sure that the title is in the sellers name. We have run into people that don't bother to to title the trailer when they buy it, but then they can't sign the title over to you. I assume they were trying to avoid taxes, but you never know.
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Old 07-13-2021, 06:53 AM   #8
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Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
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Regarding insurance, your tow vehicle’s insurance covers liability while towing, so no additional insurance is required. But if you want full coverage for damage or loss of the trailer, discuss that with your agent in advance.

A few states do not title travel trailers, and some are title optional, not many. Be sure to verify a seller’s statement about that. Your state motor vehicle office knows which those are and will accept a bill of sale. They may even have a blank form you can use, which insures your bill of sale includes all required information (including notarization in some states).
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Old 07-13-2021, 09:41 AM   #9
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Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
New York
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Like others have said, find out what your state requires for paperwork. Get any forms that the seller may have to fill out or sign. Much easier to get it all done at the time of the sale than later. I waited almost a year for the seller to get his signature notarized on a form after we bought and paid for a camper. They are not much motivated to do anything after they get the money.
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Old 07-13-2021, 10:30 PM   #10
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Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
Posts: 1,307
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Originally Posted by kathsew4u View Post
As I look at the fiberglass trailers for sale. I am wondering how do you legally purchase in one state and bring it home thru one or more states without getting plates/30 day tags etc on it. Watching video's looks like you go you pay and leave. At dealerships which i know you cant buy the there they do it all. what paperwork will you need? just a receipt or bill of sale? insurance before you leave the past owners house? while i will be buying one hopefully sooner then later, I doubt i will find one in KY . Seems like you would have to have the seller go with you and do all the legal stuff? I haven't answered any of the classified i was interested in cause I don't know basic answers. TIA Kathie
Make sure there is title. Get the seller's signature notarized if required on the title. Some states no longer a notarized signature, Colorado is one of those states unless it is an older title requiring it. Get a signed bill of sale from the seller. Doesn't have to be a special form but needs to have price of trailer, date of sale, VIN number from trailer, sellers name and address, your name and address and what kind of trailer it is. All this covers any questions when you get license plates and title it. If vehicles are taxed in your state then they will collect the taxes when you license it. No need to get plates in another state and pay for taxes there and then again at home. Get insurance on it since they are not that expensive to insure. The tow vehicle covers some of the insurance requirements but not all. We don't have our trailer insured since it is in storage. I called and they said we need to insure it for things the tow vehicle won't cover when we take it out. Don't under any conditions put a license plate on it that does not belong to it. That is a felony in some states. Learned that when we bought an RV out of state and the dealer wanted us to put our old plates on it. We knew better. Some states don't require plates on trailers and most states will not ticket you if you are transporting it home after a sale unless they are total jerks. Don't stop and sight see on your way home. This will cover all the needs you should have. We've found calling the DMV may give you wrong info. The more people you talk to the more wrong info you may get from them. Just went through this on some stuff.
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Old 07-14-2021, 06:03 AM   #11
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Originally Posted by Jann Todd View Post
... We don't have our trailer insured since it is in storage. I called and they said we need to insure it for things the tow vehicle won't cover when we take it out. ....
All good advice from Jann except for the above. IMHO the most important time to have insurance is when the camper is in storage, away from your site and out of your sight. Vandalism, theft, fire, and someone without insurance hitting it with their vehicle are all possible. Chances are that the storage facility wont have adequate insurance and will have fine print in the contract that limits their liability.
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Old 07-14-2021, 11:43 AM   #12
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Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
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Originally Posted by gordon2 View Post
All good advice from Jann except for the above. IMHO the most important time to have insurance is when the camper is in storage, away from your site and out of your sight. Vandalism, theft, fire, and someone without insurance hitting it with their vehicle are all possible. Chances are that the storage facility wont have adequate insurance and will have fine print in the contract that limits their liability.
I guess I didn't make it clear. Our trailer is insured when in storage which is on our property in a garage. The insurance covers things like theft, fire, etc. But that is not all inclusive for when towing it. You have to have things like collision in the event the trailer disconnects from your vehicle. If the trailer does that it isn't necessarily covered by the vehicles insurance since it is no longer attached to it. There are fine lines on policies. We remove the collision part when in storage on our trailer and RV and put it on for the season when we get ready to travel.
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Old 07-14-2021, 02:12 PM   #13
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Originally Posted by Jann Todd View Post
I guess I didn't make it clear. ..l.
Well you have now.. and now I agree with EVERYTHING you said. Lots of good sense.

BTW, how is your coverage if someone is injured in the camper.. at home or away? Say someone wants a tour, and trips on the way out, falls, and breaks a leg... Just something to think about. I have an umbrella liability policy that would kick in if I were sued for a large amount in such a case. Maybe its a little overkill but it does protect me further.
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Old 07-17-2021, 10:28 AM   #14
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Name: Charlie
Trailer: '83 Burro
Virginia
Posts: 404
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I found “the Burro of my dreams” near Chicago, IL, and I live in Central VA, so while I was at the seller’s house in Round Lake IL, I went online with my laptop and got the registration and temp license from my VA DMV to bring it home. I called my insurance agent and had the Burro (whose VIN I had by then) added to my account to get home. I printed out a temp certificate that included a temporary “license tag” and was instructed to tape it inside the rear window, readable from the outside. My trip home would have been pretty much flawless if I had tightened the lugs before I left the seller’s driveway and kept a closer eye on the gas as I got close to home! (Don’t ask!)

Froggie
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Old 07-17-2021, 11:54 AM   #15
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Trailer: Scamp
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Purchased mine in Iowa, pulled back to Kentucky using previous owners tag . Returned once I got back to Ky. You can insure once you have vin #. As far as Ky goes sheriff was not involved , but, had to have a $50..00 inspection from State Fire Marshal before getting title transferred and tag! Waste of $50, but state needs the revenue stream.
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