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Car registration question

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
I've got myself into a semi complicated situation in terms of buying/registering a car. I grew up in NY, went to college in CA, and never bothered switching to a CA license, so I still have a NYS DL. Now, I just took a job in Seattle, so I'm moving to WA, and I want to buy a new car. I'm visiting my dad in NY right now, but am heading back to CA where all my stuff is in a few days, and planning to buy the car there, and drive it up to WA with as much of my stuff as I can cram into it. The question is, given that I'm about to move to Seattle, but don't as of yet even have an address there, don't have a CA license, and am planning on buying a car in CA, how the fvck do I get it registered with the fewest headaches possible?
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
The location of your DL should be irrelevant to buying the car.
I've purchased multiple cars out of state without issue.
Buy car, drive to WA on temp tags, get WA tags and DL when you arrive.

You might wind up paying taxes on the car in WA though, in addition to CA, depending on their tax code.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
Yeah I know people buy cars out of state all the time. My concern was getting WA temp tags despite not having a WA license. That isn't an issue though?
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
If you're just arriving in town to start a new job, you should be able to get WA temp tags without issue.
How long are the CA temps good for? If you're headed right to WA, you'll probably have a place to stay by the time you need WA plates anyway.

e: when I bought my last car from out of state (NJ) and was going to register it in MA, I didn't have a US address or a US drivers license as I'd been living in europe for 4 years. Don't remember the details but it all worked out.
 
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