Re: Buying a car
 

not a chance

Re: Buying a car
 

I would have thought top of the list would be getting your license sorted since you're meant to do it within 10 days of being a CA resident!
It also makes all the other stuff easier if it's in place.
Good luck with your DMV front desk!

Re: Buying a car
 

If I can't afford to insure a car then I wouldn't need a license.

I have now spoken to a few insurance agents and it seems doable with a cheaper car. They're telling me that I can drive on my UK license (and even get insured on a car with it) for 60 days!! There seems to be conflicting information. I think I read that when you pass your theory test you get a temporary extension so maybe that's what they were talking about.

Re: Buying a car
 

That's what they are talking about, and you'd want them to put it in writing, because if they can get out of paying up in case of a claim, they will :D

Re: Buying a car
 

I wouldn't take anything an insurance company (agent) told me at face value. If the CA DMV say get a license within 10 days of being a resident then that would suggest to me that is what I should do.
What decision or influence does an Insurance Company have in relation to the state driving regs etc.
And as stated above if they can wiggle out of a claim they will.

That said the worse part of getting the CA license is dealing with the DMV so I'd get it done rather than put it off.
Just saying.

Take care.

Re: Buying a car
 

RE: insurance.

I passed my driving test in CA about 1 month after being here - biggest tip, go somewhere in the suburbs ( the DMV in Simi Oak in LA County had no queue for example, anywhere in LA itself was a 2 hour plus wait)

I did quite a lot of shopping around and found that both Geico and Progressive allowed me either to say I was a foreign driver with 12 years driving history or a US license holder with 1 months experience.

Both were reasonable quotes, I pay $150 per month for me, my european wife, and her dad to drive a SC430 and a CLK55 AMG with good coverage. And I'm 32. I live in fear it's a mistake, but both were close enough for me to feel comfy.

Re: Buying a car
 

Hello,

I'm hoping to buy a used car soon (in California). Can anyone clarify the difference between 'transferring the title' and 'registering the vehicle'? I know we definitely have to do the first, but I'm not sure about the second. And do we have to buy new license plates, too?

I think I'm clear on the rest of it: seller reports sale to DMV and provides smog certification; buyer transfers title at DMV and pays fees. I've already got insurance quotes, and we're buying the car from a friend. Is there anything else I should know...?

Re: Buying a car
 

If you are buying a used car in California you do not have to register the vehicle - the vehicle is (or should be) already registered and that transfers with the vehicle along with the license plates. (The one exception to that is if the previous owner had custom license plates and wants to keep them - in that case it gets more complicated but the seller should really take care of that for you by getting new plates before they sell the vehicle).

You also get whatever time is remaining on the annual registration - you will get a renewal notice from the DMV about 8 weeks before it expires.

Beware of a seller who is selling a car that is from out of state and "hasn't gotten around to registering it in California yet" - you don't need to deal with that kind of hassle.

Also beware of buying a vehicle that has an expired registration - there are penalties for late renewal.

Oh, and make sure that the vehicle has a current valid smog certificate - you can't transfer the title without that and it is the seller's responsibility to get it.

Re: Buying a car
 

Title says who owns it and if there's any liens on it. Registering it would be the equivalent to the road tax, usually get a sticker that goes on the plate or the windscreen for a year, depending on the state and all that malarky.