Hey, I’m a PA resident currently going to school in New Mexico. I live at an isolated campus and need to buy a car to go to work (15 miles) and get groceries etc. I found a reliable Honda Civic with low miles in my price range from a private party on Craigslist. The guy is very nice and upfront with everything. The thing is that I’m currently uninsured and living across the country. In PA you need to register a car in person, so that’s just not an option. So, I was wondering if anyone had experience with buying insurence and registering a car out of state. Thanks.
Call the state motor vehicle office and ask what the rules are for the state you are in. You can’t possibly be the first person to ever do this.
Register it in New Mexico. Buy insurance in New Mexico as you are living there more of the year and it will be cheaper likely. And pay a mechanic to check the car out. My dd bought a car on CL and it all worked out. But my mother looked at a Subaru once and too it to a mechanic and there were all kinds of problems with the undercarriage includes hoses not hooked up to anything. There had obviously been some kind of issue that they just were pretending didn’t happen. Passed on that.
If you are over 18, and a licensed driver you should be able to register your car in NM. They might require you to have a NM driver’s license first. You can look up DMV rules on line by googling. Also look on line for insurance costs. If your parents happen to have USAA it’s one of the best deals and you would qualify for your own membership. There are tools on line that let you compare insurance quotes. Make sure you can afford insurance before you purchase the car because it’s often very expensive for younger drivers.