USA ROAD TRIP - BUY AND DRIVE A CLASSIC CAMERO PLEASE HELP !

[essexstu]

Hi Guys

I am resident in the UK and have had a full licence for over 30 years, no points, no accidents and 14 years no claims.

In 2017 I am going to realise my dream road trip and plan to fly to the west coast, buy a Classic Camaro (1967/68) to then drive back across the States over 8-10 weeks, ending up in New York and then ship the Camaro back to the UK.

Two big issues therefore to sort and I seem to be running into a brick wall on both.

1) Registration? Given that I am not a US resident, how will register the car? I understand the dealer can put temporary plates on the car which last for 60 days? If I run a couple of weeks over, is this going to be a problem? I have a relative in the US and could use their address if really necessary but want to avoid having to bother them with it if I can.

2) Insurance? This seems to be the biggest headache! How can I get insurance to drive the car I buy? I know I can drive a hire car and pay for extra insurance cover but can I get insurance myself? I will have to be road legal of course and will want to insure the car for theft and accidental damage to me and any third party (we call it fully comprehensive insurance) but I have contacted a couple of American motor insurance companies and they all say they don't insure non US resident drivers. There must be a way of doing this? I can't be the first Brit that has wanted to buy a classic American muscle car and drive it across the USA?

Hope you guys can help and give me some useful leads/answers Cheers guys

Edited by essexstu on Thursday 6th August 11:42

[Matt Harper]

Ensuring that a nearly 50 year old car is capable of a trans-continental journey would be a significant concern to me. Grinding to a halt in the middle of rural Nebraska would be something of a bummer.

You would still need US credentials (a US address, insurance etc) to get a temporary tag from a dealer in CA (I think). Most temp tags are valid 30 not 60 days anyway. I'm not familiar with California DMV protocol, but you couldn't title a car in FL, for instance, without proof of residency - and you certainly couldn't get insurance without residency either.

I suspect these are measures to make it difficult for illegal immigrants to have access - however it makes things tricky for someone like you, who has honorable intentions.

I think you may need to find someone (or a company - which is how the BBC did it on Top Gear) to ostensibly make the purchase, insure it and then add you to the title and the insurance policy - and transfer the title to you at the end of your adventure, so that you can export the car.

Others may know better, but it is not an easy proposition, I think you may find.

[The Moose]

You don't need to be a resident in the US to own a vehicle there. Just an address to register it to.

Troubling your family members is going to be the best way to do it - you can then just get any old insurance broker to arrange the insurance for you - your family there may well be able to help you out.

[EK993]

The Moose said:

You don't need to be a resident in the US to own a vehicle there. Just an address to register it to.

Troubling your family members is going to be the best way to do it - you can then just get any old insurance broker to arrange the insurance for you - your family there may well be able to help you out.

I can't speak for the laws in other states - however in CT you must either have a state issued driving license, or ID card in order to register a vehicle. Just having an address will not allow you to register the vehicle in your name.

[The Moose]

EK993 said:

I can't speak for the laws in other states - however in CT you must either have a state issued driving license, or ID card in order to register a vehicle. Just having an address will not allow you to register the vehicle in your name.

I'd have thought you need valid id. It's also pretty easy and very quick to get a local driving licence in many states...usually insurance is cheaper when you have a US driving licence.

[Loach1]

If you buy from a dealer, you might be able to negotiate using one of their dealer tags for a few weeks, which would also cover the insurance issue. There must be a clear way forward though, where you don't have to rely on chance. If you can start a car, you can pass the driving test, but you would need a utility bill in your name and (possibly?) a social security card, which you won't be able to obtain in a hurry. Insurers will cover you for the right price, even if you don't have a license. I would talk to a local agent rather than the online or 1-800 numbers to find out how.

When importing a car to the USA, it is legal to drive it from the port to the destination without registering, but it must be insured. It might be the same if you intend to export? I would check the DOT rather than the local DMV's since you are crossing the country and they have full jurisdiction.

[K50 DEL]

I looked into doing this many years ago, surprisingly, the biggest issue I found was that I made the mistake of telling the (only) insurance company that would insure me that I was buying the car to do an extended road trip.... they declined coverage as the car wasn't going to spend the majority of overnights parked in the same location which made it a "transient risk"
That was the end of the idea for me, though I still plan to do the same thing with a Winnebago when I retire lol