>I live in Virginia and am heading to Maryland this weekend to buy an '84
>Westy.  The problem is, Maryland apparently doesn't issue new/temp tags on
>Saturdays.  Unfortunately, this is the only weekend I can make the trip and
>am, anyhow, desperate for wheels.  The guy I'm buying from isn't cool about
>lending me his tags for a day.  Therefore, I'm taking the plate of my old
>Pa-registered Toyota to put on the van for the trip back (better than no
>plate at all, right...???).  The trip back will last for about 3.5 hours
>and I'm worried about a pull over and its implications (probobly be the
>only time in my life I get pulled over).  So, can anyone think of a better
>plan or have any idea what the penalty is for this sort of fiasco?

Seth,

When I did the same thing recently I was able to secure a "transit plate"
from the State of Maine DMV.  This cost $10.  I was able to postdate this
transit plate to the date of planned purchase which then allowed me 14
days to drive the vehicle directly from the purchasing location to my
home in Maine where it could then be registered, inspected, and all the
other good things to make it totally legal.  I could have registered it
in advance of my trip but was not sure I was going to return from my trip
with a van so went the transit plate route.  All you need is the VIN
number and evidence of insurance.

>I will have insurance for the van, but no documentation....being that
>I just made the call today...

Most policies automatically cover the purchase of another vehicle under
the terms of the existing policy for a period of 15 or 30 days.  I had a
temporary ID card from my agent within an hour of my call to her -
stopped by her house on my way to the DMV.  If necessary, $10 for
overnight delivery of the proper documentation is cheap "insurance" for
your peace of mind.

Now in my college days I remember having all sorts of questionable
registrations and license plates, but that's another
story.................

Have a good trip,

Tony

Anthony L. Mourkas
Hampden, Maine, USA
1984 Vanagon Westfalia