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No plates = Tow?

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What is the name of your state? NY

Having a bit of trouble finding a place to keep one of my cars. Im left to park it outside. But it's not registered/insured. Are cars with no plates subject to a tow? Maybe depends where? Cause it's going to be parked where traffic guys generally are not seen. Thanks.

CB
 


xylene

Senior Member
In New York Motor vehicles operated* on public streets (* THIS INCLUDES PARKING )

Must:

Have valid

  1. Insurance
  2. Plates
  3. Registration
  4. (Inspection)

If you do not have 1 to 3, your car will be towed, impounded and ticketed.
4 (inspection) only a ticket is likely.

Generally most areas have laws that prohibit the storage of unregistered vehicles in areas directly accessible to the street. (aka a driveway or open parking lot)

Barring proper registration, the only sure way yo secure your car is either indoor storage or in a locked and fenced impound.

As to the likelihood, that is a risk judgment only you can make
 
Thanks for the info. Too strict in my opinion. These types of laws put people who do NOT want to sell their cars in bad situations. Because now, I have to sell it, in a very hasty fashion. That means, I most likely won't be getting what the car is worth, and losing a good car at the same time. I could put it in a storage, but if I could afford what these storage places are charging a month, the car would be insured and registered. The ones giving up their property for storage, think their driveways are made of gold. But hey, thats life.
 

xylene

Senior Member
It's a pinch.

Thanks for the info. Too strict in my opinion. These types of laws put people who do NOT want to sell their cars in bad situations.

I can empathize, but the law exist to protect the people of New York from uninsured and unregistered vehicles on the public roads.

While registration and insurance are by no means free, and hardly cheap, you could get basic coverage to keep motoring.

It is not proper for the taxpayer citizens of NY to absorb the cost of your uninsured and unregistered being stored on a public road (for an indeterminate period at that) because you cannot afford or are otherwise unwilling to keep it up to the standards that have been mandated by law for decades.

Good luck. Got a friend with a fenced backyard?
 

CraigFL

Member
Some states allow car collectors to have plates that are movable or very inexpensive for people with lots of cars that don't get driven very often.
 
I guess I understand. But liability for a 23 year old as you may understand is far from cheap. Im driving a 2003 BMW with basic coverage! One car I can handle, okay, but two.. Not at the moment. I think Im gonna work something out with my buildings parking lot. I really don't want to sell that car. It's quite clean :-)

I can empathize, but the law exist to protect the people of New York from uninsured and unregistered vehicles on the public roads.

While registration and insurance are by no means free, and hardly cheap, you could get basic coverage to keep motoring.

It is not proper for the taxpayer citizens of NY to absorb the cost of your uninsured and unregistered being stored on a public road (for an indeterminate period at that) because you cannot afford or are otherwise unwilling to keep it up to the standards that have been mandated by law for decades.

Good luck. Got a friend with a fenced backyard?

I doubt NY is one of these states :rolleyes:

Some states allow car collectors to have plates that are movable or very inexpensive for people with lots of cars that don't get driven very often.
 
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I guess I understand. But liability for a 23 year old as you may understand is far from cheap. Im driving a 2003 BMW with basic coverage! One car I can handle, okay, but two.. Not at the moment. I think Im gonna work something out with my buildings parking lot. I really don't want to sell that car. It's quite clean :-)

So what you're saying is that you can't afford to legally operate the vehicle you own and you're looking for a loophole around it?
 
If your car has no plates, it WILL get towed. If your car has no insurance, your liscence WILL get suspended and if you are merely missing registration and/or inspection stickers, you WILL get a ticket for $65 for each violation (they can give one everyday and that will cost more that insurance).
 
If your car has no plates, it WILL get towed. If your car has no insurance, your liscence WILL get suspended and if you are merely missing registration and/or inspection stickers, you WILL get a ticket for $65 for each violation (they can give one everyday and that will cost more that insurance).

What does my license have to do with anything? You mean license plates?

How about:

You really think me not wanting to selling the car is looking for a loophole in the system? I don't think so.
 

ErinGoBragh

Senior Member
Are you saying they would suspend it even if the car got towed because it had no plates? Obviously I would not be driving it without insurance.

No, that's not what he's saying. At least, I don't think so, because that's not the law.

Xylene's advice is good. Your options are:

1. Put it back "on the road"- insured, registered, inspected, plates. You would only have to put minimum liability on the car if you did this and weren't planning on driving it- take off the comp and collision I'd imagine you have on the BMW and it should be a helluva a lot cheaper.

2. Fenced impound (or pay for storage)

3. Friend's backyard

4. Friend's driveway- may still get ticket or tow though for this from what I'm told. Less risky but still ticketable.

I have an almost identical situation with trying to sell a car quick. In my post Xylene also brought up the legit point that the benefit of number 1 is that you can have people test drive the car. I am 23 as well (female tho) and to have both cars on my policy is less than $275, and that's with an at-fault accident on my record. So worth checking it out.
 
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Are you saying they would suspend it even if the car got towed because it had no plates? Obviously I would not be driving it without insurance.

If your car is towed because you have no plates, that is significant proof that you are not driving the vehicle without insurance. Therefore your driver's license will NOT be suspended. However, if the car is parked in the street, even if you are not driving it, that is considered significant proof that you own a vehicle using public streets without insurance and your license WILL be suspended.
 

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