Tow car registration and insurance

[Simplepleasures]

I would like to purchase a tow car but am out of state and will not be returning this year.  My state of residency is TX.  How do I register and plate the car I plan to buy? I'm a full time RVer.

I'm confused about the insurance, registration, and license plate requirements.  My RV is registered to TX.

[Kirk W]

There are many here who have done what you plan in the past, but your best source of information will be to contact the Polk County office where you need to register your new vehicle. You can call them office at (936) 327-6801, or you can send an email to them if not in any rush. If you do this you can begin the process while on the phone and be sure that it is done right. 

[Barbaraok]

Here's the link to the forms you need on the Escapees website.

https://www.escapees.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Passenger_Car.pdf

We did this last January when we bought a new car.  Hardest part was waiting to get the Arizona e-title notification, once we had that just sent everything in (called and they answered the couple of small questions I had) and within less than a week we had our plates.  

[Velos]

Our vehicles are registered in Texas and we have purchased vehicles in Oregon and North Carolina while on the road and the bookkeeper in each dealership was familiar with out of state registrations, downloaded the forms and completed them for us; very helpful. 

Most recently we purchased a new tow vehicle in Arizona and will not do that again. The salesman was great but the bookkeeper incompetent, never had any customer service training or just plain didn't like his job.   I understand the purpose of e-title but it is most inconvenient for the purchaser and especially and out of state purchase. We eventually received our refunds and paperwork thanks to Livingston.    There are several states that use E-title: https://santanderconsumerusa.com/support/faqs/i-have-been-informed-my-title-is-electronic-what-does-that-mean

I would recommend the Costco Auto program to purchase a new vehicle.  I hate the back an forth with the salesmen, always have. Since this was the first time we tried Costco, on the recommendation of another Escapee,  we went to another dealer first to compare pricing then went to the Costco authorized dealer.  The Costco dealer asked us what we wanted, showed us several vehicles then showed us the price of the one we wanted no negotiation necessary and $1,000 less that the other dealer and in a lot less time. DH loves the back and forth but was very happy with the Costco program convenience.

Also Costco gives various discounts on accessories and service after the sale. We added several things to our truck at substantial savings.

[Barbaraok]

Agree that out of state purchases are a hassle in Arizona.  And the people in Livingston are great to work with!

[Simplepleasures]

Thank you for all your help.  I'm still confused about the insurance question.  Does the car need to be insured in conjunction with the RV, or can it be a separate policy with another company?  It will be towed at some point.

Thank you again.  Escapees are the best!

[Kirk W]

14 minutes ago, Simplepleasures said:

Does the car need to be insured in conjunction with the RV, or can it be a separate policy with another company?

The car will need it's own insurance policy and it could be either with the company that insures your RV or it could be with a different company. I have done it both ways, even when using the same insurance agent to write both policies. Any independent insurance agency can write coverage from more than one insurance company and they often do. If you like your current insurance agent, I'd suggest contacting him/her first but you may also want to get quotes from several agencies. If you should, here are several agencies that have good reputations in the RV community. 

AIS Agency      RV Advantage           Miller Insurance Agency                Explorer RV Insurance